Armando Hart Dávalos (1930-2017)

Cuba

Armando Hart Dávalos (Havana, June 13, 1930 – Havana, November 26, 2017) was a prominent Cuban intellectual and politician. As an intellectual, he produced a substantial body of work dedicated to the study of the historical figure and thought of José Martí. From a young age, he was a member of the National Directorate of the 26th of July Movement, and after the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista’s dictatorship, he was appointed Minister of Education of the Cuban revolutionary government, a position he held until 1965. He was part of the national leadership of the Integrated Revolutionary Organizations (ORI) and the United Party of the Socialist Revolution of Cuba (PURSC). Upon the creation of the Communist Party of Cuba in 1965, he was elected to its Central Committee and Political Bureau. He was appointed Minister of Culture from the creation of said ministry until 1997 when he went on to direct the Office of the José Martí Program (OPM) from where he also presided over the José Martí Cultural Society (SCJM) until his last days.

Key Achievements

  • UNESCO Medal for the bicentennial of the birth of the liberator Simón Bolívar
  • Honorary Doctorate from Soka Gakkai University (Japan)
  • Honorary Doctorate from the University of Oriente / Honorary Doctorate from the University of Havana
  • Honorary Member of the National Union of Jurists of Cuba
  • Honorary Member of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba
  • Félix Varela Order, First Class, the highest decoration awarded to Cuban and foreign intellectuals
  • José Martí Order, awarded to heads of state or government for great achievements in favor of peace and humanity
  • Raúl Roa García Medal, awarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba
  • Haydeé Santamaría Medal, awarded by the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba to citizens and groups who, through a distinguished life and high-quality intellectual work, have contributed to the enrichment and defense of the genuine culture of our America and its integration through cultural means
  • Honorary Doctorate from Simón Bolívar University, of Barranquilla, Colombia
  • 2011 National Pedagogy Award, the highest distinction granted by the National Association of Pedagogues of Cuba (APC)
  • Honorary Doctorate in Education from the José Martí University of Latin America in Monterrey, Mexico
  • José Martí National Journalism Award, Union of Journalists of Cuba