OSCAR LOYOLA VEGA holds a Ph.D. in history and was deputy dean of the School of Philosophy and History at the University of Havana between 1993 and 1997 and presided over its Doctoral Commission. He has given talks at universities in a number of countries and co-authored several books, including La Guerra de los Diez Años (1989), Cuba y su historia (1999) and Historia de Cuba 1492-1898: Formación y liberación de la nación (2001).