Interview with Josefina Vidal, Ambassador of Cuba in Canada

In Part I Chapter 6, I interviewed Her Excellency, Josefina de la Caridad Vidal Ferreiro, when she was the Cuban Ambassador to Canada. This chapter illuminates role of Cuban women in government and society, sharing some interesting perspectives on the lives of women in her country. We also discussed economic development, politics—in terms of Helms–Burton Title III, foreign investment, and shared a little about her personal life and career. Our interview took place in late January 2019 at the Embassy of Cuba in Ottawa. Also in our conversation, the Ambassador explains that although women played a role in earlier revolutions historically; it was not until the Cuban Revolution of 1959 that women achieved their potential. The reason for this was the recognition by the leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, that women were “a revolution within the revolution.” He said, without women, this revolution would not have been possible. After the Revolution, women entered the workforce, acquired education and literacy, achieved economic independence, autonomy, to play an active role in Cuban society. In politics, women have fared well. Cuba places second in the world for the highest percentage of women in parliament, next to Rwanda. Of the total seats in Parliament, women hold 53.2%. Other issues discussed in this interview include social problems, literacy, the Family Code, and the prominent role of the Federation of Women organization.