CubaSí

CubaSí is the quarterly magazine of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, 40 pages packed full of news from Cuba, features, interviews, competitions, plus information about campaign activities in the UK and our latest tours and sales. All members receive the 40-page magazine mailed directly to their door four times a year. Past and current issues can also be ordered from our online shop here.

Below are a selection of articles from previous issues. Click here to join the Cuba Solidarity Campaign and start receive the next four issues mailed directly to your door.

2022

CubaSí Autumn 2022

Honouring the life of Haydée Santamaría
Rebecca Gordon-Nesbitt celebrates the life of revolutionary heroine Haydée Santamaría Cuadrado, whose birth centenary is 30 December 2022



2021

CubaSí Spring 2021

Going for Gold
This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of Cuba’s National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER), RYAN Smith reports on it achievements



2020

CubaSí Winter 2020

Cuba: Castro vs the World
CSC director Rob Miller spoke to Mick Gold about his documentary on the history of the revolutionary island and its leaders over the last 60 years

Liberation through Education
Sophie Evans reports back on her experience as part of the twenty-strong National Education Union (NEU) delegation to Cuba in October 2019

Cuba’s success in child health: what can one learn?
Professor Imti Choonara from the University of Nottingham has had a long standing collaboration with Cuban health professionals. Together with Dr Mauro Castello, a paediatric surgeon from Camagüey, he highlights Cuba’s excellent child health in this article originally published by BMJ Paediatrics Open

Unions for Cuba
British trade unions display solidarity with Cuban unions at historic conference. CSC Campaigns Officer Ollie Hopkins reports



CubaSí Spring 2020

Inspirational internationalism
As the world fights an international battle against the coronavirus pandemic, Cuba has once again proved itself a paragon of internationalism and solidarity.



CubaSí Autumn 2020

Election Missiles: Cuba and US votes
Jon Rosebank writes on the impact of the 1962 mid-term US elections on the Kennedy’s Cuba policy that year

The first brigade
Mike Faulkner reflects on his participation in the first solidarity work brigade to Cuba in 1960

The First Declaration of Havana – 60 years on
Cuba will never surrender their self-determination writes Francisco Dominguez



2019

CubaSí Spring 2019

A resounding YES vote for the new Constitution
Cubans overwhelmingly ratified a new constitution in February following an intense period of national consultation and debate.

A vocation to care
As part of the Cuba60 celebrations, CSC is very proud and honoured to be bringing Dr Enmanuel Vigil Fonseca, a volunteer in Cuba’s Henry Reeve Medical Brigade, to Britain in June 2018. Here he speaks about his experiences working in emergency situations from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa to floods in Ecuador.



CubaSí Autumn 2019

Cuba remains defiant in the face of increased US aggression
A slew of new lawsuits against US, Cuban and foreign companies have been filed in US courts following the implementation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act by the Trump administration in May 2019.



2018

CubaSí Winter 2018

The Cuban Revolution turns 60
As the island celebrates this anniversary, it does not only look to the past. Cubans know that the Revolution is still a project for the future. Not only for Cuba, but for all humanity, says Frei Betto

Constitutional update concludes
In February, all Cuban citizens aged 16 years and above have the opportunity to vote in a referendum to accept, or reject, a new Constitution. Dr Lauren Collins reports

Viva Cuba!
Teacher, Kerry Goldsmith, reflects on her experiences as a member of the October 2017 NEU (NUT Section) delegation to Cuba

Cuba–US relations: Obama to Trump to 2020
Canadian author and academic, Arnold August, looks at recent developments in Cuba-US relations and the prospects for improvement under and beyond Donald Trump

Democracy in Cuba 2: Spotlight on the 2018 elections
In this second report on Cuban elections and the participatory governmental system LAUREN COLLINS looks at how Cuba’s parliament works, and explains Cubans elect their National Assembly of people’s Power and their President.



CubaSí Spring 2018

Countering the ‘fake news’ on Cuba
CubaSí editorial

Distinguished art practitioners rewarded
Every year in Cuba the most prestigious honour as an artist is to receive the National Award in a particular cultural category. Trish Meehan reports on some of the winners over the last 12 months.

