Cuba Is Not Alone; Miami Is
By Hedelberto López Blanch
The outpouring of solidarity has overflowed across the globe to tell Cuba that it is not alone after the convicted President Donald Trump decreed an inhumane oil embargo against the island in an attempt to starve its inhabitants and bring about a change of regime in the country—something that the various administrations that have occupied the White House have been unable to achieve.
For 67 years, despite launching armed aggressions, terrorist acts, attempted attacks against its leaders, and a massive economic, commercial, and financial blockade, Washington has failed to achieve its objectives, and Cuba has remained a thorn in its side.
In recent weeks, numerous activists from Latin America, Europe, and the United States have arrived in Havana, bringing tons of food, medicine, medical equipment, solar panels, and above all, an enormous amount of energy, affection, support, and solidarity for a people suffering under the ruthless and inhumane U.S. blockade.
Since the beginning of the Revolution, Cuba has been characterized by its selfless solidarity with more than a hundred nations around the world, providing medical, educational, technical, and even military aid, as exemplified by its epic efforts to liberate African countries from colonialism and the apartheid system.
The First Secretary of the Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, led the welcoming of the members of the Our America Convoy, an international solidarity initiative with the island amidst the intensification of the blockade.
At the headquarters of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) in Havana, local authorities and more than 600 members of the convoy demonstrated their solidarity in the face of the drums of war, threats, and aggression from the United States.
During the meeting, the coordinator of the Progressive International and organizer of the Our America Convoy, the young American David Adler, expressed: “It has been the greatest honor of my life to have facilitated this opportunity.”
His words reflected the spirit of a caravan that mobilized representatives from 38 countries, belonging to more than 140 social, political, cultural, and solidarity organizations, including members of parliament, judges, ambassadors, artists, intellectuals, and activists from almost every continent.
Over the course of two weeks, delegations such as the more than one hundred activists, trade unionists, and four members of the European Parliament from an international network that extends from Italy to Morocco, passing through France, Switzerland, Greece, and Spain, have arrived in Cuba.
They brought a shipment of hope valued at half a million euros, consisting of five tons of medicines and essential medical supplies for a healthcare system that is withstanding the blow of Trump’s executive order to cut off all fuel shipments to the island.
Also arriving were members of the Our America Convoy, which mobilizes people from all over the world in solidarity with the Island of Freedom and Hope, as they themselves described it.
Likewise, the ship named Granma 2.0 by its crew arrived at the port of Havana, alluding to the yacht that in 1956 brought the expeditionaries of the 26th of July Movement from Mexico. With 14 tons of medical supplies, it was a new symbol of international solidarity.
From the Havana dock, its crew went to the William Soler Pediatric Cardiology Center where they delivered the precious cargo and shared time with patients and healthcare staff.
While these missions of love continue in Cuba, the haters in Miami are discouraged because they can’t even muster a dozen counterrevolutionaries at their rallies, as happened recently.
On March 20, several of them traveled from Florida to Washington to stage a protest in front of the Cuban embassy there. The photos didn’t lie: only 11 people were present. A huge disappointment.
A recent YouGov poll revealed that 48% of U.S. citizens do not support the current oil embargo imposed by Trump and his Secretary of State, the mythomaniac Marco Rubio, while only 26% support it.
As Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla recently stated, “Americans perceive the inhumane and criminal nature of the measure, unlike their government and the warmongering hawks who administer it.”
Cuba is not alone; Miami is.
(*) Hedelberto López Blanch is a renowned Cuban journalist. He writes for the newspaper Juventud Rebelde and the weekly Opciones. He is the author of “Cuban Emigration to the United States,” “Secret Stories of Cuban Doctors in Africa,” and “Miami, Dirty Money,” among others.
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE AUTHOR: Hedelberto López Blanch
[ SOURCE: RESUMEN LATINOAMERICANO Y DEL TERCER MUNDO CUBA / EN RESUMEN ]
