For almost thirty years, cooperation between Le Lamentin and Santiago de Cuba has embodied a lasting commitment between two territories that share much more than a simple partnership. This structuring link, forged through concrete projects in the fields of culture, health, education and sustainable development, has established itself as a genuine lever for Caribbean proximity.
As the Festival del Caribe 2025 approaches, the two cities reaffirm their shared ambition to celebrate three decades of collaboration in 2026.
Two key events to mobilize the region's driving forces
On May 21 and 23, two meetings punctuated the official visit of the representatives of Santiago de Cuba to Martinique. The first meeting, organized by the Lamentin town hall, brought together David Zobda, Odexa Fuentes Medina and Enaï Diamela Palacios Acosta, the territory’s main cultural and tourist organizations: Tropiques Atrium, Direction des Affaires Culturelles, Comité Martiniquais du Tourisme, community tourist offices, travel agencies, SAMAC airline, Préfecture, Université des Antilles, CCIM, comités d’œuvres sociales, clubs services and the Martinique-Cuba association. Member of Parliament Jean-Philippe Nilor was also present. The aim of the event was to present the Festival del Caribe 2025 and to launch a stronger institutional dialogue between the two territories.
On May 23, a second meeting was held, this time with the cultural associations of Lamentin. This more operational exchange helped to identify ways of contributing to the festival, and to validate the interest of numerous local structures. Participants included Jeunesse en Fleurs – Ballet Kadan’s Kréol, Afrique Caraïbe Fraternité, GOPIO Martinique, AMESU and Gommier & Tradition. All expressed their willingness to play an active part in the event, through artistic, educational, heritage or gastronomic activities.
Georges-Louis Lebon, third deputy mayor of Le Lamentin in charge of cultural affairs and president of the Office de la culture, introduced the meeting by recalling the foundations of the municipal commitment: “Sport, culture and associations are at the heart of the Ville du Lamentin’s project”. He also emphasized the structuring role of the media library, the Office de la culture, and the rich fabric of over 60 cultural associations, nearly 40 of which are particularly active.
Concrete, ambitious cooperation
The partnership between Le Lamentin and Santiago de Cuba goes far beyond the symbolic framework of a traditional twinning. Initiated around common issues such as water management, this cooperation has rapidly evolved to encompass essential fields such as health, sport, the environment, major risk management, and now economic development and scientific research.
David Zobda, Mayor of Le Lamentin, underlines this dynamic: “This is not just a one-off cultural exchange. We work together on concrete projects, with precise objectives, responding to the real needs of our respective populations.”
He adds: “We want this cooperation to be an economic lever too. We need to ask the real questions: how can we develop freight, make banking flows more fluid, harmonize our standards?”
Diamela Palacios Acosta, Secretary of the Municipal Assembly of Santiago de Cuba, completes this vision by recalling the solidity of the link between the two cities: “Between Le Lamentin and Santiago, there is more than solidarity; there is a true fraternity. Despite the difficulties caused by the American embargo, our cooperation has remained constant and effective for almost 30 years.”
Odexa Fuentes Medina, for her part, underlined Santiago de Cuba’s determination to promote a diversity of artistic and cultural expression within the festival: “We are the fruit of a mixture of cultures: African, Spanish, French, Arab, Asian… The Festival del Caribe is the space where this diversity is fully expressed.” between the two cities: “Martinique and Santiago de Cuba have maintained a constant fraternity, even in the most difficult times. This relationship goes far beyond cultural exchanges.
Festival del Caribe 2025: a not-to-be-missed event
The Festival del Caribe, or Fiesta del Fuego, is one of the most emblematic events in the Caribbean cultural calendar. Held annually in Santiago de Cuba, this week-long event welcomes artistic delegations, researchers, cultural players and citizens from all over the Caribbean basin. The 2025 edition (July 3 to 9) will feature Curaçao, in an atmosphere marked by street music, traditional dances, popular arts and collective rituals such as the famous “Serpiente”.
The festival offers an inclusive vision of Caribbean culture, at the crossroads of African, European, Asian and Amerindian heritage. Diamela Palacios insists on this openness: “The festival reflects the richness of our diversity. Even though it is rooted in the Caribbean, it is open to the world.
In addition to the artistic program, in 2025 Santiago de Cuba will also celebrate the 510th anniversary of its foundation, as well as key moments in its political and social history, such as the 72nd anniversary of the storming of the Moncada Quarter. These elements give the event a depth that goes beyond the purely cultural.
In 2026: 30 years of cooperation between Lamentin and Santiago
The year 2026 will mark a symbolic milestone in the history of the two cities. Santiago de Cuba has already proposed that this year’s Festival be marked by thirty years of cooperation. It’s a powerful invitation, and one that calls for a broad mobilization of Martinique’s associative, educational and economic fabric.
The idea? To build a multi-faceted delegation, representative of the region’s diversity and ambitions.
The mayor of Lamentin calls for anticipation of this deadline: “We need to get organized now so that 2026 is not just a memory, but a real showcase of our ability to act collectively in the Caribbean.”
This dynamic is based on a shared desire to build a more integrated Caribbean space, where culture, education and the economy interact. The Lamentin town council has announced that it will be providing support to help associations structure their projects, identify funding and ensure their logistics.
Building a Caribbean that acts and shines
Through this active, multi-faceted cooperation, Le Lamentin and Santiago de Cuba are showing that another model of exchange is possible in the Caribbean: one based on trust, consistency and a shared vision. While 2025 will mark an important milestone with the expected presence of numerous delegations from Martinique at the Festival del Caribe, 2026 is already shaping up to be a high point.
Are you an association or a cultural, economic or educational player? Now’s the time to get involved.