CSC members raise more than £87,000 to aid relief following Hurricane Irma
The Hurricane Irma recovery continues

Cuba embarks on a 100-year plan to protect itself from climate change
Following the devastation of Hurricane Irma, Cuba is accelerating its plans to protect its coastlines and vulnerable communities, Richard Stone reports



CubaSí Summer 2018

“For me everything started in a literary workshop”
Extracts from an interview with Ahmel Echevarria by Orsola Casagrande

The Voice of the Revolution
Prensa Latina’s international politics editor, Néstor Marín Bandomo, spoke to CubaSí’s Tim Turner about the history and objectives of the Latin American news agency

Pride in Cuba
Mike Jackson is national secretary of Lesbian and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM). He is a key figure portrayed in the 1984 film ‘Pride’, which depicts the true story of a group of lesbian and gay activists who raised money to support mining communities during the 1984 miners’ strike. In May 2018, CSC arranged for him to participate in Cuba’s activities to mark the International Day Against Homophobia.



2017

CubaSí Winter 2017

CubaSí Winter 2017

Fear of the unknown – Trump and Cuba
What do the next four years hold in store for Cuba-US relations? CubaSí editor, Natasha Hickman, looks at the best and worst scenarios



CubaSí Spring 2017

CubaSí Spring 2017

International medical collaboration: lessons from Cuba
Dr Imti Choonara argues that Europe should follow Cuba’s internationalist example in providing healthcare for low income countries

US election results and Cuba policy
Esteban Morales Domínguez, economist at Havana University’s Centre for US Studies and leading writer on race in Cuba warns President Trump not to try to pressure or pick a fight with Cuba in future negotiations

Leading the way in pre-school learning
Early Childhood Development programmes which start years before a child enters school are the bedrock of Cuba’s successes in education



CubaSí Autumn 2017

CubaSí Autumn 2017

Overwhelming response to Hurricane Irma appeal
More than £52,000 raised to help Cuba recover from one of the worst storms in living memory

Democracy in Cuba: Spotlight on the 2018 elections
Lauren Collins begins a two part report exploring Cuban elections and the participatory governmental system in advance of the country’s 2018 general elections



2016

CubaSí Winter 2016

CubaSí Winter 2016

The next US president – what does it mean for Cuba and Latin America?
Canadian author and journalist, Keith Bolender gives his view on the 2016 US Presidential elections

How eco-agronomy is set to bring about changes to Cuba’s rural landscape and economy
Lorraine Tillett writes about her meeting with Dr Fernando Funes-Monzote, academic, researcher, and founder member of the Cuban Organic Agriculture Movement –now running a sustainable farm just outside the Cuban capital

The Cuban Adjustment Act: the Other Immigration Mess
This US policy has manipulated and skewed Cuban immigration since 1960 and remains a barrier to normalised relations argue Robert Sandels and Nelson P Valdés

How much longer for the United States to normalise relations
CubaSi Editorial, Winter 2016



CubaSí Spring 2016

CubaSí Spring 2016

USA and Cuba: one year later
Former President of Cuba’s National Assembly, Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada, contrasts claims for compensation against Cuba for its post-1960 nationalisation policies with those against the US for 50 years of genocidal blockade policies

Co-operative Bank admits bank closures are directly due to US blockade policies
Co-op Bank Chief Exec admits: “it is correct that the sanctions that are in place are those imposed by OFAC.”

The Cultural Policy of the Cuban Revolution
Author and academic Rebecca Gordon-Nesbitt looks at the importance or the arts and arts education to the Cuban Revolution



CubaSí Summer 2016

CubaSí Summer 2016

The 7th Party Congress: Marking progress and facing challenges
Dr Steve Ludlam gives a detailed analysis of discussions at the most recent Communist Party Congress which are now subject to a mass consultation period throughout the island

A glorious welcome for the Miami Five
CubaSi Editorial, Summer 2016

Fidel Castro – 90 revolutionary years
The historic leader of the Cuban Revolution celebrates his 90th birthday on 13 August 2016, CSC executive member, Dr Francisco Dominguez looks back at his legacy and internationalism



CubaSí Autumn 2016

¡Presente! Contemporary Art from Cuba
Trish Meehan reviews ¡Presente! Contemporary Art from Cuba exhibition and the associated events which took place in October

They think it’s all over. It’s not.
As Cuba prepares for the 25th annual United Nations vote on the blockade, Dr Steve Ludlam reports on how the outdated and cruel US policy continues to cause suffering to the Cuban people and the importance of keeping up the international campaign to end it



2015

CubaSí Winter 2015

CubaSí Winter 2015

Regime change: time to try another tactic
The blockade has failed to force the ‘regime change’ successive US administrations wanted in Cuba, so now they’re pursuing another tactic

All in this together: Cuba’s Participatory Democracy
Through Cuba’s mass organisations and Organs of Popular Power the country’s citizens have multiple opportunities to participate in the government of their country

A Victory for Cuba - but it’s not over yet
Dr Steve Ludlam Steve Ludlam sets out the factors leading to the rapprochement between Cuba and the US and urges the solidarity movement to be vigilant against new attacks.



