My dear militant comrade mui the Secretary of external relations of our dear Zan PF to take the stage EMP come can we continue yeah okay do do we begin the stage is yours oh okay viva viva comrades can you sit down there feels that you are still talking
That’s why he’s waiting for you to finish so that you can speak com Ben Martin said we have got two eyes and one mouth let’s only have our two eyes and keep this mouth open okay thank you very much you know com chair I had uh already you know saluted
Our Deputy president and the leadership of thec I was now coming on to uh comrade Fernando Gonzalez you know who is the president of EAP uh and the rest of the delegation from Cuba we are very happy to have you here our brother and sisters disting delegates comrades and
Friends on behalf of our revolutionary party the Zimbabwe African National Union patriotic front and indeed on my own behalf I would like to extend my deepest appreciation for the opportunity afforded to me to participate ipate in this very important international meeting for our treasured African continent in solidarity with
Cuba Cuba and Zimbabwe have maintained very strong relations since our Liberation struggle which have been based on Mutual support and respect I extend from etal greetings from his Excellency the president and first Secretary of our revolutionary part Zan PF comrade Emerson Daga let me also at this juncture congratulate the African
National Congress on this very auspicious occasion of their 112th anniversary and wish them a resounding victory in the fourth coming general [Applause] elections comrades and friends the struggle for African Liberation from colonialism racism and aparted can never be written or narrated without reference to the role played by Cuba in The Liberation
Struggle and the economic and social developments that followed African Liberation not only did Cuba provide the necessary political and diplomatic support to our various Liberation movements but also provided the necessary military hardware to prosecute The Liberation struggle here uh in southern Africa in particular we are all very familiar with the Cuban military
Intervention culminating in the humiliating defeat of the aparted regime at the now famous battle of kav Val which marked the turning point in the total liberation of southern Africa Cuba in spite of the illegal blockade by the United States of America has become a beacon of excellence in many fields including technology
Medicine education and Sport we in Africa have been beneficiaries of these Cuban Endeavors we in Zimbabwe have been beneficiaries of Cuban assistance in the fields of medicine mathematics science and technology for all these we are extremely grateful Zimbabwe today is regarded as one of the most educated countries on the African
Continent and this would not have been impossible without the kind of support and assistance that we received from Cuba in spite of their limited resources they went out of their way to train our teachers to train our students and with time to set up universities in our own countries
Staffed by Cuban academics in various fields in our medical field Cuban doctors have continued to work in the most difficult areas in our country which I must confess our own Nationals would be very unwilling to go and work under those rural conditions but our brothers and sisters
Doctors from Cuba have gone to the most remote parts of our country to look after the health of our people and for this we shall forever remain grateful comad this political Gathering has been necessitated by the current deteriorating impact of the United States LED 60e economic blockade on Cuba through this fraternal solidarity
Conference let us show the world our appreciation for Cuba’s contribution to Africa struggle Against Racism colonialism aparted and the socio economic development of the African continent in general and in the fields of health and education in particular com chair Cuba has been under the brand of the blockade by the United
States of America for the past six decades the economic sanctions on Cuba are possibly uh the most vicious embargo ever undertaken in modern history it is now common knowledge how the Western Powers use illegal sanctions as instruments of war the illegal blockade on Cuba is therefore a declaration of war by the
United States on the peace loving people of Cuba Zimbabwe has also been under illegal sanctions for the past two decades despite these sanctions managing to significantly aspects of our economy it has not managed to our resolve to fight against the these illegal sanctions and to seek International solidarity against this
Unprovoked act of war and aggression I must confess that the Cuban example has always been a source of inspiration for us as we faced this kind of onslaught from the Western Powers we are thousands of kilometers away from from the center of imperialism Cuba is only a short 90 miles
Away and yet they’ve been able to endure and overcome this Onslaught for more than 60 years in this respect both Zimbabwe and Cuba are under attack for daring to asset their independence and sovereignty comrades and friends as we meet here to express our support and solidarity with
The Communist Party of Cuba and the people of Cuba we are confident that no imperialist machinations will prevent the people of Cuba and the people of Zimbabwe from reaching their National aspirations and fulfilling their Destiny the current economic Warfare by imperialist Powers is bound to fail comrades and friends there is no
Doubt that Cuba will continue forging ahead in its quest to maintain sustainable economic prosperity for its people as well as its friends the world over Africa will always stand by Cuba is Cuba is always stood by [Applause] us we look forward to developing our Cuba Africa relationship and as Zimbabwe
We are conditionally appreciate and recognize the role that Cuba has played and continues to play even in the midst of constant bullying through the imposition of the unjustified illegal economic blockade which we all demand must be lifted and conditionally comrades as I conclude let me extend Zano’s congratulations to the African National
Congress uh you know for the remarkable acts of solidarity with the people of Palestine through the initiatives at the international court of justice which various delegations have already referred to as acts of extreme boldness on the part of South Africa under the leadership of the African National Congress the organization of this
Conference in solidarity with Cuba is another example of the commitment of the African National Congress to play its part in the context that those of us who fought Wars of Liberation know the importance of solidarity that most of our victories were brought about by solidarity whether it was political whether it was
Diplomatic whether it was military at whatever level we would never have a achieved our independence at the time we did without the international solidarity which was accorded to us and therefore it is extremely gratifying to see that the African National Congress you know continued to think of others who are in very difficult
Situation let us not forget that only uh you know a few not so long ago the African National Congress organized here in South Africa a solidarity Summit at the summit level of the S countries for the sarawi Arab Democratic Republic so we cannot say that South Africa forgets any of our brothers and
Sisters who are still struggling to achieve their sovereignty over their own territory I say to South South Africa keep on keep on uh in our language we say meaning don’t you ever get tired don’t you ever get tired am thank you very much thank you very
