When the Nuestra América Convoy arrived at this small Caribbean island loaded with medicines, medical supplies, school materials, and other benefits for the country, we reaffirmed that Cuba is not and will never be alone. Men and women from all corners of the planet responded with the same warmth as always, reflecting a memory that does not fade.
The meeting held at the Convention Palace between the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, and the members of the Convoy was deeply moving. His words went beyond gratitude for the solidarity received; they outlined the challenges the nation faces.
“Keep counting on Cuba, just as we count on you,” reaffirmed the President. In his remarks, he also called for the articulation of progressive forces at the international level as a way to confront imperialist domination attempts. His message advocated resistance and emphasized that despite difficulties, the country remains firm in its ideals and its ability to reinvent itself.
Sincere Support
Among the hundreds of participants, Trabajadores gathered several testimonies reflecting experiences, memories, and feelings.
One young American, Emi Lockwood, a worker in California and member of the U.S. Youth Brigade, said that in her country “the rights to eat and live with dignity are privileges,” and stressed that with Cubans she had learned that “when workers have power, everything is possible.” For her, Nuestra América is a call for continental unity against the blockade and imperialism.
Stopping there, amid so many voices united by the same purpose, was faithful proof that solidarity knows no borders or blockades. Nations and organizations came to this land to return the help once given by Cuban doctors who, in the midst of earthquakes and epidemics, saved lives; and even teachers who brought literacy wherever it was needed.
From Colombia, Gloria Carrasco, who until a few months ago was Vice Minister of Preschool, Basic, and Secondary Education, recalled that Cuba has been a territory of peace for her country and that “many in Latin America are children of this Revolution.” Alongside her, teachers from the Colombian Federation of Educators and students from the Pedagogical University arrived with more than a ton of medical supplies and school materials as a gesture of gratitude.
The tone became more combative with Argentine journalist Alberto Mas, secretary of the Argentine Club of Journalists Friends of Cuba, who denounced that the blockade seeks to fulfill the old memorandum that aimed to starve the Revolution into submission. “That will not happen. Cuba continues to be the dignified island that shows a better world is possible.” He added that defending Cuba also means protecting the truth throughout the region.
The voice of Ada Galano, president of the National Coordinator of Cubans Residing in Italy, echoed Martí. On behalf of Cubans living abroad, she thanked the resilience of a people who reinvent themselves every day and recalled the popular saying: “sow and you shall reap.” Today the country reaps the solidarity it has sown across so many geographies.
Italian Michele Curto, president of the Agency for Economic and Cultural Exchange with Cuba, highlighted examples of European workers who traveled to the island, stressing that “this is internationalism” and that solidarity is also a way of defending the Europe and the world we want: “Most of us did not know each other personally, but we reaffirmed that this island is not alone.”
The presence of the Nuestra América Convoy confirms that Cuba’s struggle is shared with other peoples who, with sincere support, defend social justice and the self-determination of nations.