CubaSí Spring 2015

CubaSí Spring 2015

Yanquis go home
Dan Smith reports on why the full closure of the US military base at Guantánamo key to normalising relations between Cuba and its northern neighbour

Embraces with the Five in Havana
CSC Director, Rob Miller was honoured to spend a few days in Havana with the Miami Five earlier this year and writes about the experience for CubaSí and gives an update on the ongoing fight to allow the men to come to Britain



CubaSí Summer 2015

CubaSí Summer 2015

Cuba-US talks: a Cuban perspective
Josefina Vidal, is the Cuban Foreign Ministry’s top diplomat for North American affairs and has been leading the Cuban delegation in talks with the US. After the press briefing following the third round of talks in Washington on 21-22 May she gave this hour long interview to Cuban reporters

The United States re-engages Cuba: The habit of power
Far from signalling a change in policy, US government statements show that it still “presumes US ‘authority’ to manage Cuban internal affairs” writes Louis A Pérez, Jr

IDAHO marchers say no to homophobia at work
More than 1,000 people from LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual and Intersex) communities marched through the streets of Havana on 10 May in a proud display of their sexual and gender identities.

Cuban Dissidents: Allies of US policy or a hindrance?
US-funded dissidents groups have always been out of touch with the political reality on the island, but now appear to be out of step with US policy too, argues Rafael Hernández, editor of Cuban quarterly journal Temas and expert on Cuba-US relations

Is the US media softening its line on Cuba?
The Miami Five believe there has been a positive shift in the US media’s reporting on Cuba since the decision of the two countries to re-establish relations in December. This is also the view of journalist Keith Bolender who recently interviewed the Five on the subject for his new book



CubaSí Autumn 2015

CubaSí Autumn 2015

In Cuba, a free medical education leads to a lifetime of benefits
“For once, if you are poor, female, or from an indigenous population you have a distinct advantage… an ethic that makes this medical school unique.” Margaret Chan, WHO

Still Subverting Cuba: the New Normal?
Despite the diplomatic overtures, behind the scenes the Obama administration has shown it has no intention to demonstrate mutual respect or recognise sovereign equality argues Matt Peppe

Fifty years of terrorism: Cuba’s September 11
US journalist William Blum writes exclusively for CubaSí



2014

CubaSí Winter 2014

CubaSí Winter 2014

Rediscovering Celia Sánchez
Nancy Stout is the author of a compelling and painstaking recent biography of one of the great heroes of the Cuban Revolution, Celia Sánchez - ‘One Day in December: Celia Sánchez and the Cuban Revolution’. She spoke to CubaSí about this Cuban icon and how the book came to written

Final destination Havana for London cab
CSC’s favourite London taxi driver, ‘Cuban Tony’, speaks to Kevin Ovenden

We do not fold our arms: Mandela and Cuba
Despite Raúl Castro being one of the few world leaders invited to speak at his memorial service Cuba’s relations with Nelson Mandela and South Africa were notably absent from any media coverage writes, Bob Oram



CubaSí Spring 2014

CubaSí Spring 2014

Focus on Haiti
Patricia Grogg writes for IPS on the work of Cuban doctors in Haiti

Bacardi - supporting the blockade since 1962
Bob Oram reports on the real history behind the Bacardi label

Global campaigners unite in London for the Five
CSC director, Rob Miller, reflects on the highlights



CubaSí Summer 2014

CubaSí Summer 2014

Cuban Day against Homophobia
Two weeks of campaigning activities and celebrations for Cuba’s 7th annual Day Against Homophobia took place between 6 - 17 May, and a CSC delegation of activists were in Havana to participate.

Gerardo: Saturday night parties and what I never realised
Gerardo Hernández, one of the Miami Five, unjustly imprisoned in a US jail since 1998 for fighting terrorist attacks against his country was recently interviewed about his memories of adolescence for a Cuban website. CubaSí reprints the interview in full below.

