Raúl Roa García (18 April 19076 July 1982) was a

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

and diplomat. He served as Foreign Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976. He was a lawyer and was also a university professor in the 1940s and 1950s. He was also Director of Culture of the Ministry of Education from 1949 to 1951. Born in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, he was 18 when he wrote his first article ''Ensayo sobre José Martí'' ("Essay on

Jose Marti Jose is the English transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Gree ...

"). In 1926, while studying law he was jailed for protesting the U.S. intervention in Nicaragua. In 1927, he met

Rubén Martínez Villena Rubén Martínez Villena (December 20, 1899 – January 16, 1934) was a Cuban people, Cuban writer and Cuban Revolution, revolutionary leader. He was born in Alquízar, in the La Habana province. Biography After graduating from the University o ...

who instructed him more on social problems. Additionally, he participated with other anti-imperialist youths and revolutionaries at Universidad Popular José Martí and the Liga Antimperialista. He was also writing for the magazine ''

Revista de Avance ''Revista de Avance'' ( Spanish: ''Advance Magazine'') was a Cuban avant-garde magazine which existed between 1927 and 1930 in Havana. It was the media outlet of a group, minorism, which had been established in 1923 to support social and politic ...

'' and the weekly paper ''Otro''. In the 1930s, he wrote for ''Directorio Estudiantil Revolucionario'' where he crystallized his Marxist-Leninist beliefs. Roa entered the Ala Izquierda Estudiantil in 1931. In this organization, much more radical, he positions himself more clearly on the necessity of the fight for the sovereignty of Cuba and against imperialism. His writings at this time reflect his firm idea in an armed rebellion. He is arrested and sent to prison. He left prison in 1933 and wrote ''Manifiesto al pueblo de Cuba''. He participated in the general strike of 1933 that led to the ouster of Gerardo Machado. In March 1935, he was exiled to the United States. There he united with people such as Pablo de la Torriente Brau and founded the organization, Organización Revolucionaria Cubana Antiimperialista (ORCA). He kept good relations with other Latin American countries and also signed an anti-hijacking agreement with the United States in 1973. He died in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

on July 6, 1982. He was married to Dr. Ada Kouri Barreto. Their son, Raúl Roa Kouri, is also a diplomat and has served as Cuba's ambassador to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

and Cuba's representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

. His grandfather was Lieutenant Coronel

Ramón Roa Gari Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name * Ramon (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (singer), Spanish singer who represented Spain in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest ...

of the Cuban Liberation Army.

References

Archivo Opus Habana article

Cuba Literaria bio
* ''New York Times'', July 8, 1982 * ''Roa Director de Cultura Una Política Una Revista'', Danay Ramos Ruiz (Havana, Cuba: Research Center & Development of the Cuban Culture, 2002) Cuban diplomats Cuban revolutionaries Foreign ministers of Cuba 1907 births 1982 deaths Communist Party of Cuba politicians People of the Cuban Revolution Cuban exiles Cuban expatriates in the United States 1950s in Cuba 1960s in Cuba 1970s in Cuba 20th-century Cuban politicians {{Cuba-diplomat-stub