On Monday, Oct. 3, the Cuban Embassy in Qatar in cooperation with the Katara Cultural Foundation unveiled a mural by Cuban artist Máisel López as part of the festivities to celebrate Cuban Culture Day in the Middle Eastern country.

The embassy wrote on Twitter that the work is extremely relevant because it was unveiled a few weeks before the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and "recalls the strong ties of friendship between the two countries."

The work was titled Cuban and Qatari friends, and was unveiled in the presence of Dr. Khalid Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti, general manager of the cultural institution Katara Foundation and the Cuban Ambassador to Qatar Oscar Leon.

Lopez, painter of the work, told Prensa Latina that "the work illustrates two infants: one from Qatar and the other from Cuba, with symbols of both nations and a soccer ball allegorical to the upcoming World Cup of the discipline." 

The project was carried out after being selected among several proposals from Cuban artists. 

"I am honored to contribute a little grain of sand in strengthening the friendship between Cuba and Qatar," the artist wrote on Facebook. 

López thanked the cultural collaboration between Cuba and Qatar with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the island's National Council of Plastic Arts, while expressing satisfaction for being able to paint a new mural of his Colossus series in Qatar, Prensa Latina reported.

Ambassador Leon also stressed the importance of the event in which "peace, friendship and solidarity will be reasons to celebrate."