“Now we have air!”
After eighteen years without a base or performance space, Cuba’s prestigious Enchanted Stag theatre company finally have a venue to rehearse and perform thanks to support from the Music Fund for Cuba.

Something is moving
Ignacio Ramonet, director of Le Monde Diplomatique in Spanish, analyses current US-Cuba relations



CubaSí Autumn 2014

CubaSí Autumn 2014

US contracts Latin American youth for subversion in Cuba
Granma International reports on an investigation by Associated Press which exposes a new USAID programme to manipulate Cuban youth

What about the workers?
Dr Steve Ludlam explores the benefits and challenges that a recently updated Labour Code and ongoing economic changes present to Cuban workers and their unions

Cubans first to support Sierra Leone ebola fight
When the UN appealed to five world presidents for help fighting the deadly disease, Cuba was the first to respond. Bernard Regan reports



2013

CubaSí Winter 2013

CubaSí Winter 2013

Inspiration from last year’s Latin America Conference
A taste of what’s in store this year - Saturday 7 December 2013



CubaSí Autumn 2013

CubaSí Autumn 2013

Latin America Conference and Fiesta Latina!
Saturday 7 December 2013 Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B



2012

CubaSí Spring 2012

CubaSí Spring 2012

Sport at the heart of revolution
Dan Smith speaks to Olympic legend Alberto Juantorena



CubaSí Summer 2012

CubaSí Summer 2012

An interview with Ricardo Alarcon, President of the Cuban Parliament
By Salim Lamrani

A revolutionary train of thought
Che’s victory at Santa Clara

Keeping AIDS at Bay in Cuba
Cuba boasts the lowest rates of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean-if not the world. Should the credit go to the country’s early, internationally condemned policies aimed at stemming the spread of the disease?



CubaSí Autumn 2012

CubaSí Autumn 2012

Blind Cubans Going to the Movies
by Fernando Ravsberg for the Havana Times

ALBA - The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our America
Realising the dream of Jose Marti and Simon Bolivar, By Ken Cole

The Greatest Pain for a Father
Giustino Di Celmo, the father of the Italian tourist murdered in a terrorist bomb attack on a Cuban hotel in 1997 write on his 15 year battle for justice

Part II - Interview with Ricardo Alarcon, President of the Cuban Parliament
Interviewed by Salim Lamrani



2011

CubaSí Winter 2011

CubaSí Winter 2011

Habana Hoy: The New Sound of Cuban Music
UK based Cuban musician Eliane Correa kicks off her new column on the current Cuban music scene with a review of Cuban fusión exponents Interactivo at the Bertolt Brecht theatre in Havana

Gerardo remains positive
Geoff Bottoms reports on his recent visit to Gerardo Hernandez

Playa Girón
Fifty years ago, Cuba defeated a US-backed invading force at the Bay of Pigs. It marked the ‘first defeat of imperialism in America’, and for the Cuban people, the beginning of half a century of heroic defence of their revolution.

Latin lessons: What can we learn from the world’s most ambitious literacy campaign?
In November 2010, the Independent newspaper’s Nina Lakhani travelled to Havana to discover the history and legacy of Cuba’s 50 year old literacy campaign.



CubaSí Spring 2011

CubaSí Spring 2011

In Santiago it is always the 26th
Visitors to Santiago will see the figure 26 all over the city.

50 years of solidarity
In June, CSC will mark 50 years of the Cuban Friendship Institute with a public event in London. Jenny Kassman reports on five decades of building solidarity with the island

Revealing Che’s revolutionary roots
Lucía Alvarez de Toledo, author of a new biography ‘The story of Che Guevara’, tells Roberto Navarrete how her Argentine heritage and interviews with childhood friends helped her to reveal more intimate truths about the revolutionary hero that many previous texts have achieved

The Doctors’ Revolution
Dan Smith talks to Michael Tynan who has just completed a film on the Cuban health service which features an interview with Fidel Castro and draws on his decades of professional exchanges wth the island’s medics



CubaSí Summer 2011

CubaSí Summer 2011

A socialist path to sustainability
Karen Bell, spent a year studying environmental justice in Cuba and believes that their model can teach the world a lot about sustainable living

A manufactured dissident
In February, Cuba broadcast Cuba’s Reasons, a five part exposé of US funded dissident groups operating on the island. Dan Smith investigates the US government’s insidious history of manufacturing opposition from within

Breaking the Silence: Beyond the Frame- Contemporary Cuban Art
23 April - 28 April 2012, Central London

Restructuring the Revolution
Steve Ludlam looks at the decisions taken at the historic Communist Party Congress in April 2011 and the role of Cuban people in shaping the new economic changes



2010

CubaSí Spring 2010

Concert for Haiti
Rob Miller reports on the fundraising Concert for Haiti organised by CSC for the TUC appeal and CSC’s own appeal for Cuban medical brigades in the country

Cubans in Haiti
One of the world’s best kept secrets. Emily J Kirk and John M Kirk on report on how Cuban medical aid to Haiti started well before this year’s devastating earthquake.

