Marta Coto

Panel Speaks
part 6

Marta Lilian Coto: (translated)
FMLN Deputy for El Salvador in the Central American Parliament

• June 1st, the new FLMN government re-established contact with the government of Cuba.
• This political co-operation has helped El Salvador
• Since the peace accords in 1992, the FMLN became the primary opposition in the government of El Salvador, to a capitalist government that used a neoliberal model which increased poverty in El Salvador.
  
• This right-wing government refused equality for citizens
• Cuba continued to offer support to El Salvador, even while it had a right-wing government, which refused the support.
• Local El Salvadorian FMLN governments took the aid from Cuba, especially medical aide in combating pneumonia, and Mission Miracle.
• The FMLN has also started the Yes I can reading program.
• The goals of the FMLN is to help and support the poorest in El Salvador, so that they can grow and prosper.
• They are also fighting organized crime which thrived under the right wing governments of the past.
  

"I would like to take the time to denounce the coup d'etat in Honduras. This is an enormous step back from the democratic growth that has happened in Central America."
-Marta Coto

(Standing Ovation)

Juan Carlos Coronado

Panel Speaks
part 5

Juan Carlos Coronado: (translated)
Charges d'Affaires

• When Hugo Chavez came to power, he looked to Cuba for inspiration on how to increase literacy and health care.
• Venezuela has the benefit of large deposits of Petroleum.
• Venezuela offered to trade its oil for aide from Cuban Internationalism in increasing Literacy, and Quality of life.
• With Mission Robinson, Sucre, literacy and education has made High School level education acessable across the country.
• Mission Miracle was created in conjunction with Cuba, and was so successful it was exported to other countries.
• These agreements have had huge benefits to Venezuelans, Cubans and Latin Americans alike.

Edgar Torres

Panel Speaks
part 4

Edgar Torres, Bolivian Ambassador: (Translated)

• Because of Che Guevara, Boliva eventually elected Evo Morales
• the 1980s they started to retake politics from the fascist military government.
• Social movements grew, thanks to the inspiration of Cuba
• Capitalism made the country of Bolivia exceptionally poor, and they suffered a "dark night" which was the 25 years of the capitalist government.
• Since 2006 Cuba, Venezuela, and Bolivia created plan Miracle, which ensured that Cuban and Venezuelan Doctors would go to places where there has never been medicine in Bolivia before.
• Cuban Internationalism has ensured that literacy is taught throughout Bolivia.
• Bolivia has 4.5 million indigenous people living in poverty; the extraordinary work by Cuban Internationalism has ensured that they get the medical attention and education they need.
• Bolivia is in a moment to advance, and not to backtrack.

(Standing Ovation)

Isaac Saney

Live from Isaac Saney's speach
part 3

José Julián Martí's aim was:
To prevent, by the independence of cuba the US from spreading over the west Indies and falling, with the added weight, upon the lands of our America. All I have done is to now and shall do hereafter is to that end... I have lived inside the monster and know his insides.
1895

Roots of Cuban Internationalism

• Cuban thought marterial and summation of the experience of struggle for independence
• José Martí
• proletarian internationalism
• imperative internationalism
• internationalism as integral to socialist development
• solidarity vs charity; giver-receiver relationship vs. unified social collective other social entity.

Isaac Saney finishes with a powerful quote from the Second Declaration of Havana.

Isaac Saney

Live from Isaac Saney's speach
part 2

Nelson Mandela praised Cuba for its role in helping to end state-sponsored terrorism by the racist government of South Africa and eventually apartheid itself.

"Solidarity in the heart of a people is impossible without solidarity among all peoples"
-Fidel Castro

What is the History of Cuban International aide?
Preamble of the Cuban constitution:
On proletarian internationalism, on the fraternal friendship, aide, cooperation and solidarity of the peoples of the world; especially those of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Isaac Saney

Live from Isaac Saney's speach
part 1

The Cuban Development Model: Adresses that we need a fundamental change in our current economic system.
Current symptoms of the economic crisis:
Currently over 1 billion people go to bed hungry each night; every 30seconds one person dies of malaria; Life expectancy in Brittan is 68, while in Africa it is 42.

Despite being blockaded, invaded and marginalized in the past several decades, Cuba has still been able to increase their standard of living, and the standard of living of impoverished countries.

The UN ranks the Cuban Government as number one (in the world) for using its resources toward social goals of increasing life expectancy and quality of life.

Cuba not only sends Doctors to other countries, but it also helps to create medical schools in third world nations. Even when Cuba is considered a poor country on it's own.
From 1998-2008 117,709,248 patients were treated by Cuban Doctors outside of Cuba, performing 2,831,870 operations. Including after Hurricane Mitch.
Measuring Cuban medical internationalism: Infant mortality rates fell in an area of Honduras from 25% to 19% after Cuban medical aide.

Live From St. Mary's

Stay tuned tonight for live blogging from Latin America on the Move!

Tonight's Agenda:
7:30pm-9:00pm - Celeberating the 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution and Cuba's Internationalism

Keynote Speaker for tonight is Isaac Saney.

Featured Panelists:
Edgar Torres (Bolivian Ambassador to Canada)
Juan Carlos Coronado (Charges d'Affaires - Venezuelan Embassy in Canada)
Marta Lilian Coto (FLMN Deputy for El Salvador to the Central American Parliament)
Norman Girvan (University of the West Indies)
Teresita Vicente (Cuban Ambassador to Canada)

With Special thanks to: St Mary's University, Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Public Service Alliance of Canada, Nova Scotia Cuba Association, Just Us! coffee roasters, Canadian Network on Cuba.