‘Cuba is not alone’: voices from around the world unite at the international colloquium

HAVANA — On Aug. 12, the Havana Convention Center hosted a solidarity gathering of more than 100 delegates from around the world, part of the First International Colloquium “Fidel: Legacy and Future.”

The forum, “Anti-Imperialist Tribune: Solidarity Cannot Be Blocked,” drew Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba’s Central Committee and president of Cuba, along with Political Bureau members Roberto Morales Ojeda, secretary of organization; Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, foreign minister; and Teresa Amarelle Boué, secretary-general of the Federation of Cuban Women.

The event denounced the U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba, along with political interference and war in all its forms, and raised a call for rights and social justice.

“Your presence here demonstrates once again that Cuba is not alone,” said Noemí Rabaza, first vice president of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), opening the meeting. Her words rang through Hall 1 of the Convention Center as an answer to the imperialist siege.

The gathering brought together delegates from solidarity organizations across Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia, who carried messages of support for the Cuban people and condemned U.S. aggression.

“This blockade is a form of genocide in the 21st century being waged against the noble people of Cuba,” said the vice president of the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association, who pointed to a bond that spans generations and grows stronger through resistance to the economic siege.

From Mexico, Magdalena Rosales, coordinator of the Mexico-Cuba Brotherhood Group, recalled the historic friendship between the two nations. “Cuba has always stood with the Mexican cause, just as Mexico has always stood with the Cuban cause,” she said, stressing the demand to lift the blockade.

“We know that one of the most sensitive issues is energy. We need all the peoples of the world to demand that the blockade be lifted. There can be no doubt about medicine. There are essential medicines. Why are Cuban children dying due to a lack of technology that is already established — the best in the world?” she asked.

Puerto Rican activist Soan Tanis was blunt: “We must say it plainly: the blockade against Cuba is a war.” She added that Puerto Rico, as a U.S. colony, understands firsthand the meaning of imperialist domination.

Gloria La Riva, coordinator of the Hatuey Project and a U.S. activist, gave one of the forum’s most stirring speeches, recounting a story of the Cuban people’s resistance. “Whatever it takes, Fidel — that remains the motto of the Cuban people,” she said.

La Riva recalled a speech by Fidel at a congress of the Federation of Cuban Women, where the Comandante warned of the sacrifices that would follow the fall of the Soviet Union. “He said, ‘If Cuba were the only socialist country, we would raise the flag high tomorrow to defend socialism until the last Cuban,’” she recounted. “He did this to prepare the people for what was to come. And those were times when many said: we cannot survive without the Soviet Union. But he did it through the unity of the people.”

La Riva pointed to material aid as a form of solidarity. “Right now, the primary struggle — in addition to what we’re doing in the streets — is material aid,” she said.

She said her organization has sent medicines and supplies to Cuba despite the blockade. “We’ve heard of many cases of children who would have died but were saved by what we sent. When we arrived at the hospital, the doctors told us, ‘What you’re bringing is exactly what we need.’”

Onyesonwu Chatoyer, co-chair of the U.S. Network of Solidarity with Cuba and a board member of the Venceremos Brigade, reaffirmed the commitment of U.S. activists to the Cuban Revolution. “Solidarity with Cuba is unshakable. We will defy the blockade as long as it exists,” she said.

From Europe, Italian professor Luciano Vassapollo was emphatic: “Cuba is humanity, Fidel is humanity; he is part of humanity’s heritage.” He hailed the commander in chief’s legacy as a beacon for popular movements around the world.

From Portugal, a member of the International Tribunal Against the Blockade called the initiative “more than a tool: it is a weapon of struggle” that brings the crimes of the economic blockade to light and rallies public consciousness against imperialist aggression.

Michael Lapsley, honorary president of the South Africa-Cuba Friendship Society and a survivor of apartheid, spoke of his country’s debt to Cuba for its support in the struggle for liberation. “Fidel’s legacy inspires us to continue fighting for justice,” he said.

Sun Xueqing, vice president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, reaffirmed China’s support for the Cuban resistance. “The friendship between the peoples of China and Cuba is unbreakable,” he said.

Iraklis Tsavdaridis, executive secretary of the World Peace Council, praised Cuba’s commitment to peace and denounced the unjust U.S. blockade, holding up the Cuban people’s resistance as an example for the world.

The forum closed on a note of unity. As Norberto Galiotti, coordinator of the Latin American and Caribbean Continental Solidarity Network, put it: “A single drop is very little, but another makes a downpour, and that is the meaning of this solidarity.” It was a call to join forces against the blockade and to prove that, as Noemí Rabaza said at the start of the meeting, Cuba is not alone.

Source: Cubadebate. Translation: Resumen Latinoamericano.

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