Doctor Honoris Causa in Social Sciences and Humanities Awarded to Silvio Rodríguez by the University of La Habana

June 2, 2023

The University of La Habana awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa in Social Sciences and Humanities to singer-songwriter and poet Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez.

From the hands of the institution's rector, Miriam Nicado, the Cuban troubadour received the most important award conferred by the capital's house of higher learning.

Nicado recalled the work of the founder of the Nueva Trova Movement and professor Manuel Calviño delivered words of praise for the troubadour, in an act that included the participation of several Cuban artists and intellectuals.

Calviño emphasized that Silvio has been a tireless inquirer of Cuban society, and has fought to make it better. "The Revolution belongs to those who feel it and embrace it, and he unequivocally embraced it," he said.

Similarly, the troubadour received a folder with posters created by Design students, which allude to his emblematic songs.

"It is indescribable to be recognized by this institution through which so many personalities have passed and made history, and especially if this happens in the country where we were born. To say thank you is little for such a generous gesture," expressed the author of Ojalá, and he recalled important moments that connect him to the house of higher learning.

His investiture is considered the final action of the professional program of the International Scientific Convention of the University of La Habana, Saber UH, which opened last Monday at the downtown cinematographic venue Yara.

Silvio Rodríguez is one of the contemporary Cuban composers with the most national and international recognition, and this honor acknowledges the scope of his work, which includes the musical composition and lyrics of hundreds of songs.

In his words of gratitude, Silvio concluded with some ten-line verses that express his life journey and artistic evolution, reflecting on how he found his voice through music and committed himself to singing about what he observed and believed in, offering his art as a piece of the universe made of night and day.