Remedios y sus Parrandas
Cuban photographer Alejandro Gortazar writes on the annual carnival and firework celebrations in the small town of Remedios; the focus of his next exhibition

The real war on terror
Canadian author Keith Bollander reports exclusively for CubaSí on the terrorist attacks the world’s press have ignored



CubaSí Summer 2010

CubaSí Summer 2010

Miami 5 updates
US paid journalists to smear the Five

Friends of Cuba Solidarity Campaign
Please help us to continue our campaigning work, become a Friend of Cuba Solidarity Campaign today

Waste not, want not
Jenny Kassman reports on a UN award winning community recycling project in Guantánamo

Noam Chomsky on Cuba-US relations - exclusive
In his introduction to a new book on terrorism against Cuba, US academic Noam Chomsky details the history of US governments’ violent and often bizarre reactions to its small but defiant neighbour. CubaSí is privileged to have permission to exclusively reprint this introduction.



CubaSí Autumn 2010

CubaSí Autumn 2010

La revolucion energetica: Cuba’s energy revolution
A new revolution is sweeping the island of Cuba, which is making massive progress on energy efficiency and renewable generation. Laurie Guevara-Stone reports.

Daughter of Cuba
Irma Gonzalez, daughter of Miami 5 anti-terrorist fighter, Rene Gonzalez, found time during her recent tour to speak to CubaSí editor Natasha Hickman about growing up in Miami, the campaign to free her father and her reception in Britain.

Sustaining the revolution
Dr. Steve Ludlum gets behind the media headlines and gives an in depth analysis of the recent redeployment measures announced in Cuba.

Cuba and the number of “political prisoners”
Salim Lamrani discusses the controversial question



2009

CubaSí Winter 2009

Hasta La Victoria Siempre - Interview with Cuban poet who witnessed Revolution
In an exclusive interview, Pedro Perez-Sarduy speaks to CubaSí’s Stephen Hallmark about seeing Che Guevara enter Santa Clara 50 years ago and the events which led him to write a poem for the revolutionary legend

The revolution that defies the laws of gravity
As the Revolution turns 50, Francisco Dominguez, CSC executive member and Head of Latin American Studies at the University of Middlesex, looks back on the history and impact of Cuba on the US and Latin America



CubaSí Spring 2009

CubaSí Spring 2009

A chance encounter with Operación Milagro
CSC member Steve Wagstaff tells CubaSí what happened when he bumped into a Cuban Medical Brigade on a recent trip to Cochabamba, Bolivia

Confronting rhetoric with reality
Professor Salim Lamrani was one of the key speakers at the Latin America Conference 2008, and took time out to speak to Stephen Hallmark about why he has dedicated such a large chunk of his life researching Cuba

Talking about a Revolution
Carolina Amador and Gilda Chacón, leading members of the Cuban women’s and trade union movement spoke to CSC’s Lotte Deckers Dowber on their recent nationwide tour

Pushing for a change in UK policy
Rob Miller, Cuba Solidarity Campaign Director wonders why the UK clings to failed Bush administration foreign policy while the rest of the world moves on



CubaSí Summer 2009

CubaSí Summer 2009

From here to there - Interview with Omar Puente
Omar Puente was born in Santiago de Cuba in the early years of the revolution. He is proud of Cuba’s commitment to education, but has also played his part in a music revolution in Britain, having lived and worked here for over 20 years, including performing at many CSC events.

Pride in Cuba
CSC was delighted that two of Cuba’s leading campaigners for gay rights accepted invitations to major LGBT and Cuba50 events in the UK in July

Ken Gill ‘son of Cuba’
CSC pays tribute to Ken Gill, honorary president and former chair of the campaign who died on Friday 23 May 2009

Cuba50 - 40,000 people join the celebrations
More than 40,000 people attended the Cuba50 festival showcase events in June.

