Scroll down for photos from the event!
It was a beautiful summer evening at Trout Lake Community Centre when Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC)’s “Celebration of the July 26th Movement and the Gains of the Cuban Revolution” began. Event MCs Colleen Glynn and Shannon Bundock opened speaking passionately about the attacks on the Moncada Army Barracks 52 years ago. Bundock said, “The revolutionaries, led by Fidel Castro were set to change the miserable Cuban existence, they were set to do the impossible, they were set to rid Cuba of the US-backed dictatorship of Batista.”
More than a hundred and fifty people filled the hall to capacity to watch the premiere of the film “Mission Against Terror,” about the lives and struggle of the Cuban Five - five Cuban political prisoners currently held in US jails. Ian Beeching, an organizer with the Free the Cuban Five Campaign Committee – Vancouver, presented the film.
While the FMLN-Vancouver served up tostadas…Nelson Carpio of the FMLN brought solidarity greetings for Cuba.
He was followed by El Trobadon Beto Fuentes whose rendition of the Cuban classic “Guantanmera” had everyone clapping and dancing.
After Beto, Platino Latin Productions (PLP) kept the crowd on the floor dancing and shakin’ it with their Latin flavored hip hop and were joined onstage by Che Pablucci Vancouver’s most infamous Latino hip-hop artist.
After PLP and Pablucci inspired the audience with their music, Vancouver City Councillor Tim Louis inspired the room with his words of solidarity for Cuba and people in struggle around the world.
These words energized the room for the next speaker, the coordinator of Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC), Tamara Hansen, who introduced VCSC’s latest campaign against anti-Cuban terrorist Luis Posada Carriles. She encouraged everyone to sign the petition demanding the extradition of Posada to Venezuela, and invited everyone to the next international day of action against Posada happening on August 29th at 4:30pm at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Juventud Rebelde then took the stage, during their setup the stars and stripes covered ‘imperialist’ piñata was brought out and the crowd was invited to take a swing at beating imperialism. Children, young people and the young at heart came to the front to strike back at imperialism and receive a sweet treat at the end when the piñata exploded.
Once Juventud Rebelde began they immediately lit up the stage and the dance floor with their wonderful and lively Cuban and Latin American music. Everyone was so excited that the band was forced to perform an encore at the end.
Tim Louis summed up the energy and focus of the night when he proclaimed, “The failed July 26th attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953 and the victory of the Cuban revolution in 1959 showed us that with discipline, morale and energy, there is no defeat from which victory cannot be made!”
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