Much um I’m now going to ask comrade not austo uh but comr member of the Central Committee of the mpla EMP of Angola comr Bernard I must also say for us this is a special country in South Africa the entire region but it was very special Angola [Applause] [Applause] Ang Angola angol [Applause] angol [Applause] Ang yeah I must say comrade um before the speaker comes because this is very important it’s very emotional as well uh we have many of our comrades here some of our generals comrade Lindy I’ve seen comrade Dan from the MTO Liberation War veterans in
Angola that’s where we set up our military bases and were trained by the Cubans they trained our comrades that’s where we laid the first combatant ofto who died outside and we have more than 250 Graves of our combatants in Angola General so that country was very special
To us the country of austino NATO that’s a country that H we shed the blood it’s ours H empella this is a [Applause] special oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah oh [Applause] yeah oh yeah yeah thank you very much thank you very much
Afric Long Live Cuban Revolution long live long live Africa long long live the former Liberation movement of Africa long live thank you very much first of all I would like to give my greetings to the ass assistant Secretary General of thec and to the president of the Cuban Institute of friendship among the
Peoples the te members of the head table the steam comrade invited guests and comrade delegates L for us it’s an extreme high honor to be together with you at this very important conference to transmit to you our fraternal and militant greetings from the militants of the M mpla it’s responsible its leadership and
Particularly its president comrade John Manel Gonzalez Lorenzo we wish to express our sincere appreciation to the African National Congress ANC and the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the peoples of the world IAP for this kind invitation that you are given to the leadership of the MP to to participate this historical meeting
This historical conference America and we would like to give a special revolutionary salute to the Communist Party of Cuba for its firmness its determination and all the time looking for solutions to put an end to this unexplainable economic Financial commercial blockade imposed against Cuba for more than six decades dear comrades
And this conference comes to re to Ren renew our hopes our expectations after the devastating effects of covid-19 throughout the world of the the war of NATO in uh against Russia and Ukraine and the effects AG aggravated by the economic crisis of the financial institution from this cruel war against the people of
Palestine as as you already know the Republic of Angola has never wavered on its support its continued support for the for the revolution of Cuba and against this unhuman inhumane blade against Cuba but comrades are solidarity must result in actions and each of us each
And every one of us who are present here must be very clear in our position to take the actions to deal with these challenges that each time are more and more uh cruel Against Humanity so is all the the government Angola has always been proactive and defended the legitimate interests of Africa and
African people our recent history shows on the African continent that we want our sovereignty in Angola has always been on the front line in its support for the struggles of the people of Namibia of Zimbabwe of South Africa to reach his respective Independence political Independence to contribute to
The people going uh people can enjoy the fruits of their labor and the rights to be citizen free citizens so it’s in the same line in the same sense that the M wants to take advantage of the opportunity that we’ve been given here in this conference to express once
Again clearly that we continue to support unconditionally the struggle of the Cuban people to put an end to this un inhumane barbaric blade and that the the principles outlined in the United Nations Charter articles 1 and two must prevail The support the solidary the m m has with Cuba will only continue to increase and enlarge itself so that we join our voice with Cuba and all the peoples in the world to express in all the section International Community we must put an end to this illegal inhumane economic blockade against Cuba allow me to highlight once again the prestigious and decisive support the Cuba has given to the liberation of some of our countries who are represented here in this conference that resulted in very close relationships of camarad Dy fraternity Brotherhood Sisterhood Sisterhood United African people with
The people of Latin America and that the Cuban internationalist have fought on the Longs side of the combatants here in Africa and have spilled their blood in Memorial battles in places like Quan suul in the province of mosiko in kitwana Valley and the province of Kua kabang and Angola So let it be clear that the contribution of Cuba has made determined contributions for the implementation United Nations resolution 435 bar 78 from the Council of security United Nations that open up the path for independence of Namibia as well as is ending the the racist regime of aparte in South [Applause] Africa
So comrades it’s only just that we give special recognition to Cuba of f comman Chef casus even though they’ve been going through all these difficulties as a result of the the blade they still have able to manage to get enough resources to make sure they have quality education for each Cuban citizens and
Make sure they have access to the social programs like health and education And not only have they been struggling to make sure they provide Education Health Care and other contribute to development economic and social development of the respective countries it’s only a people to have a high level of generosity a high level of conscience that are selfless to give all for the
Defense of basic rights of men and women particularly in the area of Liberty and Independence so they are they are capable to consent to make sure they write brilliant pages in history so comrades as I come to a close I would like to express my profound appreciation to the
Leadership of the party our sincere appreciation to all the participants who are here at this conference and hope that each of you will contribute to making sure that we implement the resolutions that come out of this conference with success so that we can give our our help at the proper time to
Help the people of Cuba to end the illegal blockade thank you so much the struggle continues and victory is [Applause] certain yeah thank you very much you know he finished 30 30 seconds left of the exact time with translations thank you very much um comrades I’m now going to call um comrade KH
Arim the deputy director of international relations of the national Democratic Congress of Ghana as he coming to the front I want to ask my dear friend and comrade uh comrade Sally Omar the ambassador of erria is he here yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah I must declare I
Mean this is there’s no secret about it itri is my most favorite country on the African continent Africa you’ll forgive me uh yes he’s the de of diplomatic course but he’s from itria my favorite country uh take a seat h comade comade k Arin are you
Here okay I’m now going to call um to the podium the one and only people’s Bishop from the country that made it all possible for us many Liberation movement called it home it endured all harassment many of us harassment and it still soldiered on as did Angola that’s a country of Zambia the
Uni party I’m calling comrade Bishop MUA to come [Applause] through vva Africa Cuba solidarity Viva via Viva Nelson Mandela viva viva Fidel Castro Viva via Viva Kenneth CA Viva VI chairperson comrade suly mapaya General Secretary of the South African Communist Party may I ride delightfully on the eloquent protocol of Dr Nal
P South Africa’s uh minister of international relations and cooperation she is in your footsteps one of my favorite foreign ministers in the world so so I ride on our protocol and I’m assured that I am I’ve have acknowledged your presence all of you now in the wake of
