[antiwar-van] New Year's Eve for the Cuban Revolution a Huge Success!

[Tamara Hansen]

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NEW YEAR'S EVE CELEBRATION
for the 49 years of the Cuban Revolution
A HUGE Success!
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Please visit our website for PHOTOS:
http://www.vancubasolidarity.com/071231reportback.html

Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC), Free the Cuban 5
Committee-Vancouver and the Solidarity Coalition for a United Latin
America (SCULA) organized a 3rd New Year’s Eve Party celebrating the
newest anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. This year the celebration
was moved to the Welsh Hall due to an increasing in participation and
need for more space for the over 280 people who came out to commemorate
49 years of the Cuban Revolution. Unfortunately, due to an unexpected
rise in attendance we did have to turn some people away and we do
apologize. 

The evening began with MCs Jose Angel from SCULA and Tamara Hansen from
VCSC introducing the inspiring film of Moments with Fidel. The movie
shows Fidel’s greatest speeches demanding a better world where basic
human rights like food, water, shelter, education and the right to a
decent life are met and we are able to defeat the forces that wage
wars, occupation and misery. 

After the film opened the evening the first speaker was introduced.
Gladys Uribe from SCULA, explained how Cuba’s example gave her hope
when she lived in Chile under the US backed dictator Pinochet. 

After Gladys spoke, the MCs introduced Noah Fine, coordinator of the
Free the Cuban 5 Committee-Vancouver who explained the case of the
Cuban 5 heroes currently held in US jails. Noah was followed by Che
Guevara Brigade participants who sang a song they wrote that clearly
outlines the case of the Cuban 5. 

Then MC Jose Angel introduced Randy Caravaggio from Victoria Goods for
Cuba who explained how it was great to be able to speak at such an
important event that demonstrated the amazing gains achieved by Cuba
since the Revolution. 

After Randy, MAWO Co-chair, Cuba Solidarity activist and US citizen
Alison Bodine spoke, by phone from the US, about she was targeted for
her political activity at the Canadian border and then banned from
Canada. She is currently in the US working together with groups across
Canada and the US to have the ban against her lifted (for more info
visit: http://alisonbodine.blogspot.com). This was followed by
beautiful harmonies by musician Joaquin Ernesto with lyrics that insist
that a better world is not only possible but necessary. 

Then Stan Squires, an organizer with VCSC, read poems that helped
contribute to an excellent evening of solidarity with Cuba. This was
followed by Aaron Mercredi and Brazil Pejvack who explained their
adventures with the Che Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade in Cuba, they
encouraged people to come on the Brigade next year. Then, Nita Palmer
and Max Tennant explained their experience on the Pastors for Peace
Caravan to Cuba and the need to end the unjust US economic and travel
blockade on Cuba. 

Finally, War Resister Brad McCall and Joaquin Ernesto played a single
song to get everyone in the mood to dance to DJ Su Comandante. 

Then the countdown to the New Year arrived with noisemakers, people
waving Cuban flags and a video clip of Fidel entering Havana on Jan. 8,
1959 after the triumph of the revolution. 

As the night came to a close there was a raffle draw where over 20
people won fancy solidarity prizes. The night ended with people excited
for next year’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Cuban
Revolution in a bigger venue with more people after another year of
struggle, resistance and continual demand for justice and humanity. 

VIVA CUBA! 


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