Cuba solidarity night
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — The Cuban people are facing the economic crisis confronting the revolution, known as the "special period", with strength and innovation, Roberto Jorquera, Latin American solidarity activist, told a public meeting here on February 12.
Jorquera was guest speaker at a Cuba solidarity night held at the Resistance Centre. He recently returned from a trip to Cuba, where he toured widely and talked to many Cubans about the problems brought on by the tightened US blockade and the collapse of the Soviet bloc, which previously accounted for 80% of Cuba's foreign trade.
Some 50 people at the event heard Jorquera's report on the severe impact of the economic crisis on the lives of Cubans, but also the measures taken to tackle the crisis head-on by the government.
Also speaking on the history of the Cuban revolution and the urgent need for increased solidarity with a country which represents an "international beacon, especially for the peoples of the Third World", was Democratic Socialist Party Brisbane secretary Jim McIlroy.
Latin American food and music by the group Clara and the Zetkins completed a successful evening.