Latin American and Caribbean societies, characterized by their heterogeneous nature, are strongly influenced by cultural and historic elements brought from other continents.

In that context, a key element in this phenomenon is the thousands of slaves, mainly from African tribes, who were forcedly brought by the conquistadors.

Therefore, the initiative known as the Slave's Route, aimed at coordinating and promoting research on that historic event in each of the countries involved in slave trade, is based on those premises.

The main objectives of the project are to show the world this phenomenon and study its causes, forms of execution, development and consequences, as well as assessing its impact and protecting some elements that are testimonies of the African imprint in our continent.

According to experts, the initiative resulted from the interest in reflecting how entire populations, civilizations and even cultures were forced to move to other lands.

For that reason, the Slave's Route also aims to denounce slave trade, its consequences and the strong links that resulted from the coexistence of peoples from Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean.

In the case of Cuba, the project has a special relevance, as the number of black slaves brought to the Caribbean Island from different African regions during the slavery period is estimated at 1.3 million.

They brought their customs, traditions, culture and religiosity, which were transmitted from generation to generation until today.

The slaves brought to Cuba came from different regions and included such ethnic groups as Lucumí, Carabalí, Congo, Ganga and Mina, all of which played a major role in the formation of Cuban nationality.

That process left deep material and immaterial imprints from a period in which sugar mills, coffee plantations, barrack huts and other facilities proliferated and still exist in the countryside.

Definitely, the project is intended to break the silence on slave trade and slavery by promoting historic research on the causes and the dynamics of slave trade.

In addition, the development of different programs within the framework of the Slave's Route unveils the interaction among the affected people and promotes an atmosphere of peaceful coexistence and tolerance among communities.

That way, the promotion of these kinds of programs is also an excellent opportunity to learn about a key element of our origins, whose cultural and religious wealth is present in all Latin American and Caribbean nations.