África Fernández Iruela

África Fernández Iruela (1892-1978)

María África de las Angustias Fernández Iruela was born in Güines on January 16, 1892, spending all her childhood and adolescence in the family home in Nicolás García Street formerly Callejón de Duarte (Duarte’s Alley) with her parents Fernando Fernández and Mercedes Iruela and siblings Ámerica, Asia and Humberto. A family of professional and intellectual persons who distinguished themselves in our town during several generations.

She obtained her degree as a Pharmacist and also as a Doctor in Physics and Mathematical Sciences from the University of Havana, where she won many awards due to her great intellect and love for her studies.

Where she shone with her own light was as a teacher, starting as a professor at Kate Plumer Bryan Memorial (American School) and also as Principal of Academia Güines (Güines Academy) founded in 1925 by her and her fellow professor Manuel Hernández Cuello, originally established upstairs of La Habana (Havana) Store on Trujillo Street and later on Havana Street and finally on Gras Street, formerly Cuatro Palmas (Four Palms Street).

When in 1937 Güines High School was established, África Fernández became a professor in the same where she taught the difficult subject of Physics, transferring afterwards to Havana #1 High School in Cuba's capital, where she continued in the Physics Chair of such educational institution until her retirement.

She was a Christian woman, religious, civic and patriotic. She was a descendant of Clemente Fernández Castellanos (Pitirre), brave mambí from Güines and of Picholo, Colonels of the Independence War, inheriting from them an honest character, without compromise or renunciations, instilling those principles and values in her students.

Her social labor in Güines was immense, organizing and sponsoring artistic, cultural and literary events, which raised the cultural level of those Güineros who were fortunate enough to live contemporaneously with this extraordinary woman. She died in Güines, her native Villa, at 86 years of age, on March 26, 1978.

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