July 26 is the anniversary of the historic attack on the Moncada Barracks in Cuba on July 26th, 1953. July 26th is a milestone in the triumphant struggle of the Cuban Revolution which has brought many gains through the work of the Cuban people since then! Click on photos to enlarge On July 25th, 2008 Trout Lake Park in Vancouver, Canada was home to a memorable celebration of the July 26 Movement of Cuba. Over 150 people, supporters of Cuba and Cuban 5 heroes campaign as well as many Cuba solidarity activists were joined by many interested passers-by in an outdoor celebration. This was organized by Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC) and the Solidarity Coalition for a United Latin America (SCULA). The evening opened with the intricate and powerful South American folk music of Peruvian Rene Hugo Sanchez. After Rene's music, the MCs for the evening, Gladys Uribe of SCULA and Thomas Davies of VCSC, welcomed everyone to the celebration. They gave a short historical opening about the July 26th, 1953 attack on the Moncada Barracks by Fidel Castro and 150 other young revolutionaries. The attack failed, but it sparked the movement which finally overthrew the U.S-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. The opening was followed by a delicious pot-luck dinner. After the dinner, the games began! Some participants started up a fast paced game of soccer, while young and old alike joined in a relay race! Participants also painted a commemorative mural of Cuban revolutionaries Melba Hernadez, Haydee Santamaria, and Fidel and Raul Castro to celebrate July 26th. As the games came to a close, the MC's introduced the first two speakers of the night: Colleen Glynn, an organizer with VCSC and the President of the Richmond New Democratic Party, and SCULA organizer, Jose Angel.	Report Back History and Hope: Vancouver Celebrates the July 26th Movement and the Cuban Revolution Max Tennant, an organizer with VCSC, read poetry inspired and written on a recent trip to Cuba with the Pastors for Peace Caravan. Then Shakeel Lochan, a social justice activist read a poem that he wrote specifically about the July 26th movement and the Cuban revolution. As the sun set, Luciano Sanchez brought greetings from the Global Justice and Peace Committee of the Hospital Employees Union. He was followed by Michael Larson of the Free the Cuban Five Committee-Vancouver, who read poetry by Antonio Gurerrero, one of the Five Cuban Heroes in U.S. Jails. Outdoor lamps were lit and the stars came out as Gladys and Thomas welcomed up one final speaker. Noah Fine, the coordinator of the Free the Cuban Five Committee-Vancouver. He denounced and condemned the denial of visitation visas to the Cuban Five's family members, and called for increased action as the Cuban Five heroes near their tenth year in U.S. jails. Then the talented Argentinean duo of Pancho y Sal played songs from around Latin-America. They saluted the 11 million Cubans fighting for a better world, and played well into the night to a captivated audience. The evening concluded with a raffle prize that saw Cuba solidarity activists go home with Che shirts, buttons, and one special winner with a historic copy of Fidel's "History Will Absolve Me" speech. The celebration was a great success with many new people participating, bringing the spirit of the July 26 Movement and the Cuban Revolution to Vancouver.