Category: Cuba/Cuba Solidarity

‘Let Cuba Rebuild!’ Urgent Appeal to President Biden

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On September 27, 2022, hurricane Ian made landfall in Cuba. Despite Cuba’s well-known preparedness for natural disasters, the damage from this hurricane has been immense. In the western province of Pinar del Rio, famous for its tobacco production, over 5,000 farms were destroyed. In small towns like San Luis, the storm left damaged 80% of all homes. The hurricane affected Cuba’s power grid and the country’s electrical system collapsed. Concerned organizations and activists in the United States issued an urgent appeal, published in the Sunday, October 2, 2022, edition of the New York Times. The appeal demands that Biden temporarily lift sanctions and allow Cuba to purchase urgently needed supplies for reconstruction after Hurricane Ian. We publish here an article about this appeal that appeared in Spanish in the Cuban news publication CubaDebate; CubaNews translated the article and published it into English. We also publish below the text of the appeal to Biden as it appeared in the Times, along with a link on how people can donate to help Cuba’s recovery effort.

August Caravans in U.S. & Canada: ‘End Cruel U.S. Blockade of Cuba!’

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On the last weekend of August, local coalitions organized car caravans and other actions demanding an end to Washington’s economic war against Cuba. The activities took place in more than 20 cities across Canada and the United States, as well as other countries. Organizers of these actions in five Canadian and two U.S. cities sent World-Outlook the reports that follow.

Puentes de Amor Denounces Senator Rubio’s McCarthyite Smears

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MIAMI — Puentes de Amor (Bridges of Love) leader Carlos Lazo condemned the call by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) for the FBI to investigate him as an unregistered agent of a foreign power — a violator of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Lazo was speaking at an August 13 news conference here, organized by the Miami Caravan Against the U.S. Blockade of Cuba. The group is another target of Rubio’s smears, along with the well-known Cuba solidarity organization Pastors for Peace. Univision’s Channel 23, a major Spanish-language TV station here, broadcast a report on the event the next evening. The Miami Caravan received numerous statements of support in response to Rubio’s threats.

In Response to Matanzas Fire, Solidarity Groups Appeal for Aid to Cuba

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Heroic efforts by Cuban firefighters and other emergency personnel, aided by colleagues from Mexico and Venezuela, have brought under control a major fire at a vital oil facility in Matanzas, Cuba, that began August 5. However, as a statement by six North American organizations explains, “A province and country already suffering from acute shortages of medical supplies and power cuts due to the US blockade has now suffered a major further blow.” The Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO), Global Health Partners, and other organizations have launched an emergency appeal to send badly needed supplies to Cuba, says a statement by these North American solidarity groups, which World-Outlook is republishing here.

Los Angeles Medical Aid for Cuba Meeting Draws Diverse Crowd

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LOS ANGELES, July 16, 2022 — A diverse crowd, representing more than a dozen organizations, streamed into a meeting here today to raise medical aid for Cuba. The Elliott Cane jazz trio entertained approximately 65 people as they entered the McCarthy Memorial Church in LA’s Black community for the event. Carlos Lazo was the featured speaker. Lazo is a Cuban American, organizer of Puentes de Amor (Bridges of Love), and leader of the international caravan movement demanding an end to the U.S. blockade of Cuba. The Los Angeles Hands-off Cuba Committee sponsored the event.

June Caravans: ‘End U.S. Blockade of Cuba!’ Thugs Attack Miami Event; Join Campaign to Defend Free Speech!

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During the June 25-26 weekend, local coalitions organized car caravans and other actions demanding an end to Washington’s economic war on Cuba. The actions took place in a number of U.S. cities, as well as other countries. Organizers of the monthly Cuba solidarity activities in two cities, Miami and New York, sent World-Outlook the two reports that follow. Pete Seidman​ writes from Miami that “pent-up frustration with their growing isolation and political impotence boiled over on June 26 when about 30 ultrarightist thugs attacked the Miami Caravan Against the U.S. Blockade of Cuba. Caravanistas made a disciplined and dignified, if hasty, retreat to their vehicles and left. None of them were injured or arrested in the fray. Join the Miami caravan in its campaign to defend free speech!

