As part of the initiatives to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the granting of the title of Villa to Guantanamo, the Municipal Assembly of People's Power, in its XX ordinary session corresponding to the seventeenth period, held in October 2020, approved the use of the Local anthem, whose author is the outstanding Guantanamo intellectual, now deceased, Luis de Jesús Morlote Ruíz, for solemn acts.
The idea was promoted by the constituency delegate José Cuenca Sosa, who is also the Director of the Rafael Inciarte Brioso Musical Information and Documentation Center, an institution in charge of safeguarding and promoting the musical heritage of Guantánamo.
This anthem was approved by the Municipal Council in plenary session, sanctioned by the mayor Enrique A. Baradat Rosillo in February 1939 and premiered on the 24th of that same month, in an act organized by the Delegation of Veterans of Independence, interpreted by the students from the Sagrado Corazón de Jesús school, with the accompaniment of the Municipal Band directed by Captain Enrique Salas. The song reflects the heroism of the children of this land.
The approved proposal was the choral version made by the teacher Modesto Conrado Monier Ribeaux, which is interpreted after the National Anthem in the sessions of the assembly and in the most important political, state and social events that take place in the municipality.
In addition, it is pursued as a purpose that the knowledge of the Anthem extends to educational centers and other institutions of the territory and is fully known by the people.
Next, the text of the hymn and a brief biographical note of the author.
HIMNO A GUANTÁNAMO
Author: Luis de Jesús Morlote Ruíz
choral version: Modesto Conrado Monier Ribeaux
Guantánamo heroic piece
land of immortal glory
you were loving lap
In the noble triumphal epic
Your stoic sons fought
Full of faith and courage
With the blood of heroes they watered
The earth to your praise and praise
Sing to your bravos and glory
shake our hearts
For you and for them the story
Keep a place in peace and in action
Guantánamo heroic piece
land of immortal glory
you were loving lap
In the noble triumphal epic
Sing to your bravos and glory
shake our hearts
For you and for them the story
Keep a place in peace and in action
Triumphal…….
Note: The terms praise and prez appear in the hymn. The first means praise, praise and the second means honor, esteem or consideration that is acquired with a glorious action.
Luis de Jesús Morlote Ruíz: Guantánamo, March 12, 1903 - United States, 1994. Stomatologist, historian, poet, musician and cultural promoter. Along with Rafael Inciarte Brioso, he formed an authorial pairing for more than forty years, which also extended to the field of research on the traditional music of the territory. He was one of the promoters of the founding of the Guantánamo Changüí group. He was the founder of the first radio station CMKJ in his hometown. He wrote several books of poetry and other history texts. He is considered one of the most beloved and respected figures of the Guantanamo culture. He is the author of the Hymn to Guantanamo.
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