The uh 10 uh 12th anniversary celebrations of the U founding of the African National Congress andc on behalf of your sister party which I represent unip I Rejoice with you in celebrating the 112th anniversary of the party you are the inheritors of a great movement and in your
Hands you hold the best and noblest of that history I wish wish you well on behalf of [Applause] you with this wish may you rededicate yourselves to the True Values of the ANC of old of Integrity to selfless service to uplifting the pl of the poor to principles to love God bless
Thec God bless South Africa you as president of the United National independence party unip in Zambia it’s a great honor for me to be here and affirm my party’s commitment to the Cuban Revolution youi needless to say has been committed to their Cuban Revolution for decades last year in July 2022 was a
Milestone marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with between between Cuba and Zambia the relationship between President Kenneth cunda and Fidel Castro were very special and I am honored to recall the close fraternal ties my party under my illustrious predecessor Kenneth cunda had with President Castro
Both were leaders of the liberation of Africa and Latin America both were pillars of the nonaligned movement of Nations both had a great mutual respect for each other in Fidel Castro Cuba gifted the world a remarkable an extraordinary Latin American statesman so we remember president Fidel Castro ruse in Remembering president Castro
Today we remember a champion of socialism and anti-imperialism and colonialism we remember his leadership in advancing Cuba’s free education and health care to high World levels of literacy and life expectancy which riched the poor we remember the many medical practitioners Cuba sent to over 60 countries across the globe to provide
Aid and assistance we remember Cuba’s world class Biotech Industry that continues to save millions of lives through dispensing vaccines and drugs to needy countries at a fraction of the cost that the large multinational World charges we remember how this scientific advance generosity and solidarity with the poor and disadvantaged is attributed to Castro’s
Vision we remember politically how he inspired the Bolivian president Evo mores and Yugo Chavez in Venezuela we remember his vital in involvement in Africa particularly in southern Africa where Cuba’s intervention in Angola as we have heard in 1975 repelled an aparte South African Invasion we remember how he personally
Masterminded the strategy during the last major confrontation with the apartheid South African Army at quo gav Val in 1988 the battle was a part of a chain reaction that led to talks between South Africa Angola and Cuba on the Cuban withdrawal from Angola the independence of Namibia and the dismantling of apartheid
In South Africa we remember the Chilean poet Pablo Nunda remark that Castro broke the M of Latin American politicians who promised much and delivered little we remember Castro as a politician with a very rare quality for through his long years in in power he stayed true to his
Convictions to end the liberation of the oppressed and improve the lives of the poor we remember Fidel Castro because he epitomized the Cuban Revolution which lives on Viva Cuba in the life of every nation there are occasions when its ethos is identified with one man or woman who rises above oppression and
Degreg and wages a struggle against them and by his suffering and sacrifice inspires his fellow people to liberate themselves such was Fidel Castro of Cuba as president of unique and speaking and on behalf of those comrades of Goodwill in Zambia and they I say in Africa we endorse
Unreservedly the theme and purpose of this conference of Africa ‘s commitment to the Cuban Revolution God bless Cuba God bless her people amand thank you thank you very much thank you very much Bishop he saved me 25 seconds I appreciate I never thought that aop Bishop will save me some
Seconds now I’m going to call Dr KH Arin deputy director director of international relations of the national Democratic Congress of Ghana who’s here from that shining star of the African continent uh I always say at the Congress of um Ed Bandon Congress uh a special meeting took place
And this is less recorded in history the student of History must record it sufficiently and properly this meeting was convinced by a leader of thec Delegation at the Bandon Congress comrade Walter Sulu he convinced the African delegation amongst the African delegates was Julius was Dr Kenneth
G we in thec the underground team used we used to call him that was his code name Bishop H toothless because he used to say he addressed not in in in a wrong way he addressed A Smith who was oppressing our people in Zimbabwe and he says SMI SMI is a toothless
Dog that was the first president to address another as a toothless dog so we had a code name of the underground if things were from Zambia we say no these are from toothless to keep that in memory that that Smith is a toothless dog and the Zimbabwean people will ultimately get
Their freedom indeed they did we appreciate that but Walter suu convin all these African delegates and amongst them was also the young gu gruma and he said Walter when he addressed that meeting that comrades any of the African countries that get their Liberation first must shoulder the responsibility for the liberation of the
Entire continent and comrade gu gruma died fulfilling that mission as we [Applause] know thank you very much comrade and all protocols observed greetings from the leadership of the national Democratic Congress of Ghana we have come together as Africans and one people to recognize a history of struggles and the legend of
Internationalists who contributed immensely to all their political victores on our continent we are in deep solidarity with the Cuban people who are victims of colonialism genocide alienation and cruel economic blockade imposed on them by the imperialists over 60 decades to the members of this fraternity gathered here
Today it’s Paramount for us to continue lifting our voices to condemn this inhuman act being committed against innocent Cuban people by the government of the United States of America one simple thing the world must know is the freedom and the sovereignty of Cuban people as a nation can never be
Compromised that can never be compromised the resilient and determination of the people to lead a better life must be a choice not a condition to peruse their aspirations as Africans we are deeply indepted to the Cuban people for the selfless contribution they have made and continueed to make towards our
Social cultural economic and human resource development on the African and soil we wish to State without fear of any our indebtedness to the Cuban hospitality and also set the record straight that tens of thousands of Africans have been trained and some are still training in Cuban schools and
Universities and I’m example of these students today in many different fields in the health sector in the government and many more there are exceptional young professionals contributing to the development of our Nations who owe their skills to the general training provided to them by Cuba the NDC of Ghana is sure
That this conference will convey our sense of friendship admiration respect and consent to the good people of Cuba our chromates on this Noble Island are going through an excess ially difficult period our Global movement in solidarity with the Cuban people must expand in all parts of our continent we extend our hand of
Friendship to them just as they were with us through the terrible years of our political upheavals on our continent especially the sou region we therefore greet with pride the delegations that have come from all over the African continent to attend this conference of solidarity with our Cuban brothers and
