CAMAGÜEY.- “I am of gypsy origin, and for me fear does not exist”, expresses the delegate of the 35 constituency, Iraida Curró Basulto when she talks about her disposition in the face of a complex situation or a difficult moment. She thus alludes to the ethnic group originally from Hungary, her father's homeland, as a synonym of strength. That quality, and her expertise, has kept her as the leader of her community for 45 years.
“That 1976, when I was elected, a few months after the Constitution had been approved, on February 24, and popular powers were instituted in the provinces. I started working at a very young age. I have always been a very willing woman to undertake any company. For this reason, I was able to successfully integrate the Fifth Army Corps of the General Staff, of the Center, when I was only 14 years old ”.
The life of Curró Basulto is, basically, that of a warrior woman. She literally demonstrated it in the Escambray hills, when bandits were prowling those places: “on one occasion I lost my way in the vicinity of that site, together with other comrades, and at the least expected moment we encountered a group of insurgents. There I had my baptism of fire, and I was victorious.
With her gentle gestures and sincere expressions, Iraida says that, before '59, her family's economic possibilities allowed her to “study at a private school, Colegio Cisneros, she was a member of the Tennis Club, and she was not a girl to whom she lacked shoes to go out for a walk, but my gypsy origin, that blood that runs through my father's branch, prompted me to improve myself as a woman and avoid the stillness of home. My father always supported me in that regard and I appreciate it.
“I feel happy to have participated in important events such as the 6th and 7th Summit of Non-Aligned Countries, but the greatest experiences I have obtained together with my people, in my 45 years as a delegate. My constituents have always trusted me, and I, from my position, never let them down. My premise is to attend them at any time, no matter how committed I am ”.
For work and family reasons, Iraida has traveled to other countries. She says that upon her return, as she approaches our Caribbean country, she is surprised by a host of emotions. As soon as she sees the lights of Cuba, in the distance, she says to herself: “I have arrived at my house. I still love Hungary, I never forget that a part of my spirit also belongs there ”.
According to this tireless woman, she is short, but with a soul that overflows the walls of the house that she has always lived in, a delegate must give everything for her people. “I am a talkative person, although I confess that in assemblies I rarely speak. I prefer to speak directly with people what I have to discuss. In addition, I always try, at all times, to put the needs of citizens before my own.
“A typical example of democracy in Cuba is the election of delegates. We come directly from the people, without presenting platforms or political tools to take power for the benefit of some, as happens in other parts of the world. People are aware of who we are, ”Iraida says safely, and with the calm thought that everything she has done and will do, has been the result of her sincere ideals and the passion to see her nation as beautiful as she once imagined it in her youth.
Translated by Linet Acuña Quilez