Dave Thomas
National Coordinators
chevolbrigade@gmail.com
905-382-3468
The Che Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade is a project of the
Canadian Network on Cuba
|
|
|
"El
trabajo voluntario es una escuela creadora de conciencia"
"Volunteer work is a school for building
consciousness"
~ Ernesto Che Guevara
|
|
Report
from the 2010
Ernesto Che Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade
Click for 2010 Che Brigade Photos
|
In
2009 more than 900,000 Canadians travelled to Cuba as tourists. They
enjoyed legendary hospitality and service, the sandy beaches, lessons
in history, and an immersion in Cuban culture. Some people went as
tourists, others on academic or business exchanges.
On April 28, 2010, 33 Brigadistas landed in Havana for the 18th Ernesto
Che Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade, for three weeks of volunteering,
education and fun. Some Brigadistas reunited, familiar from previous
trips, but most were meeting each other for the first time. They came
from all over Canada: British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova
Scotia, and were joined by two international friends from the United
States and Mexico. It was a record breaking Brigade in its diversity of
age groups, with a young Brigadista of only seven years, and a
Brigadista who turned 70 while in Cuba! For the second year the
coordinator of the brigade was Tamara Hansen, co-chair of the Canadian
Network on Cuba (CNC) and coordinator of Vancouver Communities in
Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC). Also joining the Brigade was Dave Thomas
who is on the CNC Executive and is President of the CCFA - Niagara.
The Che Brigade was welcomed with open arms, besos y abrazos (kisses
and hugs) to the Julio Antonio Mella International Camp (CIJAM). Set in
the red-dirt and fertile flats of Havana Province, CIJAM is the home of
the Brigade, only 40 minutes from downtown Havana. There we met some of
our energetic Cuban hosts with the Cuban Institute of Friendship with
the Peoples (ICAP) – Esperanza Luzbert, Director of the North American
Division of ICAP, Raul Cardoso, ICAP Solidarity Specialist for Canada,
and Juan Carlos Machado, Director of the International Camp, who all
expressed perfectly the warmth and generosity that filled our time in
Cuba.
When the Che Brigade arrived, the May Day International Brigade was
also staying at CIJAM. Their Brigade was made up of more than 250
people from more than 20 countries, including many Latin American
countries, Turkey and England.
Within the first days of arrival, preparations began for the Che
Brigade’s participation in the massive May Day Rally held in Havana.
The Che Brigade was honored to be able to not only witness, but
participate in the celebration of International Workers’ Day, where two
million Cubans marched through Havana’s Revolution Square, united for a
better world. As Brigadistas stood underneath the statue of Jose Marti
and proudly displayed the banner of the Che Guevara Brigade to show our
solidarity with the marchers, many people witnessed the energy and
vigor of the Cuban people. Small boys waved flags from the shoulders of
their fathers, university students marched proudly with their
federation, and a gigantic 20,000-strong contingent of women from the
Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) chanted powerfully and held up pictures
of women who fought for rights and equality all over the world. For the
Brigadistas, the experience was irreplaceable.
The next day, the Che Brigade participated in an International
Solidarity Conference held at Cuba’s grand convention hall. Over 300
people gathered to express their solidarity with Cuba and the profound
ways in which Cuba changed the lives of people in their own countries -
through the sending of doctors as well as the offer of free education
to people from poor communities in Latin America, Africa and Asia. We
were also able to hear a dynamic speech from Ricardo Alarcon, President
of Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power.
That afternoon we left Havana for a short time. The majority of the
Brigade went to the Province of Matanzas to enjoy not only the world
famous beaches, but also the tremendous culture and rich history of
this area just to the east of Havana. Three members of the Che Brigade
were honored to be able to travel to Guantanamo Province to participate
in the First International Seminar Against Foreign Military Bases,
alongside 50 people from Latin America and England. Dave Thomas (CNC
Executive and CCFA-Niagara), Mary Keating (Nova Scotia-Cuba
Association) and Alison Bodine (IFCO/Pastors for Peace and Vancouver
Communities in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC)) were the Che Guevara
Brigadistas that went to Guantanamo. They travelled to the closest
Cuban city to the US Guantanamo Military Base, Caimanera, and learned
about how activities on the base affect the everyday lives and
livelihoods of Cubans in the area. The conclusion of the seminar was a
resounding call for the US to return the US occupied territory of the
Guantanamo Military Base to Cuba and for an end to foreign military
bases all over the world.
While in Varadero, Matanzas, the Che Brigade stayed at the beautiful
Mar del Sur Hotel. One of the highlights from our time in Varadero was
a visit to the “Battle of Ideas” museum. Here Brigadistas learned about
Cuba’s struggle against acts of terrorism that have been committed
against Cuba since the Cuban Revolution in 1959. It was also a special
treat to meet and learn from participants in the Cuban Revolution,
members of the Association of Combatants, many of whom joined the
struggle at a very young age seeing that their own families had no
resources and not even enough to keep food on the table.
Everyone returned to CIJAM to say good-bye to the International May Day
Brigade with an evening of sharing. Each country represented at the
camp cooked a table of food for everyone to taste. The pancakes and
maple syrup at the Canada table were a hit! Every country then also
shared a performance of dance, music or story telling. The Che Brigade
shared a song about the Cuban 5 heroes that are held as political
prisoners in the US. This song was actually written on the Brigade by
participants in 2007. By the end of the performance, everyone in the
audience was singing along.