Sisters your presence in South Africa today is highly appreciable and for such an occasion honors the Sons and Daughters of Africa it underlines the common debt we feel towards Cuba Cubans have given their lives literally in a struggle that was first and foremost not theirs but ours we vow never to forget this
Unparalled example of selfless internationalism the NDC once again is confident that this important solidarity conference will have an excellent deliberation and it will be a success long leave the NDC and the Communist Party of Cuba long leave the friendship between Africa and Cuba patri of M be thank
You thank you do yeah I can yeah I can feel that this one trained in [Laughter] Cuba the comrades uh let me just say this message to you we received a number of requests for comrades to be on the speaking list there are those that we have accepted others we have
Said they can write the messages we will publish them as part of the record of this conference but we have agreed that we will extend the program to accommodate some of those messages that were not originally on the program so please bear with us and I
Know that some of you have arranged uh bilaterals uh and we’ll have enough time much later today and tomorrow and the first Deputy General Secretary of the ANC herself has postponed some of these uh bilaterals to give importance to this uh current session because the session of concrete commitments of concrete
Testimonies about the role of Cuba on the continent I’m now going to call the dean of Diplomatic Corps in South Africa Ambassador Sali Omar who’s also a member of The itria People’s Front for democracy and Justice the pfdj and I always say to comrades in my
Party if you have never been to erria you have not tasted socialism in practice on the African continent good evening dear comrades and thank you uh chairperson my comade Sola uh dear leaders and members of the African National Congress first Deputy Secretary General of thec and head of national executive Council
International relations committee comade n nula m panga provin provincial uh chairperson African National Congress alliances General Secretary of South African Communist Party comate Sol mapa KATU my dear friend colleague ambassador of Cuba to South Africa comade Fernando gonzale comrade Oscar drama dramas Oliva revolutionary movement leaders present all protocol observed it is
Indeed a singular honor and privilege for me to address these seven Africa Cuba International solidarity conference representing an organization The People’s Front for democracy and Justice comrades this Gathering represents a significant accomplishment in our ongoing commitment to strengthen the bonds of friendship solidarity between the people of Cuba and Africa As We Gather
Here we are reminded of the historical connections that Unite our continent and the Cuban people and government the Quest for autonomy self-governance and the aspiration for a more promising tomorrow has been a shared element interwoven into the tapestry of African and the cuan history Cuba has consistently provided support throughout throughout the
African Liberation struggles and has been a seast Ally since anticolonial and apar efforts the cuan people’s demonstration of international support specifically in the domain of Health Care and education has profoundly influenced the thoughts and emotions of Africans throughout the continent comrades As We Gather here in pum
Malanga we need to reflect on the challenges that lie ahead our shared commitment to the principles of justice and equality requires us to address the processing issues that our Nations face today the global landscape is evolving presenting us with new challenges such as climate change economic dis disparities but in confr in confronting
This challenges we must draw inspiration from the resilience and the determination of our people the seven African Cuba International solidary Conference offers us an opportunity to reassert our joint dedication to the principles of the Cuban Revolution and the African pursuit of unity and progress this is an appeal for us to
Enhance our cooperation in several domains such as Health Care education technology and trade collectively we have the ability to construct a forthcoming Human Social States in which the values of social justice and equality are not only abstract Concepts but tangible activities for every member of our
Society in theim in theim of Health Care We Salute We Salute Cuba’s outstanding contributions to Medical diplomacy the Cuban medical brigades have played a crucial role in providing Health Care to the under under severed regions of Africa and Beyond demonstrating the true Spirit of solidarity we must explore ways to
Enhance our collaboration to fundamental advancement and to keep us unweaving dedication to providing education to all is commandable comrades am miss the current economic difficulty let us examine also potential opportunities for enhanced trade and economic collaboration between Cuba and the continent of Africa in conclusion let this seven Afric uh seven Africa CU
International solidarity meeting be a catalyst for renewed collaboration Mutual understanding and shared Prosperity our journey toward towards a bright future requires our Unity determination and steadfast commitment to the principles of justice and equality May the spirit of solidarity that binds Africa and Cuba continue to inspire us as we work together for a
Better tomorrow aluta Contin I thank you thank you very much comrade Ambassador um I’m going to call H the representative of uh the suffering people of Palestine but I must first start by acknowledging comrad Fernando’s gratitude uh that is uh president of EAP when he made his main address
In this Africa Cuba solidarity conference he put on the scarf of the people of Palestine but comrades I think it will be beiting that as we call comrade basam Eleni selfdetermination and against Israeli occupation that would recognize that over 23,000 people have just been killed and more than 60,000 people have been in
Injured almost 2 million people have been displaced 7,000 people are unaccounted for arrested by the Israeli regime released as body bags when they are rotting so that their families cannot identify them some are still missing in the rbls after the bombardment by this Terror state of Israel it will be beiting that as
Comrade basam comes to the podium We rise up and observe a moment of silence with the people of Palestine who succumbed to this bombardment comrade basam Long Live Palestine long live long live thank you com thank you thank you Viva South Africa viva viva viva Kuba viva viva viva International solidarity with
Palestinian people viva viva uh dear comrades uh Enola mikani deit Secretary General ofc uh dear comrades suim MAA Secretary General of Communist party uh dear comrade Mike shangi the deputy president of kosat uh dear comrades fernandos andalas the heads of Kuan delegation to the conference uh all P protocol observed
Dear comrades on behalf the president of State of Palestine president of blo uh his Excellency mm abas and our people and our ambassador allow me to express our sincere appreciation herf gratitude to South African people his Excellency president sarama fosa the Parliament and the government uh uh the
Alliance with the other the progressive political Powers who uh who who uh who have demonstrated unwavering support for Palestinian people during the current barbaric War since October 7 till today uh dear comrades we Church uh the common historical relation of struggle created by GRE leaders such n Mela and
Yaser Arafat the first meeting between our leaders between uh comrade Oliver Tambo and uh comrade martyr khazir Duty commander and chief of bisan Revolution force in Algeria 1964 as as we Church the htal relation between Palestine and Kuba and almost the historical Freedom Movement in the continent the state of Palestine
