July 26 "Moncada Day" is the anniversary of the historic attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba under the leadership of Fidel Castro with the paticipation of Raul Castro and another 160 brave young revolutionaries on July 26th, 1953. While originally not a military success, this heroic armed resistance aginst the corrupt puppet government of Fulgencio Batista on July 26th inspired the Cuban people and the creation of the July 26th movement which led to the triumphant victory of the Cuban Socialist Revolution in 1959. With its internationalism, the Cuban Revolution has brought not only a great assitance to many countries around the world, but domestically has achieved many gains including free education and free universal health care among other social equalities. All of this has been accomplished through the revolutionary work of the Cuban government and Cuban people, and despite 50 years of the US government's blockade against Cuba. This year is the 56th anniversary of the original attack on the Moncada Barracks, and was also the 6th annual celebration of the July 26th organized by Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC). Over 80 people attended the event, staying late into the night for a full program of revolutionary politics, culture, and solidarity. Co-MCs Colleen Glynn, secretary of VCSC and the President of Richmond NDP, and VCSC coordinator Tamara Hansen introduced the opening films titled, “History Will Absolve Me” and “Moments with Fidel”. The films took the audience back to the time of the original Moncada attack and up through the history of the triumphs of the Cuban Revolution. Tamara Hansen later gave perspective to the celebration of this great historical event, using the example of Haydée Santamaria, one of the young revolutionary Cubans captured and tortured after the attack. Although tortured herself, and taunted with the further torture of both her brother and partner, she refused all interrogation and survived to become one of the main organizers of the Cuban Revolution. It was this spirit of struggle and sacrifice, as well as the vision for a better world that defined July 26, 1953, and continues to drive the Cuban Revolution up to today. The evening had a strong cultural component with spirited poetry read by Luis Velasquez, Shakeel Lochan and Dilia Ochoa, which was complimented by the elegant Chilean dancing of Gladys Uribe, an organizer with the Solidarity Coalition for a United Latin-America. Crowd favorite Joaquin Ernesto brought his guitar, and once again shared his unique style of trova with everyone. This year’s event was co-organized with la Trova Nuestra, and the later part of the program was filled with a full set of tango-fusion by Cantango, and an open mic which featured the likes of Ramon Flores and others. Through out the evening, special emphasis was put on the case of the Cuban 5 Heroes held in U.S. jails. Free the Cuban 5 Committee – Vancouver coordinator Sarah Alwell spoke to the crowd drawing connections between the fight of the original July 26th rebels, and the Cuban 5 who continue to struggle for all Cubans and against U.S. sponsored terrorism, even from behind prison walls. It was in this spirit of struggle and art that Vancouver once again celebrated July 26th and the gains of the great Cuban Revolution!	Report Back VCSC Celebrates July 26 "Moncada Day" A Celebration of The July 26th Movement & The Gains of the Cuban Revolution Click on Photos to Enlarge!