In Afghanistan, the Cervantes programme started in 2005 and our soldiers also collaborated with the University of Kabul. Gabon was another country where our soldiers gave Spanish lessons to the population, particularly in the institute Djuoué of Libreville. The Mamba air detachment relied on, for performing this task, the collaboration of the Spanish Embassy in that country. Currently, the Cervantes programme is only based in Lebanon. However, in other missions, our soldiers taught Spanish lessons individually to comrades from other countries. For example, in Latvia, they do it with about ten soldiers from other mission contingents at the Adazi Base. The Cervantes «has a human element in which we are totally involved», adds Colonel Bustamente. «Teaching lessons to children in Lebanon, Kosovo, anywhere, and not losing our soul, not moving us into tears, is difficult». He was himself in Eritrea and attended some schools to make some donations. «I thought that it would be a mere administrative task, something conventional, and when arriving there, you found whole families with posters in your language and singing your songs. I felt a knot in my throat and I could not talk for a few minutes». Elena Tarilonte Photos: Pepe Díaz In Kosovo, the classrooms were limited to 35 student per centre. Below, students from the institute Djuoué, from Librevilla (Gabon), together with soldiers from Mamba detachment. EMAD Archivo RED December 2019 Revista Española de Defensa 31
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