Highly appreciate the South African HT bura step as South Africa accept to be legal oant to Israel in the international court of justice on behalf the Palestinian people in the matter that does not directly concern this is the evidence of the principle and the value of the people of South Africa and
The ruling party and Alliance and the strong relation between our two peoples uh dear comrades today Palestinian people are subjected to comprehensive War genocide in Gaza Strip West Bank Jerusalem with the aims to elimination of our national cause and to turning to turning it into humanitarian uh issue that’s all the word
Witness today the second nakba the nakba mean the cat catastrophe the first nakba was in 19 84 when Israel uprooted more 23 of our people the Israeli crime today are State organized terrorism with no sense of USA Western Powers we received a Jewish in our country and
Open our homes land for them as a victim of first and second world war and Holocaust in Germany but today uh we are a victim of this victim uh dear comrades we appeal to International Community to put pressure on Israel to stop the barbaric barbaric war and label
Israel as a briti state including imposing all kind of sanction uh we confirm that the military and security solution will not bring security and peace to anyone and the middle east region will not enjoy stability without achieving all demands of Palestinian people especially freedom and returning of Palestinian re
Refugees now bisan refugees is 7 million the resolution of un 194 confirm the right of returning to their homes we assure that Gaza Like a Phoenix that emerge From the Ashes and Rebels and like South African Fus three that hits by lighting and tender but Grow Again with uh
Strengths lastly we wish ANC onlines for achieving the over overwhelming majority in upcoming election to protect all the moral principle of democratic South Africa as well as to secure the be the bright future for the children of this Beloved Country a strong ANC and uh Alliance is a strong South Africa strong
South Africa is a strong Palestine a strong Kuba is a strong Palestine a strong solidarity with Palestine is strong palistine and I thank you all for your warm solidarity with our people today thank you [Applause] amand free free Palestine free free pales from the river to the sea free free Palestine free free
Palestine thank you very much we are all Gaza yeah Gaza is us we are Gaza comrades let me now uh call uh the great mother of our continent who represents the panafrican women’s organization on the program it was written the deputy president comrade bab lamini then the president
Arrived then com bav came and said My President is here I won’t speak when she’s here so comade Unice ieng the the president of uh panafrican women’s organization take the floor I would like to call my vice president to join okay she also wants a vice president to join her on the stage
I accept that protocol yes at the same time as the V Deputy president is coming through I want to call comrade Aris to come to the front and I also want to call H the network the national network on Cuba from the USA to come to the front
Thank thank you very much director of the proceedings of this very important meeting very important you are directing and I thank you for giving me the floor let me salute the deputy president of ANC and of the Republic of South Africa also to salute the deput the first deputy secretary General of
ANC the leadership of acup and allc Leadership present here the South African Communist Party Central Committee cat leadership thetion movements present here the friends of Cuba Focus bana National front Alliance of democratic movement of economic change delegates from countries like Burundi Leo Sudan Guinea Ghana opo SPS Pana African youth Union and the
Young Wom women of Africa I do not want to leave without saluting you I also salute the representative of unip of Zambia and all fraternal organizations present here the panafrican women’s organization salute to you all we thank thec leadership for inviting Pana Africa women’s organization to participate in this very important meeting of
Solidarity to Cuba P Africa women’s organization is the first Continental continent Continental women’s organization that was formed in 1962 in Tanga bid now Tanzania 11 independent African countries women from those countries they gathered in Tanzania plus plus 10 Liberation movements and they formed up this women’s organization a first objective
Was was to liberate the continent the African continent to mobilize the women the continent to liberate the continent from colonialism and a part hat we have managed to liberate the continent except the Western Sahara that we are focusing on politically we have rebelled the continent the organization has
Participated in the liberation of the continent as it has been Ober status of O Au now Au we the organization has been working with the Liberation committee and all the stories that were narrated here the experience of Africa liberation and solidarity with Cuba this organization
Has been part and Par of it the first headquarter was in Mali the second in Aria the third one in Angola and the the the fourth one in South Africa here where we are the the Congress of 2020 that held in Namibia decided to fix the headquarters in in South Africa
Here I just want to stand by that and as we are standing here we are representatives of all Progressive women’s organization in this continent we take this opportunity to pass a message of solidarity to Cuba which played and continues to play an important role in the lives of people of
Africa Pana Africa women’s organization is an affiliate to women in the National Democratic Federation where we meet annually and we are there as the the women Cuba are members of that organization we are briefed on the situation on the island and we have both bilateral and Continental relations with the women of
Cuba we are con we condemn the US embargo against Kuba that which borders around the Discrimination of human rights of the people of Cuba and we condemn it mostly as it’s bordered limiting access to essential Goods food medicine and other basic necessities that impact more on women and
Children and it is BU that we’ve believe in effective engagement to promote positive change by advocating the end to this imple pledging solidarity with people of Kuba must involve supporting Civil Society organization in that country and also individuals who are promoting human rights comrades and friends we are saying pledging
Solidarity with people of Cuba and advocating for and of embargo requires a thoughtful and nuances approach that takes into account the realities that are facing people of Cuba and women and children in particular we condemn this embargo in its totality and urge the African nations to popularize the sense of solid it with
Cuba we Echo the statements made this morning by the Vice President ofc and of the Republic of South Africa specifically on trade and investment because the sanctions they are touching on trade and investment with Cuba so we should take take up actions that we do invest African
Countries invest in Cuba and trade with Cuba no matter what we also Echo the action oriented activities that were proposed by comrade Dr nind P and the first Secretary General ofc uh coma they have proposed concrete actions to be taken and I could see that some of
These actions with the women Movement we can participate to organize solidarity activities to organize solidarity messages also to popularize this solidarity to our children and our grandchildren but we would like action oriented activities organizing food organizing clothes and send to kba the issue of medicine also we can organize
