The exhibition is the result of a joint effort by the Swiss Embassy, the Cuban Red Cross and the Provincial Centre for Plastic Arts and Design, which hosted the event at its historic headquarters in Old Havana.

The initiative, which will be open to the public for more than a month (until 30 March), provides a space for reflection on the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, and their importance in times of disaster, war, tragedy and pain, which call for solidarity.

“We live in a world overwhelmed by images of suffering. But this exhibition invites us to see from a different perspective: that of humanitarian action,” Swiss Ambassador Stefano Vescovi said at the opening of the exhibition.

The presentation also pays tribute to the women and men who, through the International Red Cross, the Red Crescent and the Cuban Red Cross, are committed to saving lives and alleviating pain.

The Head of Mission recalled that the Geneva Conventions, which celebrated their 75th anniversary on 12 August, “are the cornerstone of international humanitarian law”. Ratified by 196 countries, they strike a fundamental balance between military necessity and the principle of humanity, he pointed out.

Today, more than ever,” Vescovi said, “we are called upon to reflect on these norms, to defend them and to demand their respect. What is at stake,” he added, “is not a technical debate, but the lives and dignity of thousands, millions of people.

He recalled the warning issued by the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, after her visit to Gaza: “If we do not respect these rules, we deprive others of their humanity; – and allow me to add: And we also rob ourselves of ours,” the ambassador stressed.

He further said that this exhibition had a special meaning for Cuba, as a nation with a history of solidarity that has reached out beyond its borders in times of disaster, conflict and pandemic.

Cuban medical personnel, he noted, “have been at the forefront in the most difficult times. In recent years, we have seen their impressive work in the face of disasters and earthquakes, epidemics such as Ebola in Africa, and the fight against Covid-19 around the world.

These women and men have shown,” he concluded, “that humanity is a living practice.”

Dr. Carlos Pérez, Secretary General of the Cuban Red Cross, thanked the Swiss Embassy for conceiving and organising this tribute and reiterated the willingness and readiness of the members of this humanitarian mechanism to continue their efforts to alleviate human suffering and save lives.

The “Dialogues on Humanity” exhibition is the brainchild of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Photo Elysée, the Musée de la Photographie de Lausanne and the CIRC, with the aim of encouraging people to take a step back, pause and reflect.

Photographs by several artists offer the opportunity to see and understand the principles of solidarity in a new light, using the universal language of the image to encourage reflection on humanitarian and charitable work.

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