RED HOT HOSPITALITY
Owen Cooper from Manchester CSC Group shares his experience of the 2003 Manchester-Matanzas brigade.
A 4.00 a.m. meet at Manchester Airport for the 6.15 flight to Havana was the first test of solidarity for 10 members of the Manchester CSC’s ‘mini-brigade’ visit to Matanzas.
The first week of the two-week visit in April was in Matanzas, where we were hosted by the local Energy Union. Manchester CSC (and previously the Bury Cuba Support Group) has been supporting the renovation of the union office - a building renovation with a difference, the building now provides a consulting room and dispensary for one of Cuba's many family doctors as well as a large dual purpose educational and social centre for the use of union members and groups from the local neighbourhood.
Felipe Héctor Vega, General Secretary of the Energy Union, had organised a full week of activities for the group that helped us better understand how life works in Cuba and enabled us to better appreciate the achievements and resilience of the Cuban people. Visits to a NGO serving and directed by physically disabled people,, an Arts school, and the School of Languages, were mixed with a visit to Playa Girón/Bay of Pigs, to the Museum of the Battle of Ideas in Cárdenas, to natural attractions like the Bellamar Caves and to a reception with two representatives from the Provincial Government. We even fitted in some painting of the Community Centre.
A particular highlight was a Cultural Evening organised at the Old Theatre in Matanzas. We were treated to outstanding performances from a young dance group, from a Dance troupe, and from an all women’s Afro-Cuban drum and singing group. We returned the compliment by taking to the stage ourselves to sing a couple of English songs, which, thanks to the excellent acoustics of the building, were well received.
The final night in Matanzas was a farewell barbecue at the house of Mercedes and Ermís, two activists in the energy union. So much effort went into showing their appreciation of our friendship and solidarity with the Cuban people; a truly wonderful night with the many people who’d gone out of their way to make our visit so informative and enjoyable.
We left Matanzas for independent time in Havana and the opportunity to go in different directions around Cuba. What an incredibly beautiful country Cuba is, with a people and a political ideology to match. Experiencing life in a country with such strong values was a real privilege and made the United States blockade seem even more bizarre.
Two weeks is way too short a time, but with the help of our remarkable hosts, we got a flavour of what Cuba stands for and for what Cuban people have achieved against all the odds.