In a packed room of over 60 people at the Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House on Saturday February 9th, the lights suddenly went out. After a moment of confusion a spot light illuminated the portrait of Jose Marti on the wall. The recital of a poem began. 'Yo soy un hombre sincero De donde crece la palma Y antes de morirme quiero Echar mis versos del alma� I am a sincere man From where the palm tree grows And before dying I want To share the verses of my soul' When the poem finished the lights came on as the crowd applauded. Colleen Glynn, an organizer with Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC) and the Richmond New Democratic Party (NDP), introduced herself as the evening�s MC and thanked VCSC organizer Esteban Gonzalez Arteaga for reading the lyrics written by Marti from the song 'Guantanamera'. Jan 28 2007 was the 155th birthday of Cuba's national hero, Jose Marti. This was celebrated this year in Havana, Cuba with the 2nd International Conference for World Equilibrium organized by the Jose Marti Program Office in partnership with the United Nations Education Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Fire This Time Newspaper (FTT) Editorial Board was honoured to be invited on behalf of the conference organizing committee to attend this prestigious conference. Tamara Hansen, Aaron Mercredi and Shannon Bundock attended the conference and came back to Vancouver, giving a report back on their experience in a forum organized by Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba. The second feature in the program was musician and co-op radio show host, Joaquin Ernesto. Joaquin performed 4 songs with energy and enthusiasm, getting the audience to sing along. Joaquin was followed by a slideshow featuring photos of speakers at the conference from Armando Hart (leader in the struggle against the US-backed dictator Bastista and the director of the Jose Marti Program Office) to Ricardo Alarcon (President of Cuba's National Assembly), it also showed political billboards, cultural events and art expositions unveiled during the conference. After the slideshow Colleen introduced the three speakers. Tamara Hansen, the coordinator of VCSC, spoke first outlining the program of the conference. She opened saying, 'This conference confronted some of the most pressing issues of today: the crisis of humanity created by imperialism and the importance of the Battle of Ideas and creating a better world.' She went on to outline to topics of the different plenary sessions, the speakers they heard and their great experience participating in the day-long youth forum, which happened during the second day of the conference. The second speaker was Shannon Bundock. She outlined why Jose Mari�s ideas are relevant today, and how his anti-imperialist writings have inspired Cubans, and people around the world to build a united force of writers, journalists, artists and all types of intellectuals to fight for a better world. Wrapping up the speakers panel was Aaron Mercredi, an organizer with the Indigenous Rights & Action Project. He spoke about why it was important to attend this conference and what was learned and gained from it. He explained with a sense of urgency, 'We have a responsibility here as well. We need to see that we are directly connected with others who are fighting against the inhuman practice of war for profit, who are fighting for the independence of oppressed nations, and the dignity of all people around the world, who are fighting against the imbalance of the world, where the majority of people live under a dollar a day. The battle of ideas that Cuba is leading is a battle that we take on as social justice fighters here in Canada, it is the battle for humanity and an end to imperialism, war and inhumanity.' The discussion period was lively with many people raising different questions about the trip and making their own comments about their experiences in Cuba. The evening ended with a loud applause and a new interest in the works of Jose Marti and the Battle of Ideas.	Report Back 2nd International World Equilibrium Conference In Havana, Cuba Click on photos to enlarge VCSC Organizer Esteban Gonzales reading a Jose Marti poem Event MC Colleen Glynn introducing the evening The beautiful music of Joaquin Ernesto VCSC Treasurer Janine Solanki making a donations pitch!