May 29 Miami Car Caravan to End U.S. Blockade of Cuba Stands Up to Rightist Threats

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MIAMI, May 29, 2022 — The 23rd consecutive monthly caravan to oppose Washington’s economic war against Cuba took place today. What a victory for the fight against the U.S. blockade of Cuba! What a victory for the right to free speech in this city! About 130 people in 75 vehicles assembled along Ponce de Leon Boulevard in Coral Gables to start the event. As one woman who had missed the last few caravans put it, “This is one I had to be at!” Supporters of the right to protest and speak out for ending the U.S. blockade came to show their support from all over: Vancouver, Canada; Minneapolis, Minnesota; New York City; Las Vegas, Nevada; Tampa and Jacksonville, Florida. Prominent activists came to stand with us in defiance of threats by rightist YouTube personality Alex Otaola.

The Fight Against Racism in Cuba (II)

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This is the second part of a recent interview the People’s Forum in New York City did with with Cuban revolutionary Esteban Morales Domínguez. Morales died from a heart attack on May 18, 2022. Born in Cárdenas, Matanzas, Cuba, in 1942, he became one of the most prominent Afro-Cuban scholars. He was a member of Cuba’s Communist Party, the National Union of Writers and Artists (UNEAC), and of UNEAC’s José Antonio Aponte Commission. The responsibilities of this commission included U.S.-Cuba relations and the fight against racism in Cuba. Morales was a member of the Cuban Academy of Sciences and held numerous academic posts — including professor at the University of Havana. He is the principal author, or co-author, of 15 books and has published many articles. His 2007 book, Desafios de la problemática racial en Cuba (Challenges of the Racial Question in Cuba) was the first book-length publication on this subject by a scholar in Cuba since the 1959 revolution. A collection of his essays in English can be found in Race In Cuba: Essays on the Revolution and Racial Inequality (Monthly Review Press, 2012).

The Fight Against Racism in Cuba (I)

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This is a recent interview the People’s Forum in New York City did with with Cuban revolutionary leader Esteban Morales Domínguez. Morales died from a heart attack on May 18, 2022. Born in Cárdenas, Matanzas, Cuba, in 1942, he became one of the most prominent Afro-Cuban scholars. He was a member of Cuba’s Communist Party, the National Union of Writers and Artists (UNEAC), and of UNEAC’s José Antonio Aponte Commission. The responsibilities of this commission include U.S.-Cuba relations and the fight against racism in Cuba. Morales was a member of the Cuban Academy of Sciences and held numerous academic posts — including professor at the University of Havana. He is the principal author, or co-author, of 15 books and has published many articles. His 2007 book, Desafios de la problemática racial en Cuba (Challenges of the Racial Question in Cuba) was the first book-length publication on this subject by a scholar in Cuba since the 1959 revolution. A collection of his essays in English can be found in Race In Cuba: Essays on the Revolution and Racial Inequality (Monthly Review Press, 2012).

‘This Is Our Revolution’: 5 Million Turn Out for May Day in Cuba

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HAVANA, Cuba, May 1, 2022 — The entire city of Havana felt on the move by 3 a.m. today. The excitement was palpable. The Covid-19 pandemic had prevented the Cuban people from celebrating International Workers Day for two years, and, despite the suffocating US-imposed blockade, the working people of Cuba have much to celebrate. Over 700,000 people from all over Havana converged in a spirited, disciplined way on Revolution Square to show the world that “Cuba lives and works for its present, its future, and its continuity” — the theme of the May Day mobilizations. Estimates by the Cuban daily Granma and other Cuban media put total participation throughout the island above 5 million people. That exceeds 43% of the country’s population of 11.4 million!

US Blockade of Cuba Aimed at Overthrowing Socialist Revolution

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On February 25, 2022, a top official in Joe Biden’s administration said US sanctions imposed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine were also intended to hit Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. That month marked the sixtieth anniversary of the US blockade of Cuba, introduced in February 1962 by President John F. Kennedy’s Embargo on All Trade with Cuba. The embargo of Cuba constitutes the longest and most comprehensive set of sanctions in modern history. It is not merely a legal or a bilateral issue, as proponents claim. It is a key instrument in the US toolkit to pursue regime change on the island. It is an act of war, a violation of human rights designed to obstruct Cuban development, to undermine its example as a revolutionary alternative, and to intentionally cause suffering among the Cuban people.

U.S.-Cuba Normalization Conference: ‘Cuba Yes, Blockade No!’

