The Coalition farewell to a colleague and friend, Selma Díaz

On July 23, 2020, Selma Díaz Llera passed away. Selma, for those who did not know her, was a great fighter, an architect with an outstanding career, a revolutionary, lucid, pure empathy and of enormous dignity.

Architect and Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of Havana, she created, together with the Architect Rodolfo Livingston from Argentina, the program “Arquitectos de la Comunidad” (Architects of the Community) in Cuba, an experience that allowed to open paths and left a firm footprint for those who continue building an architecture not only as a tool but also as a service, and who understand housing as a right. In her professional career, her commitment with the communities, her alert and lively attention to discrimination, and her gender perspective have always stood out.

Committed to her country and her dreams of transformation, she worked at the Ministry of Planning from a very young age, working with Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Years later, Selma was a member of the Latin American and Caribbean Women and Habitat Network and the Habitat International Coalition (HIC).

She was always present in the conversations and exchanges of other colleagues from the Women and Habitat Network, returning in conversations and memories. In the words of those who knew her, “Selma showed her sense of humor, her anecdotes, her kindness: an exquisite, loving and firm woman”.We will have to care for the memory and honor her work and invaluable commitment to human rights in the Latin American region.

Farewell letter by Ana Falú: www.redmujer.org.ar/post/despedimos-a-selma-diaz