Monthly Cuba Cultural Night, a campaign to bring the culture of Cuba to Vancouver! On Thursday, March 12th, Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba held a Cuban Cultural Night and Hurricane Relief Fundraiser at La Zuppa Restaurant in North Vancouver. The event entitled “Viva Cuba” brought a packed house that was looking forward to learning more about Cuba and being part of an important cause. The cultural night was MC’d by Tamara Hansen, who is the coordinator of VCSC and co-chair of the Canadian Network on Cuba (CNC). She explained how the money raised by the CNC was being used to help people and reconstruction efforts in Cuba after the most recent hurricanes that hit the island. After Tamara, the evening opened with a screening of ‘Venceremos, A Soul Mission,’ directed by Robert Chile. The film follows the Brigada Martha Machado as they travel to hurricane-torn areas of Cuba, helping in the reconstruction of infrastructure and warming people’s hearts with their music and spirit. After the film, the evening kicked off with a special performance by Joaquin Ernesto. Dazzling the crowd with his melodies and charm, Joaquin played through some classic Latin American anthems. Pancho y Sal romanced the crowd during their set. An incredible duo that combines traditional songs from Argentina with English, Spanish and French melodies, they had the whole restaurant singing and dancing along. A surprise encounter with Siamak, the magnificent magician, wowed the crowd and had everyone mesmerized by his skills. Roxana Whetham, a violinist from the Edmonton Symphony, and Emad Armoush, a mutli-instrumental Flamenco, and Arabic guitarist and singer, joined together for a beautiful performance. At times, they were joined on stage by owners of La Zuppa, Vickay and Juan. The night ended with Sarah Danielson, a young woman who performed for the first time ever two Patsy Klein songs. Throughout the evening people danced and enjoyed the atmosphere as VCSC raised more than $750 to help with Hurricane Reconstruction. Events like these are not only important for raising the necessary funds for hurricane relief, but an effective way of reaching people who are interested in Cuba. People left the event with literature and videos on Cuba, as well as information on the case of the Cuban 5 and the genocidal US blockade on the country. The more events like this that take place around Vancouver and Canada, the stronger the solidarity movement with Cuba will become.	Report Back VCSC Monthly Cuba Cultural Night & Hurricane Relief Fundraiser Click on photos to enlarge