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NEW YORK CITY, March 20, 2022 — About 150 people from across the United States and Canada gathered at the People’s Forum here March 19-20 for the International US-Cuba Normalization Conference. It was the first such in-person event in two years. Previous conferences were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The meeting’s focus was coordinating efforts to end Washington’s economic war against the Caribbean nation, launched six decades ago after a popular revolution overthrew a U.S.-backed dictatorship on the island and opened the socialist revolution in the Americas. Co-sponsoring organizations included the Canadian Network on Cuba, Cuba Solidarity Committee in Puerto Rico, National Network on Cuba (NNOC), New York-New Jersey Cuba Sí Coalition, and Saving Lives Campaign US. A large delegation from Cuba — including several leaders of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) — participated in the event.

Cuban Music Duo Buena Fe: ‘We Will Play Only Where Cuban Vaccines Are Recognized’

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February 13, 2022—The Canadian theater The Opera House recently canceled the concerts of the Cuban duo Buena Fe scheduled for the month of May in the cities of Montreal, Toronto, and Edmonton. This is because the Canadian government does not recognize Cuba’s highly effective anti-Covid vaccines. Ottawa has asked the Buena Fe musicians to be inoculated by vaccines it does recognize—such as those made by Big Pharma in the U.S. or Europe: Pfizer, Moderna, or Astra Zeneca—in order to be allowed to enter the country. Buena Fe’s response? As Israel Rojas, one of the two members of the group, can be seen saying in the video posted here, “We will play only where our vaccines are recognized.”

Cuba Sets Example in Confronting Climate Change

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Cuba may be responsible for only 0.08 percent of global CO2 emissions, but this Caribbean island is disproportionately hard-hit by the effects of climate change. The frequency and severity of extreme weather events — hurricanes, drought, torrential rain, flooding — is increasing, to the detriment of ecosystems, food production, and public health. Without action to protect the coastline from rising sea levels, up to 10 percent of Cuban territory could be submerged by the end of the century. This risks wiping out coastal towns, polluting water supplies, destroying agricultural lands, ruining tourist beaches, and forcing one million people to relocate — some 9 percent of the population. But unlike many countries, where climate action is always something promised for the future, in Cuba, serious action is being taken now.

Vigils in Solidarity with Cuba: ‘End U.S. Blockade!’

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Candlelight vigils and other actions in solidarity with Cuba took place in about half a dozen U.S. cities, as well as other countries, on December 23. This compilation includes reports from three of these actions – in Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles – written by participants. Demands included ending the U.S. blockade of Cuba, restoring family remittances, beginning again the family reunification program, opening consular services in Havana, re-starting flights to all of Cuba’s major cities, establishing scientific and medical collaboration with Cuba against Covid-19, and allowing U.S. citizens to travel to the island freely.

‘I Embrace You with All My Revolutionary Fervor’: An Insightful New Book

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I embrace you with all my revolutionary fervor: Letters 1947-1967 by Ernesto Che Guevara with a foreword by Aleida Guevara. Published on November 10, 2021, by Seven Stories Press, New York, NY. Che Guevara[1] is one of the most recognized and inspiring revolutionary figures of the 20th century. He is also one of its outstanding Marxists. The publication of this new collection of letters is, therefore, a welcome event. As the introduction explains, “A few of the letters are well known, but most have only now been released from Che Guevara’s personal archive held at the Che Guevara Studies Center in Havana, directed by his widow Aleida March, and are published in English for the first time.”

Cuban Scientists Reject Biden Statements: A Country that Saves With Its Science Is Not a Failed State

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This article appeared in Cubadebate, a Cuban news agency, on August 10, 2021. World-Outlook is publishing it because it helps counter the misinformation and lies the big-business media have unleashed this summer against the Caribean nation. This campaign of slanders, exaggeration, and manipulation of facts is part of Washington’s 60-year-long economic war against the socialist country and the unceasing efforts by the U.S. government and its imperialist allies to undermine and overthrow the Cuban Revolution. The article also provides invaluable scientific information on how to confront the Covid-19 pandemic.

Open Letter to President Biden About Covid Vaccines for Cuba

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This is a petition being circulated widely around the world by Cuban scientists as an open letter to U.S. president Joe Biden. World-Outlook encourages readers to join this campaign by sharing the petition with fellow workers, unions, and other organizations, as well as anyone else who may be interested, to maximize the number of signatures we can get to back our Cuban sisters and brothers.

