REPORT-BACK FROM YCL DELEGATION TO 38TH VENCEREMOS BRIGADE
JULY 2007
In July of 2007, members of the Young Communist League-USA (YCL-USA) joined 58 other Americans on the 38th Venceremos Brigade to Cuba. The Venceremos ("We Shall Overcome") Brigade was founded in 1969 by a coalition of young people as a means of showing solidarity with the Cuban Revolution by working side by side with Cuban workers and challenging U.S. policies towards Cuba, including the economic blockade and our government’s ban on travel to the island. The first Brigades, which included members of the Young Workers Liberation League (YWLL), the name of the YCL at the time, participated in sugar harvests and subsequent Brigades have done agricultural and construction work in many parts of the island.
This year, brigadistas aided farmers in Caimito by weeding a 20-acre field planted with Mango, Guava, and Papaya. Any romantic notions of ‘working the Earth’ were quickly buried in the back-breaking heat of the Cuba sun. It took 58 members of the Venceremos Brigade along with multiple brigades from other places (Puerto Rico, India, Sweden, Greece, and Canada at varying times) 4-5 days to do an incomplete job on a cooperative farm normally staffed by 5 men and 1 woman. Each day, the Brigade was joined by Cuban teachers, economists, veterans of the Revolution, the Union of Young Communists (UJC), and others—exchanging views and experiences both in the field and afterwards.
But work wasn’t the only thing on the agenda. Brigadistas enjoyed 2 days at the beach, evening excursions to Havana, and a cornucopia of cultural events including children’s plays, museums, traditional and modern Cuban dance, Cuban folk and hip hop music, and did anyone say dance lessons? Nearly every night ended with a party, chocked full of games, music and food—though most YCL delegates would acknowledge that the cake left a little to be desired.
From this, one might think the Brigade worked in the mornings and partied all night long for 2 weeks. But they wouldn’t be further from the truth. The period in between work and play consisted of hours of meetings, forums, and informal exchanges with different sections of the Cuban population. To name only a few:
The Brigade visited an orphanage much different in character to what youth in the United States are familiar with. According to the presenters, the orphanage’s function was to prepare youth for their future lives as adults. Also shocking was the claim that there are less than 100 orphans in all of Cuba. When asked if Cuban orphans were “kicked out” when they turned 18 like in the US, the house coordinators looked baffled before noting that once orphans finish school, they wait for a house to become available before leaving. Konrad Cukla, a YCLer from Milwaukee shared, “It was refreshing to see the high amount of cultural and intellectual awareness in Cuba. Even orphans go to the university for biochemistry! With all of America's resources, a system that puts people before profits would be so incredibly awesome its beyond imagining the possibilities.” Manuel Beltran of the Chicago YCL added, “I also liked the La Colmenita children’s play, a revolutionary take on Cinderella, because it used art and culture to teach kids English.”
YCLers were honored to give a formal expression of thanks during an exchange with the UJC and the Federation of Univeristy Students (FEU), outlining the battles of Cuban youth for access to information technology, space at the table during curriculum development, and of course the battle of ideas in shaping socialism in Cuba.
This visit was followed up with a presentation at the National Center for Sex Education where brigadistas learned about the on-going battle for sexual health in Cuba. Although they have experienced great success in popularizing what Americans might identify as comprehensive sex education throughout the country, the Center’s Director, Mariela Castro, noted, “Many Cubans still suffer from homophobia,” suggesting that homophobia was looked upon almost like a disease. While the Brigade was in Cuba, the Center was fighting a legislative battle to get the operations and medical care of transgendered individuals included and covered by the health system. When someone in the audience raised a question about the legality of gay marriage, the presenter responded that it was not yet legal. However, at the end of the trip that same brigadista couldn’t help but note that gay Cuban couples had the same rights to housing, jobs and healthcare as married Cuban couples.
With all the hype around Michael Moore’s latest movie, SICKO, brigadistas anxiously anticipated an appointment with the local polyclinic that serviced a community of about 29,000 people. The polyclinics are intermediary facilities between a person’s visit to their family doctor and the hospital. However, the director made it clear that patients can also walk-in and receive treatment. She noted that the Cuban medical system centered around prevention, and that the most common ailments were Heart Disease, Hypertension, Diabetes, and Asthma. Katie Castellano, a YCLer from Harlem that was on the Brigade reflected, “I saw with my own 2 eyes how the health care system here works. One of the other brigadistas asked the director of the clinic about gunshot wounds. The group of doctors behind her couldn't help but to laugh and show bewilderment. To them, this would be an anomaly.”
Brigadistas also made it over to the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), and were even invited to support the 4 US graduates ceremonies held in the Karl Marx Theater in Havana. “The Latin American School of Medicine has a huge map of Africa on the wall right near the entrance; making it evident that they are proud,” said Ursula Mlynarek of the YCL-Milwaukee. “This map, coupled by a handful of bullet points describing the program, shows anyone who enters exactly where Cuba has doctors stationed. The love and commitment that the Cuban country gives to the rest of the world is honorable. This is what I work for.”
Some of the exchanges presented topics that took more effort for many American youth on the brigade to understand. Members of the Brigade grappled with the different role trade unions have under socialism when meeting with the Workers’ Central Union of Cuba (CTC), and studied the complexities of racism in Cuba with Clinton Adlum of the University of Havana. Both attempted to shed light on the remaining inequalities left in Cuba, where they are rooted in Cuban (and world) history, and how the Cubans were struggling to overcome it. “Sometimes Cubans don’t emphasize the ideological component of building socialism,” say Adlum. “It’s not just economic.”
