Memorial to the heroes of Supertankers

In order to pay tribute to the memory of those who perished at the Supertanker Base, in August 2022, a Memorial will be erected in the city of Matanzas, in response to the express wishes of the Cuban people for it to be so.

The work, which will serve to exalt the heroism and unity of the nation in the face of the tragedy, is the proposal of a group of artists and architects from Matanzas, headed by the creators Yanelys Mijenes Perdomo and Osmany Falcón (Lolo).

The key foundation is a sculpture on a high-end steel wall, with the figure of a cast firefighter that facilitates visibility through it.

Mijenes Perdomo specified that the base of the project symbolizes one of the tanks on fire, from which the figure of the firefighter emerges, rising to the sky as a sign of heroism.

According to Lolo, the project takes into account the magnitude of the event and the unparalleled value of those who participated in putting out the raging fire.

The Yumurino creator pointed out that to reflect the number of victims in the Memorial space there will be 17 royal palms, and the remains of the fallen and their names will rest on the wall built of concrete, where the people will be able to go to pay well-deserved homage in a sober and respectful.

The prominent artist from Matanzas, Luis Octavio Hernández Rodríguez, commented that the place chosen for its construction, in the vicinity of the city’s founding square, is very convincing, since in this way the Memorial will be accompanied by other illustrious sites in the city, such as the Fire Museum, the Sauto Theater and the Plaza Mi Bandera, around the San Juan River and the Revolving Bridge.

The creator highlighted the fact that the set will have an electrical system with night lighting and directed effect lights, mainly within the figure of the firefighter, which reflects combativeness.

The Memorial to those who fell fighting the voracious flames at the Supertanker Base is a perennial tribute to those brave and, over time, also a way of fighting against oblivion. (ALH)

Translated by Casterman Medina de Leon