A Venezuelan delegation of historians and archivists was expected to arrive in the island yesterday to join local counterparts of the Jamaica-Venezuela Bi-national Commission for preliminary discussions on activities to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Simon Bolivars 'Jamaica Letter'.

A foreign ministry release said the visit is a direct result of the discussions held with the Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and Foreign Minister Arnold J Nicholson in April 2014 during the official visit to Jamaica of Elias Jaua, minister of foreign affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

The Jamaica Letter or 'Carta de Jamaica', written by the Venezuelan Liberator Simon Bolivar on September 6, 1815 and addressed to "an English Gentleman", is the document in which Bolivar expounded on the political characteristics and culture of the Americas, calling for liberation from Spanish rule and independence, and the integration and unity of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

This visionary document has, through the centuries, served as a strong link between Jamaica and Venezuela, predating and laying a solid foundation of sympathy and goodwill for official diplomatic relationship which began in March 1965. It has also been cited as the philosophical underpinning for the formation of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

The newly constructed Simon Bolivar Cultural Centre, adjacent to the historic Ward Theatre, and the monument of the Venezuelan Liberator opposite the National Heroes Park, are tangible symbols of the strong and vibrant friendship between Jamaica and Venezuela.

According to the release, Venezuelan expected for the discussions were Pedro Calzadilla, historian and former minister of popular power for culture; Louis Pellicer, director of the National Archive; Maria Eugenia Carrasquel, director general for Latin America & the Caribbean; Teresa Pinto, director of the Library and Documentation Centre, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela; and Enrique Nobrega, director of the National Museum of History. They were expected to be joined by Maria Mendoza, ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to Jamaica.

The commission will meet with a team from Jamaica, comprising officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Youth and Culture, the Ministry of Education, the Planning Institute of Jamaica, the Institute of Jamaica, and University of the West Indies, among others, to examine appropriate commemorative activities to mark the 200th Anniversary of the 'Carta de Jamaica'.

The Venezuelan delegation is expected to tour the Simon Bolivar Cultural Centre, the National Museum and the National Gallery. They were also expected to participate in a lecture at the PCJ Auditorium on the history of Simon Bolivar's association with Jamaica, last evening.