Talking to Aleida Guevara
Interview with daughter of Che



CubaSí Autumn 2009

CubaSí Autumn 2009

Juan Almeida Bosque - hero of the revolution
February 17, 1927 - September 11, 2009

Presidio Modelo, School of Revolutionaries
“In truth to think about an escape in the Isla de Pinos is extremely difficult. We were subjected to imprisonment. But they did not imagine that ideas cannot be locked up nor exiled.” Fidel Castro

Interview with families of the Five
The fight for justice continues



2008

CubaSí Winter 2008

Campaign on Barclays and extraterritoriality continues...
Last year Barclays Bank asked the London branches of two Cuban organisations to take their accounts elsewhere, in a clear demonstration of US pressure exerted on a British company to enforce its blockade of the island.

“In every barrio, Revolution!” - CDR Museum opens
Natasha Hickman reports on Havana’s latest museum which celebrates the history and work of the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution

Fighting for the Five - Leonard Weinglass interview
The Miami Five’s lead attorney has earned international acclaim by achieving stunning victories in a string of the United States’ most historic civil rights cases. CSC Campaigns Manager, Stephen Hallmark, caught up with him on his recent UK tour

The World of Work in a Changing Cuba
Dr Steve Ludlam reports on how unions and government are working together to reduce income inequalities and corruption in employment



CubaSí Spring 2008

Libraries at the heart of the community
By Dana Lubow and Rhonda L. Neugebauer

Lessons for a greener world
In a CubaSí exclusive, Derek Wall, principal spokesperson for the Green Party, argues that to achieve a green planet, we all need to learn from Cuba

Fidel stands down
Salim Lamrani, French journalist and professor looks at the contrasting reactions to Fidel’s February statement

Cuba50 - Celebrating Cuban Culture
www.cuba50.org

Celebrating 50 years of progress
January 1st 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution.



CubaSí Summer 2008

AGM Report - CSC celebrates year’s successes
One hundred and fifty delegates, including individual members and representatives of affiliated organisations from across the country gathered at the National Union of Teacher (NUT) headquarters, Hamilton House on 7 June for the CSC Annual General Meeting. (AGM)

Miami Five - Ten years on
Interview with Fernando Gonzalez of the Miami Five, currently serving 19 years in a US prison

Changes in Cuba?
Salim Lamrani, French journalist and professor provides an alternative to the western media’s reporting on recent changes in Cuba

Havana rights
Plans to legalise gay marriage and offer sex change operations free of charge mean Cuba is set to become the most socially liberal country in the Americas. Calvin Tucker reports.



CubaSí Autumn 2008

CubaSí Autumn 2008

Families torn apart - Miami 5 interview
Stephen Hallmark spoke to Adriana Perez and Olga Salanueva, wives of two of the Miami Five on their recent visit to the UK

TUC Congress reports
Guest speakers from the Cuban trade union movement, a packed fringe meeting, two motions, and a film on the Miami Five ensured that Cuba was high on the agenda at September’s TUC Congress in Brighton.

More than 250 delegates packed the CSC fringe meeting to capacity on the first day of Congress.

Terror in Miami - Cuba’s exile community
Steve Ludlam investigates the community behind the ‘Perfect Storm’ of prejudice against the Five

After the storm - Hurricane report
Cuba faces the challenge of rebuilding after the worst hurricane for 50 years



2007

CubaSí Winter 2007

Exclusive: London’s Mayor visits Cuba (inglés y espanol)
Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London visited Cuba in November, here he tells CubaSi exclusively why he went and why he thinks the Cuban revolution was one of the most important events of the 20th century

Rendezvous with lies
Whoever killed Kennedy, no-one believes it was Fidel Castro, but that didn’t stop a German filmmaker from trying to make us think he did. Veronica Barrassi reports

World Circuit Records celebrates 20 years
The company that brought us Buena Vista Social club is twenty years old. Here, World Circuit records chief, Nick Gold talks to Rob Miller about its ethos and extraordinary success



CubaSí Spring 2007

Teaching citizenship the Cuban way
CubaSi reports on the first official link between a UK education authority and the Cuban government and the rewards it is reaping for Cuban and British schools...