The next morning it was time to depart for Pinar del Rio. Although
there was some volunteer work done on the farm at CIJAM, this was where
the real rolling up the sleeves would begin.
Pinar del Rio is the Western-most province in Cuba. Known as the
“Terminal for Hurricanes” it was greatly affected by the three
devastating hurricanes that ripped through Cuba in the fall of 2008.
However, driving along the main road to the capital city, also called
Pinar del Rio, it was clear how much reconstruction and re-growth had
taken place in under two years. Many of the houses had new roofs and
the tobacco drying huts were re-erected and newly thatched.
Upon arriving we checked into the Hotel Pinar del Rio, which would be
our base for the next 12 days. Of course, we were once again welcomed
by our friends in ICAP Pinar del Rio. On the weekdays we woke up and
put on gardening clothes for a morning of work in one of the cities
“Organiponicos“ (Urban Organic Gardens). We worked before it got too
hot - picking carrots, weeding, and planting new seeds – all under the
direction of our Cuban co-workers. This was an excellent time to really
share with the farmers and exchange our life experiences, learning from
one another not only about plants and gardens, but about Cuba and
Canada.
During the afternoons and on the weekends we continued a dynamic
program of learning and exchange with many different sectors of Cuba
society. We were able to travel to the very striking town of
Viñales set in the limestone hills, where we also toured an
underground river in the “Cueva del Indios” (Indian Caves) and the
Mural of Pre-history. In Pinar del Rio we learned about Cuba’s
democratic system at the Municipal Assembly of People’s Power, had a
meeting with the Union of Young Communists (UJC) to talk about the
experiences of young people in Cuba, went to a fantastic block party
organized by the Cuban Federation of Women (FMC) and talked about
workers rights with the Cuban Central Trade Union (CTC). There was also
a visit to a Casa del Habano Cigar Factory where we learned all about
what goes into making the world-famous Cuban cigars.
We saw the “Abel Santamaría Cuadrado” Ophthalmology Centre, a
fantastic facility where Cubans receive eye-care. It is also a place
where people from Latin America, as part of the Miracle Mission, have
had their lenses replaced and cataracts removed, restoring their
eye-sight free of charge. This was an important place to learn more
about the effects of the US blockade against Cuba. There was one
machine that had a burnt out light-bulb that could not be replaced
because Cuba is not able to purchase it as it is manufactured by a US
company.
While in Pinar del Rio we took the time for fantastic celebrations of
Mother’s Day and some Brigadistas’ birthdays. One very special visit
was to the cultural community project “With Love and Hope.” This is a
project specifically for people with Down Syndrome. People involved
work together to create an atmosphere of independence through the
teaching and sharing of skills. We made great friends in our short
visit.
It was a sad day saying good-bye to our co-workers who had taught us so
much at the organiponicos and to our wonderful friends at ICAP who had
created such a moving and educational program, but we knew it was time
to return to CIJAM and spend our final days together there.
There were still many things to see in the area of Havana Province. We
travelled to the Humour Museum in San Antonio de los Baños,
where there were many pieces of art and satire commenting on world
affairs, but also about Cuba. We were also stunned when we visited the
José Marti Forest, which contains a specimen of every tree or
plant that Jose Marti describes in his writings on Cuba. From visiting
the forest it was apparent what a valuable learning tool the forest is
to teach children (and adults) about history and conservation at the
same time.
Our trip to Cuba would not have been complete without a meeting with
the families of the Cuban Five. The Cuban Five are political prisoners
held in US jails for 12 years. They were in the US investigating
anti-Cuban terrorist organizations that plot to attack Cuba with bombs
and weapons, and who have been responsible for the deaths of thousands
of people in Cuba, with the support of the US government. When the
Cuban Five presented the evidence that they had collected against these
groups to the FBI the Cuban Five were arrested, while to this day the
terrorists remain free. Being able to meet with their families (two of
their wives have not, in all the years they have been in prison, been
granted a visa to visit their husbands in the US) is an incredible
experience, as they spoke before us with such strength and resolve to
continue fighting for the freedom of the Five Cuban Heroes. For more
information about the Cuban Five please visit www.antiterroristas.cu.
On the final night we finally had the opportunity to return the great
Cuban hospitality and love with a grand good-bye celebration called
“Brigade Night.” The Brigadistas all worked together to provide
entertainment and food to our new-found Cuban friends at CIJAM. This
year we were lucky because our Cuban friends at the Cuban Rap Agency,
Obsesión agreed to come out to CIJAM and provide the evening’s
entertainment, which was of course alongside some great performances
from the Brigadistas themselves.
Every year the Brigade experience is unforgettable. Life-long
friendships are formed and everyone comes away with a new perspective
of love and solidarity with the Cubans we were able to share so much
with on our journey. We come back ready to join the people of Cuba in
the struggle against the US blockade and to free the Cuban Five, having
learned so much about their reality and wanting to return as soon as
possible!
Details
for the 2011 Che Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade are coming soon. For
more information go to
www.canadiannetworkoncuba.ca/brigade
More information about the 2010 Brigade is also available at:
brigadacheguevara.wordpress.com
|
|
