By Nuria Barbosa León on April 29, 2023 from Havana
Friends of Cuba with workers of the Habana Libre Hotel. Photo: Dunia Álvarez Palacios
Friends of Cuba from all the over the world are gathering in Havana to show their solidarity with the people of Cuba and in defense of the Cuban Revolution. Many come annually to celebrate the International Workers Day on May 1. This year a number of delegations from the US in particular are bringing young people who get to see Cuba for the first time to experience for themselves the gains of the revolution.
Delegates to the activities visited on Saturday, 14 labor collectives and neighborhoods in the capitol. Some of them participated in an event at the Habana Libre Hotel, to honor the workers there as they received the status of National Vanguard and with special recognition of several of its workers with the medal of distinction Elpidio Casimiro Sosa Gonzalez, martyr of the sector.
Bill Hackwell, editor of the publication Resumen Latinoamericano in English and a member of the International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity, told Granma about the need in the US to disseminate more information on the damages caused by the genocidal economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed unilaterally by the government of his country on the Caribbean island.
workers at the Havana Libre Hotel. photo: Bill Hackwell
“I think there are more people inside the United States who are looking at Cuba differently because as distrust in the government grows because of its lack of solutions to the problems of the people they also question the lies that they tell about Cuba. For example that Cuba is on the fictitious list of State Sponsors of Terrorism is outrageous and the whole world knows it including a growing number of people in the US. In Cuba there are social guarantees around health, education, welfare and democratic participation that only exist for the wealthy in my country.”
Cheryl Labash a co chair with the US National Network of Cuba (NNOC) that brings together 50 organizations working in solidarity with Cuba, explained how, “We stay in the trenches because it does not seem to matter which corporate party is in power when it comes to the quality of life of the working people in the US, they make it harder in these difficult times of inflation to organize into strong unions to defend the rights of workers to a quality of life. Cuba is an example of the opposite and on June 25 organizations and individuals will be protesting in front of the White demanding an end to the blockade.”
Argentine Eduardo Enrique Oroño, retired and member of the Unión Obrera Metalúrgica, said that in his country it was necessary to unionize workers to fight together against capitalist exploitation and in this matter, Cuba continues to be the light on the way.
The Brazilian Maria Auxiliadora Cesar, retired professor from the University of Brasilia, said that Cuba inspires us for its solidarity towards the world, its resistance and its innovative capacity to overcome difficulties, mainly the blockade. “We are preparing another convention of solidarity with Cuba from June 8 to 11, we will hold it in the city of Bethlehem and more than 300 people are already registered. We want to close it with the signing of commercial contracts for the benefit of the Cuban people, who have given so much help to the world”, he concluded.
Source: Granma, translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English