Feeding the revolution
Cuba’s organic farming sets an example to the world

Stop the Hilton Hotels ban
Outcry as US blockade spreads to the UK tourist sector



CubaSí Summer 2007

Farewell to Vilma:
heroine of the Cuban revolution dies

From Pakistan to Rotherham
spreading the word on Cuba’s humanitarian work

Whose rules rule?
New Barclays campaign launched as bank becomes latest firm to breach UK anti-discrimination laws to comply with US blockade. By Rob Miller, CSC Director



CubaSí Autumn 2007

21st century medicine
Quality vaccines and pioneering anti-cancer research has catapulted Cuba into the premier league of medical science and biotechnology

The living legacy of Che
Forty years after his death Che’s ideals are very much alive in Latin America and especially in Cuba argues Francisco Dominguez

Interviewing Fidel
For years people have tried to persuade the leader of the Cuban Revolution to tell his own life story. Ignacio Ramonet, Editor of Le Monde Diplomatique explains how he came to be the one to bring Fidel’s story to the world.



2006

CubaSí Winter 2006

CubaSí Winter 2006

Europe partakes in a recipe for disaster cooked up in Washington
As the US steps up its subversion plans for Cuba, Britain and Europe would do well to steer clear of a policy that is doomed to failure.

We are stronger than ever
The Cuban revolution has never been stronger, but neither has the US ever been as determined to bring it down, says Leonel Gonzalez, International Relations Secretary of the CTC, Cuba’s equivalent of the TUC.

Confessions of an “independent” trade unionist
Steve Ludlam interviews a Cuban double agent who infiltrated one of the US financed fake trade unions in Cuba



CubaSí Spring 2006

Exporting healthcare: Cuba and the real meaning of internationalism
The true secret of Cuba’s longevity, of its commitment to its ideas - has been its internationalism, argue Natasha Hickman and Bob Oram

Let there be Light
New short film about Operation Miracle is a must see

“Hombres not Nombres”
Bob Oram writes on how Cuba competed against the world’s best in the recent US Baseball Classic



CubaSí Summer 2006

CubaSí Summer 2006

Teatro Miramar: a dream to be realised
This year the Music Fund for Cuba will launch it’s most ambitious project to date, the restoration of the Miramar Theatre in Havana

Bush’s ‘secret’ plan for Cuba
Steve Wilkinson and Natasha Hickman report

From Cuba with love: Cuban doctors in Pakistan
Guy Smallman gives a moving firsthand account of the work of the Cuban medical brigades in Pakistan



CubaSí Autumn 2006

The landing of the Granma
On 2nd December this year, Cuba will be commemorating the 50th anniversary of the landing of the Granma, the boat that brought Fidel back to Cuba to start the revolutionary war. Here, Cuban historian J.A. Sierra tells the story

America’s favourite immigrants
Salim Lamrani, Sal Andres Gomez and Natasha Hickman look at how the facts are twisted and immigration figures ignored to suit Cuba’s critics

Life without Fidel
Francisco Domínguez and Steve Wilkinson argue that those who think the Cuban revolution is over without its charismatic leader are in for a disappointment



2005

CubaSí Winter 2005

Cuba’s Response to AIDS
A Model for the Developing World By Edwin Krales

Books: Bulwark against neo-liberalism
Barry Camfield, T&G Assistant General Secretary, reviews a new book on the Cuban revolution written by a Cuban trade unionist especially for trade unionists

Guide to the ‘Report from the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba’
Prepared by Cuba Study Group of Santa Cruz County - cubastudygroup@scshop.com



CubaSí Spring 2005

Is Venezuela next after Iraq?
In its desire to overthrow Fidel Castro, the Bush administration is taking a two-step approach - overthrow Chavez first, argues James Petras

Trip of a lifetime
Chris Leaman was the joint jefe (leader) of last summer’s CSC work brigade to Cuba.

Justice delayed, justice denied
Father Geoff Bottoms visits one of the Miami Five



CubaSí Summer 2005

Bill and Joe’s Cuban cycle adventure
RMT members Bill Rawcliffe and Joe Sheridan were among 28 cyclists who raised an amazing £19,000 for educational aid to Cuba in the CSC’s sponsored bike ride to Cuba in April

Poet of Guantanamo
Graham Henderson reports on the release of a new anthology of poems by Regino E Boti, the poet of Guantanamo

Participation is key to Cuba’s democracy
CSC member Steve Ludlum is a lecturer in Politics who has been in Cuba on a study sabbatical. Here, he describes his experience of attending a nomination meeting for the election of candidates for Cuba’s municipal elections