Those ones I’m speaking here as a product of The Liberation struggle we survived because other people organized those or action oriented activities and things and materials were sent to us we were given medicine we were given clothes we were given food and we survived so the military activities we
Participated on that and were given those people they have taken from what they cherish most to make sure that we survived and we win the struggle we should do it for the Cuban we should we are also saluting the Cubans for maintaining their independence and sovereignty despite these difficult situations so we salute
You we’ll support you the women’s of the continent are behind you and behind the people of Cuba and the women of Cuba we reaffirm our commitment on solidarity with Cuba Palestine and Western Sahara with stand by South African action of taking Israel to Indian national court of justice we
Play we call for justice to be maintained our hearts are so when we see the children and the women being killed in Gaza it is our children we give birth to life and it is very painful for us to see life being d destroyed even not with the If you deny
People food is a killing If you deny people medicine is a killing what do you expect people to survive from is that killing we are condemning and we will never forget about those who stood by US during the struggle we are saying solidarity for forever Contin Forever solidity forever Solarity Forever for the union is our strong Unity is our strength yeah I must tell you that uh president Mandela had this discussion in the US with one anchor and this anchor wanted to trap him about support for yaser Arafat and Palestinian struggle and Fidel Castro and the Cuban
Revolution so he posed this question differently and so forth so president Mandela paraphrasing him not direct quote simply says to him no so do you want to determine who our friends should be and that your enemies are not necessarily our enemies yaser Arafat and Fidel Castro had not only supported our
Liberation struggle they’ve also given us weapons to persecute our struggle and this said was left paralyzed he didn’t know what to do then Mandela said to him oh have I paralyzed you so I must confess I was paralyzed by po so they exceeded my time limit but I could not stand up
You against the mother’s though it was impossible uh I’m now going to give um the opportunity to the leader the executive secretary of the world peace Council a great friend of the working movement of the world and a great friend of Cuba h a great friend of South
Africa a good friend of our former deputy General Secretary comrade Chris masaku they work tirelessly together uh it’s comrade all right please thank you very much my brother from the world peace Council distinguished comrades from the organizing Committee of this conference above all and first the leaders of
Thec under the leadership here of comrade n nula moonyan comrade so mapaya General Secretary of the SCP and Mike shagi vice president of the kosat dear comrades of the Cuban delegation of the EAP and its president Fernando Gonzalez yort dear comrades and friends from all corners of Africa friends of Cuba and its
Revolution it is an extraordinary pleasure pleasure to be amongst you today here in South Africa to be part of the big Gathering of solidarity movements and groups from the African conent on behalf of the world peace Council the biggest international organization of Peace Oran peace movements we convey our militant fraternal Anti-Imperialist peace
Greetings to all of you the South African organizers of this conference deserve our respect and congratulations for their unlimited solidarity on the side of the Cuban Revolution the Cuban people since the beginning 65 years ago Allow Me Above All to express here so just mentioned it our heartfelt
Grief for the loss of one great son of South Africa a dedicated champion and internationalist a special friend of the Cuban Revolution who passed away one year ago Chris matlak our brother comrade and friend was a leading figure of the South African Communist Party and a member of the world peace Council
Secretariat his legacy will always be with us in the struggles for a world without imperialist Wars and exploitation from our youth times we had learned from our South African friends and comrades not only about the Glorious struggles and sacrifices in the times of apartheid in order to achieve freedom
And democracy in South Africa but also the political and internationalist struggle hand inand with other African people’s against their colonial oppressors the Cuban people its selfless internationalist contribution in many levels and the presence of Sons and Daughters of Fidel on African soil played a decisive role without which The
Liberation of so many countries would not have been achieved the historical Battle of Quito canaval in 1987 88 with the internationalist support of the Soviet Union of Cuba and the common efforts of the a C and swapo Namibia marked a milestone for The Liberation not only of Angola but paved also the
Way for many others having had the privilege to be part of the Observer process of the first free elections in South Africa in 1994 which is almost 30 years ago I learned that the freedom in political terms which was achieved with the overwhelming victory of thec then and
With the abolition of the aparte since then will not bring complete democracy and social justice in a country unless also Injustice exploitation and poverty will be abolished dear comrades and Friends these days the South African government took an honorable initiative to file a case in the international court of justice
Against Israel for committing genocide against the Palestinian people we hail this in this initiative and appreciate it highly it reflects not only the will and feelings of the South African people but also the legacy of the founding president Nelson Mandela who always underlined that South Africa’s Freedom will be always incomplete without the
Freedom of Palestine from South Africa we denounce the ongoing massacres of the Israeli occupation Army committed for more than 100 days in the Palestinian Gaza Strip the indiscriminately killing of almost 24,000 Palestinians majority women and children the destruction of houses infrastructure mosques churches hospitals and schools we appreciate we appreciate likewise the
Strong stand and support of this initiative of South Africa by the Revolutionary government of Cuba and its people we condemn the support the United States of America and its allies are providing to the Israeli War Machine with a pretext of Israel’s right to self-defense dear comrades Cuba and its
People have celebrated recently 65 years of the Triumph of the Revolution Cuba a country which defends with dignity and pride its achievements and its right to decide alone and freely about its fortunes Cuba is facing the cruelest economical financial and Commercial blockade by the United States and its successive administrations regardless to which
Party the resident of the White House belongs the US Administration imposes hundreds of sanctions and measures on Cuba in order to asfixiate and strangle the economy and the daily life of Cubans with the hope that the people will revolt against its elected and legitimate government in Cuba but Cuba
Stands on its feet firm and proud despite the existing difficulties for its people Cuba is championing in the field of internationalist and humanitarian Aid with doctors nurses medicine and vaccines where others are sending bombs Cuba is defending its achievements and despite the blockade it is expanding them the island of the Revolution
Remains always a shining example for the peoples of Latin America and of the entire world a source of inspiration for the just causes of so many peoples in the world as World Peace Council we demand the unconditional lifting of the blockade against cu the shutdown of the