If the U.S. Cared About Freedom in Cuba, It Would End Its Punishing Sanctions

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August 4, 2021—The violent protests that erupted in Cuba in early July were the first serious social disturbances since the “Maleconazo” of 1994, 27 years ago. Both these periods were characterised by deep economic crises. I was living in Havana in the mid-90s and witnessed the conditions that triggered the uprising: empty food markets, shops and pharmacy shelves, regular electricity cuts, production and transport ground to a halt. Such were the consequences of the collapse of the socialist bloc, which accounted for about 90% of the island’s trade.

D.C. Rally, Car Caravans: ‘End U.S. embargo of Cuba! Lift the Sanctions!’

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This is a round-up of some of the marches, rallies, and car caravans that took place in more than a dozen U.S. cities, as well as Canada and other countries, on July 25, 2021. Protesters demanded an end to Washington’s 60-year-old economic war on Cuba, which has been recently intensified with 243 new sanctions imposed under the Trump administration that are now enforced by U.S. president Joe Biden. These punitive measures are aimed at strangling the Caribbean nation economically and increasing the hardships caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

What’s Actually Going on in Cuba?

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HAVANA, July 20, 2021—On Sunday 11 July, dozens of anti-government protests, apparently coordinated via social media, took place simultaneously throughout Cuba. In several places, including in San Antonio on the outskirts of Havana and in Matanzas, where Covid-19 cases have been surging, protests turned violent, with windows smashed, shops looted, cars overturned, rocks thrown and people assaulted.

Cuban President Calls for Solidarity, Respect, Social Responsibility

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This article appeared on July 14, 2021, in the English-language online edition of the Cuban daily Granma (en.granma.cu), the newspaper of the Communist Party of Cuba.
World-Outlook is publishing it as another act of solidarity with revolutionary Cuba in confronting Washington’s 60-year-long unrelenting economic war that has been intensified under the administrations of Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

We Are Neither Intolerant Nor Irresponsible But We Will Give Up Our Lives for the Ideals of Revolution

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This Op-Ed is based on a Facebook post released in Cuba July 12, 2021. The author, Ernesto Limia Díaz, is First Vice-president of the Writers Association of UNEAC (National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba).
World-Outlook is publishing it to amplify the voice of Cuba’s revolutionary leadership in confronting a barrage of lies and disinformation unleashed in recent days by the U.S. government, the Democratic and Republican

‘We Will Defend the Revolution Above All Else’

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This article republished from the July 12, 2021, English-language online edition of the Cuban daily Granma, starts as follows: “For 60 years the example of the Cuban Revolution has bothered the United States, stated First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, yesterday, during a special message from the Palace of the Revolution explaining to the people the most recent provocation orchestrated by small groups of counterrevolutionaries.”

Car Caravans to End U.S. Blockade of Cuba Expand

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LOS ANGELES, July 9, 2021—With flashers blinking and horns blaring, scores of bicycles and cars, plastered with signs and banners demanding an end to the U.S. blockade of Cuba, made their way through the streets of 70 cities in more than 25 countries on June 20. They were the latest of what have now become monthly and expanding protests around the world pushing for normalization of relations with Cuba and an end to Washington’s economic war.

Cuba Sets Example in Confronting Pandemic (II)

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July 1, 2021—Despite the backbreaking obstacles stemming from Washington’s economic war, Cuba has achieved a stunning scientific accomplishment by rapidly developing five vaccines against the SARS-COV2 virus. This is the direct result of an initiative the central leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, promoted in the 1980s to prioritize government investment in developing a domestic biotechnology industry.

Why There Are No George Floyds in Cuba

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This is the speech by Ambassador Pedro Luis Pedroso Cuesta, Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations, to the online event, “Why There Are No George Floyds in Cuba.” The virtual forum was held April 11, 2021, while the trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was under way in that city for the murder of George Floyd.

Culture & Revolution: Cubans Engage in Dialogue on Censorship and Freedom of Speech

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This article by Abel Prieto, director of Casa de las Americas in Cuba, responds to accusations leveled against the Cuban government for allegedly censoring artists and limiting free speech in the aftermath of the detention of members of the San Isidro Movement, a small and loose association of individuals claiming to speak for censored artists. The group burst into international notoriety in late 2020 thanks to backing by the U.S. government and savvy use of digital technology and social media.