CubaSí Autumn 2005

Education from womb to tomb
Cuba’s University of the Third Age is a shining example to us all, writes Steve Ludlam

Brendan Barber pledges TUC support for Cuba
Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC speaking at the CSC fringe meeting, TUC Congress 2005

Five reasons why the people rule
Isaac Saney, an academic and author of Revolution in Motion, a major analysis of the Cuban Revolution, explains unique Cuba’s democracy



2004

CubaSí Winter 2004

Solar-powered education
Laurie Stone writes about Cuba’s programme to electrify rural schools and provide every child with access to a computer

Charting women’s progress since 1959
CSC women’s officer Beverley McGowan summarises the presentation given to the CSC Women’s Day Conference in September 2003 by the Cuban delegates form the Cuba Women’s Federation

The truth about Reporters Sans Frontières
Jean-Guy Allard of Granma International traces the links between Bacardi, Reporters Sans Frontieres and a French advertising conglomerate



CubaSí Spring 2004

Miami Five: Hopeful of justice
Father Geoff Bottoms attends the appeal hearing of the Miami Five and returns encouraged

Biotech for all
Westminster Conference highlights the advances in health brought about by Cuba’s scientific revolution By Steve Wilkinson

US occupation of Guantanamo Bay is illegal, says top lawyer
By Dean Weston



CubaSí Summer 2004

A revolution in culture
Trish Mehan and Dave Willetts trace the development of Cuba music and arts since 1959

Cuba saved my daughter
Three-year-old Raquaya was left paralysed by encephalitis but has made a miracle recovery thanks to Cuba

Salud International to back Cuban internationalist doctors
Phil Lenton reports on a new initiative for the charity



CubaSí Autumn 2004

Heart strings
British musician Walter Reiter went to Cuba in February to conduct a Cuban orchestra, his account of his experience is as touching as it is revealing

Speaking truth to power: Cuba at the UN
Speech by Felipe peres Roue to the UN General Assembly

Book review: Cuba’s story
Cuba: A New History by Richard Gott



2003

CubaSí Spring 2003

Beyond the beach and sun
Psychotherapist Gillian Woodward reports from the new University of the Older Adult

CSC’s Father Geoff Bottoms visits one of the Five
Father Geoff Bottoms recently visited Gerardo Hernandez in Lompoc Prison

Cuban student tours UK
By Simon Watson



CubaSí Summer 2003

Hands Off Cuba Campaign Launched
Time to defend Cuba’s independence

EU lines up with US
Editorial piece from Cuba Si

UK lawyer visits Havana
By Steve Cottingham of Thompson’s Solicitors, UK

Monument to freedom
50th anniversary of the Moncada attack

Ibrahim Ferrer: a lesson in greatness
Review by Dave Willetts

The Miami Five - an injustice too far
By Michael Connarty, Labour MP

My secret mission to meet Fidel
By Professor Vic Allen



CubaSí Autumn 2003

Join the CSC bike ride to Cuba
Wheels in Revolution

How the US stole Guantanamo Bay
Article from Cuba Si

Does the FCO website betray a political bias against Cuba?
article from Cuba Si



2002

CubaSí Spring 2002

How the US planned to start a war with Cuba
By Steve Wilkinson

Toys for Cuba
By John Waller

Welsh Education Minister meets Fidel
By Derek Davies of Cymru Cuba

Hacked
By Gwdihw, a Welsh specialist in religions who writes about the African religions in Cuba



CubaSí Summer 2002

Evil Spirit
New book uncovers misdeeds of the Bacardi clan

A dream for all times
Laura Burns reports on an exciting dance project in Cuba

How foreigners fuel US anti-Cuba policy
Stephen Wilkinson reports on how the US policy towards Cuba is dictated by powerful Cuban emigres who are not even US citizens

From May Day In Havana To The Cradle Of The Revolution
Thirty-three members of the Preston and Fylde CSC Group Study Tour shared in Havana’s May Day Rally together with 1.2 million Cubans for an experience of a lifetime. Complete with the Union Jack held aloft by London cabbie Tony Caccavone and a banner calling for an end to the US blockade the small group caught the attention of Cuban TV.



CubaSí Autumn 2002

Housing for the People
Isobel Anderson takes a look at the challenges facing Cuba’s housing system today

Moncada Day Cycle Challenge
By Rod Lawson

British credit cards hit by US sanctions
By Stephen Wilkinson