US bases in Guantanamo and the return of the territory to its true owner which is the Cuban people likewise we demand the removal of Cuba from the shameful list of states sponsoring terrorism Cuba stood always on the side of the African peoples of the African nations who face the occupation the colonial oppression
The plunder and the theft of their richness and their resources being today in South Africa we would never miss to mention and to highlight the last and all almost forgotten case of colonialism in Africa the case of the just cause of the western Sahara the people of Western Sahara the saharawi Democratic Arab
Republic is facing since 50 years the brutal Moroccan occupation of its territories the oppression and deprivation of its right to self-determination as provided by the UN resolutions the world peace Council stands in solidarity with the people of Western Sahara with the polisario front for its rights to it own State as a
Result of a free and fair referendum under the United Nations we know and appreciate highly the firm and principal support of the Cuban Revolution also on this noble cause dear comrades the world peace council is completing this year 75 years of struggle on the side of the
Poor and the oppressed from South Africa the symbol of African peoples we call upon the organizations present to join efforts and voices with the world peace Council to come back to the great family of world peace Council to which many of the organizations and political parties belonged in the past
And to work with us as we had the the privilege and the honor in the n in the beginning of the 1990s to have a South African comrade as president of the world peace Council Albertina culu a genuine leader of thec to whom we pay on this occasion our
Respect and recognition Long Live Cuba Long Live Palestine Long Live Western Sahara aluta amand thank you thank you com um I’m not going to call uh the national network on Cuba from the USA Shaquil Fant not as she comes to the podium I’m asking the comrade Bening
Amed from the panafrican youth Union to come to the France as well as comrade gal gabala from Egypt the president of friends of Cuba in Egypt to come to the front as well as um comrade Isaac s who’s going to represent a variety of sections of the Canadian Network on Cuba
And Caribbean solidarity Network for Cuba as well as the Global African Congress which also organizes a lot of solidarity activities on Cuba uh we will have three speakers that will not be able to conclude tonight so that we can have lunch when it I mean dinner uh when it’s still appropriate
And also because we extended overly our time we thought we’ll extend it by one hour we appreciate that we will exceed by a few minutes after after one hour but those speakers can take the floor um sh esteemed delegates and comrades first thank you to thec for organizing this
Critical Gathering and thank you to all the representatives and delegates from all across the African diaspora special greetings to our Cuban family here with us from ecap as well I stand before you today as a representative of the national network on Cuba as well as the 45 million plus United States residents
Who stand in solidarity and friendship with Cuba despite what our government does despite thank you despite surveillance increased repression and increased investigations we stand with Cuba and we will continue to educate people about Cuba we will continue to bring youth to Cuba so that they can see the truth I’m here to share
About some of our progress and outline the path ahead in our campaign to normalize relations with Cuba get the us out of Guantanamo get the inhumane US economic blockade against Cuba lifted and to remove Cuba from the US state sponsor of a teror list it’s crucial to note that Cuba
Should have never been on this list in the first place and our Collective efforts seek to rectify this Injustice in the year 2023 we orchestrated hundreds of actions and political education sessions including impact Street protests in Washington DC and across the United States where thousands protested against this designation as
Well as against the US economic blockade we hosted teachings conferences and initiatives and through our concerted efforts we have significantly heightened awareness and opposition to the harmful and unjust policy maintained by genocide Joe Biden that has kept Cuba on this list we’ve also welcome new member groups putting us at just under 70
Member groups which include Kuba C New York New Jersey and Minnesota Cuba committee who are here with us today collectively we’ve achieved an organizational Milestone with the passage of over 100 resolutions from City councils County councils States and senators all over the United States and colonies including Washington DC all
Expressing opposition to the economic blockade of Cuba and advocating for the removal of the ssot designation however despite of our accomplishments Cuba remains on the list exacerbating the six decades long us ecomic blockade and leading to severe shortages of medicines and food in Cuba this blockade is over
Two times as old as me it’s time for it to go it’s time for it to go it’s time for it to go it’s time for it to go the United States is hemorrhaging Cuba’s Talent energy and resources is putting its nose where it doesn’t belong and it’s denying the will
Of the people yet again this isn’t fair to Cuba when Dr comrade and La lady just shared how impactful Cuba has been around the world how crucial Cuba has been in global Liberation struggles in African Liberation struggles the US says Cuba isn’t fully cooperating and gives unfounded explanations for the
Designations but they’re just mad because Cuba won’t fold and that Cuba isn’t cooperating with the whims of capitalism and imperialism Cuba cooperates with the world not bullies the US is just mad because the Cuban Revolution lives don’t you hate a sore loser does the US have a
Lung cancer vaccine does the US have a good treat for diabetic ulcers I know Cuba does as we approach the upcoming US presidential election which will absorb energy money and media coverage we recognize the urgency of our cause the time for Action is now the clock is
Ticking the US Empire is on a rapid Decline and the subjugation of all oppressed people around the world is no longer working this is a huge opportunity for the Cuba solidarity movement millions of people are standing in solidarity with us and this is the moment to see Seas this seventh
Conference is uniquely positioned in South Africa a nation that has taken a strong stance against the Ono ongoing genocidal atrocities in Gaza this alignment of this conference with South Africa’s call for Justice at an international level as profound meaning to our Collective efforts it underscores the interconnectedness of global
Struggles for human rights and liberations the plight of the Palestinian people also resonates with the experiences of those who fought against apartheid in South Africa and exemplifies the sh commitment to confronting Injustice wherever it occurs anywhere there’s a struggle against capitalism and imperialism is my homeland at this moment our campaign to
Remove Cuba from the US states Monsters of terrorism intersects with South Africa and the world’s call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza it’s a reminder that our battles are interconnected and the strength of our solidarity can be a force for positive change on multiple fronts as the Palestinian youth movement mentioned
Just yesterday the us could not be more transparent in its f gained moral outrage over the partial blockade of Babel Mand given his own refusal to lift his own blockade of Cuba for decades and then indeed for the entirety of most of our lifetimes the arrogance of the
Capitalist is our Saving Grace there are pressure points all over the world that are leading to our Liberation so I’ll do my help to liberate I’ll do my part to help liberate Cuba and I hope you’ll do your part too the national network on Cuba and US Cuba normalization are urging member
