Chair for Women in Pinar del Río

María Isabel López Pretel is a woman from Cienfuegos, a teacher with more than four decades dedicated to teaching, who ended up living in Pinar del Río for reasons of love.

No one who sees his vitality can calculate his age, he is one of those people whose spirit seems immune to time, the desire to do for others and do it well does not allow the soul to age.

She is an exemplary mother, grandmother, that sensitivity permeates her in every aspect of her life with a simplicity that does not reveal that when it comes to titles, she has many.

She has a master’s degree in Development Sciences, professor of Philosophy, with Assistant category, of the Department of Marxism-Leninism of the University of Pinar del Río Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca, member of the Fourth Contingent of the Pedagogical Detachment.

But the reason for these lines is the work carried out in front of the Isabel Rubio Díaz women’s chair and the Gender Committee of the Alta Casa de Estudios in Pinar del Río, which are made up of teachers and students from the three university campuses.

He assures me that he took on the task because he sees it as an opportunity to contribute to the improvement of a reality. On a personal level, he has received satisfaction for it, and despite my determination that the interview go about it, he tells me no, that behind this work is the work of many who left their legacy, and even today, everything works for a work team.

“The Chair emerged in 1991, it always responded to the policy of inclusion of women in the Revolution and to its inspiring maxim Vilma Espín, who knew how to creatively interpret the thought of Fidel Castro, since a purebred Martian knew that incorporating women into the work of the Revolution was a guarantee of strength, of success”.

Empowerment, respect for all equally and fair recognition of what is done, without the mediation of sexist thoughts or discrimination for similar issues, has been a challenge for Cuban society.

For this reason, spaces such as the one generated by the Chair are promoted, which:

“It was created with the objective of visualizing the achievements of women in university life, but also to promote the study of problems with a gender approach to be seen from teaching, research and extension.

“This vision that the gender approach is transversal was and is constant, with an awareness of the gaps that still persist. It is very important that in the extension processes the link with the community is achieved from the very dynamics of the investigation and different activities.

“However, something like this, which implies the transformation of various factors at the level of consciousness and in practice requires alliances, for this reason the Chair deepens its ties with the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), the Provincial Government, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (Citma), Public Health, the Provincial Directorate of Education, the Ministry of Labor and the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).

They are also part of the Temporary Group of the Women’s Advancement Program, which is “in which the Federation and the University have many meeting points in the seven areas that this program proposes.”

Within the University, links are established with other chairs, such is the case of the Study of the Work and Thought of Fidel Castro, that of Africa-Caribbean.

López Pretel affirms that “participants do not stop improving themselves”, for this purpose they participate in postgraduate courses, events and national workshops. Also in projects in which the gender line is present and postgraduate courses related to the theme are offered.

When I ask about the challenges, he tells me that it is necessary to continue dealing with gender, and include it in the study plans of the different careers.

Undoubtedly, there are still things to improve and a long way to go, but the Chair exists, which is in itself a significant achievement. It remains to continue with the enthusiasm that comes from knowing exactly what you want, beyond being women or men. Improvements are worth striving for.