Another complicated topic was addressed during the exchange with Cuban economists, who discussed the country’s decision to open up the tourism industry as an act of desperation after the special period—time of economic hardship after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The panelists spoke about the positive influx of income to Cuba, while acknowledging an increase in corruption and inequality. The delegation had a mixed response with most recognizing the necessity while others feared it as “the beginning of the end”.
This, in fact, often reflected the reactions of young Americans throughout the trip. Some had preconceived notions of a socialist paradise in Cuba where all problems were solved; often expressing shock when the Cubans talked about issues they continue to struggle with. Others felt that the situation in Cuba was almost too good to be true, and were sometimes even hesitant in wanting to lift the blockade for fear of smothering such a wonderful system. However, during a panel discussion with the UJC and FEU, panelists quickly noted that although they will have to deal with a new series of problems caused by the introduction of capitalism, lifting the embargo is still the most important demand of the Cuban people as it would provide much need supplies, including medicine, to the country. Afterwards, most seemed to recognize that the Revolution represented an on-going struggle for justice and peace. Basilio Gutierrez (sp?) Vice President of Cuban Institute for Friendship between People (ICAP) said it best when he stated, “We ourselves are the main critics of the Revolution. We know we have a lot of progress to make in spite of the blockade.”
The reaction of YCLers on the trip was fairly common.
Matt Parker, a YCLer from New York told the World, “The two weeks I spent in Cuba were the most fun and rewarding two weeks of my life. One immediate thing stands out when you visit Cuba - especially if you've seen some other parts of the Caribbean and Latin America. Cubans are well dressed. After listening to what our media has to say about Cuba, you expect to see people wearing rags. Not so. Cubans, whether riding their bike in the countryside, walking down the street in Havana, or waiting for the bus in their town, were better dressed than us Americans.”
Carlo Gentile of the DC Club of the YCL was more poetic. “Cuba has changed the mentality of Cuban men and women to think more progressively. There is a huge emphasis on education, health, culture, and caring for others. It proves that socialism can really advance humanity’s perspective on developing the human race for a better world.”
This only touches the surface as the Brigade met with Combatants of the Cuban Revolution, some who worked directly with Ché Gueverra, members of the Cuban press, the Cuban Federation of Women, and the Jurists Association—where brigadistas learned about the elections system and legal processes. Separate from the Brigade over all, the YCL was able to have informal exchanges with the local committee of the UJC in Caimito, along with members of the Communist Party of India and the CPI-Marxists (CPIM), the Swedish Young Left, and youth from the Greek YCL (KNE) who were all on brigades from their own countries. The YCL-Canada not only met brigadistas at the airport before leaving for Cuba, but coordinated housing in Toronto on the return. Despite the exhaustion of travel and illness, the YCL-USA and YCL-Canada had a formal exchange in the kitchen of the United Church of Christ late into the night before the group was scheduled to return home to the US.
Although the Brigade was unable to have formal meetings with athletic teams and/or associations (my one personal regret), brigadistas were able to talk to local Committees in Defense of the Revolution (CDRs) in their neighborhoods about community sports leagues among other things. (And those of us who snuck over to the camp staff’s television on the right evening caught sight of something unthinkable back home; a tightly scored baseball game between Cuba and Venezuela!)
Despite the incredible experiences and interactions the Venceremos Brigade was able to provide, they could not shield participants from the right-wing propaganda of the US Intersection, constantly speaking out against the Cuban government in neon lights. It was difficult to locate a Cuban, even the youngest of children, who did not disdain Plan Bush, a 2004 report of the US State Department in which its preface identifies the need for a “plan for Cuba’s transition from Stalinist rule to a free and open society [and] to identify ways to hasten the arrival of that day.” The US-funded Radio Cuba feeds messages supporting these aims into the Cuban media market.
Nevertheless, the spirits of Cubans and brigadistas alike were high! The Veneremos Brigade, working closely with Pastors for Peace and other groups, timed this year’s trip to coincide with the July 26th celebrations in Cuba—marking the Revolution and Cuba’s 2nd war for independence. Although not everyone made it to the main demonstrations where Raul Castro spoke, all were able to attend a solidarity event with Ricardo Alacón, president of the Cuban National Assembly. Alacón warmly motivated the American contingents when he said, “In the 60s there was a song, Bridge Over Troubled Water, and you have crossed that bridge many times. There will come a time when you cross that bridge, and the waters underneath it will be quiet.”
The Venceremos Brigade returned to the United States on July 28, 2007 by publicly crossing the Peace Bridge from Fort Eerie, Canada into Buffalo, New York. The YCL returned with 4 new members. Adam Tenney of Brooklyn, NY and National Education Coordinator of the YCL-USA clarified the significance of the Brigade not just as an educational trip but because it “gave me a chance to take direct action to end the illegal and immoral travel ban and economic blockade.” Although brigadistas did not receive much harassment from US Customs, organizers thoroughly prepared everyone to receive letters from the Department of Treasury within the coming months.
For a formal report-back from a YCLer that attended in your area, contact
cuba@yclusa.orgwith “report-back” in the subject line. For more information on how you can go next year, visit www.venceremosbrigade.org.
1. http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/32331.pdf (preface)
Here are links to articles about the 38th Contingent of the Venceremos Brigade
End the Blockade Against Cuba!
International Herald Tribune
Reuters
Radio Cadena Agramonte
The Wellington Canada Tribune
People's Weekly World
Cuba Journal
Digg News
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