Organizations to participate in an urgent advocacy push plan for January and February pushing our member organizations to reach out to their Congressional Representatives write protest letters and organize events in support of Cuba throughout the year but especially at the beginning of the year in March the Federation of Cuban women
Will also be visiting New York to help educate the community and collaborate with our solidarity activists we will continue to engage in cultural medical and educational Partnerships to show the real Cuba to the world and to mobilize our youth we will will never stop until Cuba is Unchained and unblocked as our
Comrades mentioned earlier action is more important than words Let Us carry with us the residents of this historic moment in South Africa together we can amplify our voices to demand Justice for Cuba and to support South Africa’s call for an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people the next words are
From Shaquil fanto not the nnoc but I’m going to say it anyway Long Live Palestine long live long live Cuba long Long Live Africa live I send love and power to the people’s struggles in Sudan the Congo it Puerto Rico and Hawaii Western Sahara and to all sanctioned countries fighting for
Self-determination and existence in the midst of colonial oppression and repression the current world order is Shifting and there will be Liberation for you too let us move forward with a renewed sense of purpose and renewed internationalism for me Cuba’s Liberation is every body’s Liberation it’s win or die it’s victory or
Martyrdom it’s Homeland or death all power to the people and especially the organized people long live the Cuban [Applause] Revolution Amanda yeah she was fire and right from the USA yeah this is very important this is quite inspiring uh our P structures should find time to have a bilateral with this great young
Woman and activist um I’m now going to ask comrade Bening AMT from the panafrican youth Union to give us the the message of the African youth thank you so much comrade DSG of thec I wish to stand on the existing protocol and also to extend our congratulations to
Thec for this Noble guesture and for giving us an opportunity to be here today I on behalf of the national coordinating mechanisms across the African continent our national youth councils National Youth Development agencies authorities and commissions wish to express our solidarity to our friends in Cuba the young people of this continent
Have unconditional support and solidarity for you but I would want to touch on just a couple of points and the first is that if you listen to all the speakers they have outlined in very explicit terms the contribution of Cuba and its people to this continent prior to
Independence today most of you in this room are independent you run States and therefore our solidarity and contribution to the Cuban people must be tangible and that’s why I agree with the DSG to say we need action because Cuban people spill their blood on the African continent they brought resources from
Cuba to train our revolutionary organizations they stayed on this continent helped us to fight today we are independent we cannot be supporting Cuba through lip service and rhetorics yeah and so thec is led the charge there are so many other political parties that are leading governments in this room
That just standing on podiums and chanting is not enough we want to see practical action and support to the Cuban people the second point that I want to touch on is to say that the contribution the humanitarian contribution of the Cuban people to Africa and I lead young
People on the continent and in almost every country there’s a Cuban trained doctor there on the continent and therefore when we meet like this we are supposed to come up with proper tangible actions and I want to encourage the seventh conference not to just come with political solidarity but we want to see
Political parties in this room from Fimo to mpla to the xenops and all political parties that are in government to make significant and meaningful contribution to appreciate the Cuban people in concluding the Cuban people are supposed to be Noble laurs not to be under sanctions by the United States and
Therefore it is our Collective responsibility to ensure that the Cuban people are appreciated for their support and contribution to the independence of the continent and not for our governments to be hypocritical by not being able to come out full force and full action to support on this in
Concluding I want to thank the organizers of this event and to the friends from Cuba you have our unflinching support we go with um po we will work with the parties here to mobilize support for the people of Cuba I thank you thank you very much uh I’m now going to call the
Friends of Cuba from Egypt comrade gal thank you very much Viva Kuba Africa Viva via Viva Egypt Cuba friendship dear friends as I am following speeches from the beginning I noticed that there is no mention to Gamal Abdul Nas who is an African leader so I am coming from the country of Gamal
ABD Nas I am coming I am representing Egypt Cuba friendship Association I think if great leader Nelson Mandela still alive I think he will mention for the beginning gal ABD so via gal ABD via nson Mandela I’m not going to give a speech it’s just a few words uh to share you all from our association Egypt Kuba friendship Association full solidarity and support with Kuba also I was I wish to forward our thanks from Egypt from the Arab world on behalf of our brothers the
Palestinians that the the how much is touching our hearts I tried my best as a journalist to express that I’m not a good uh I’m not enough uh speaker for speeches but I am journalist who is writing every day so uh I wish to say that the Kuba South
Africa touched our heart very much for supporting our brother in Palestine thank you very very much as Victoria assembly thank you thank you com Kamal I’m now going to ask comrade Isaac sane who represent those different networks and has WR extensively even academically on the
Question of Cuba H to say a few words first as everyone has done with protocol I want to thank the ANC and all the organizers for organizing this magnificent event there’s been fire in the room from what everyone has said and it’s a deep honor it was deeply
Moving when I arrived in Johannesburg yesterday to be in a country that took such a powerful stand against the genocide going on in Gaza the world stands and respects South Africa for standing up uh to zist Terror and to Western imperialism I bring revolutionary greetings and I’ll be short today from
Three organizations to this Festival of solidarity the Canadian Network on Cuba on Whose executive I sit the Caribbean solidarity Network for Cuba on who who I also serve on the executive and the Global African Congress uh in which is very much involved and at the Forefront in a Civil
Society of fighting for reparations but has always stood shoulder Tosh shoulder with Cuba I think today we’ve heard so many powerful speeches comr comrade Father Michael laps he said it very clearly no country that is Cuba no country has given so much to the world and received so little
In return Minister Pand laid out the resume of Cuba as it is dedicated to to Africa and to Africans I remember once it was an African Elder who said Cuba is the only country country to have come to Africa and gone away with nothing but the coffins of its Sons and Daughters who
Died in the struggles to liberate Africa Nelson Mandela when he visited Cuba in 1991 said that Africa was used to people coming foreigners coming to colonize African land to exploit its people and to steal its resources never had it seen where people came to join the war and whe trials and
Tribulations to shed their blood as Cubans did and we all know in Freedom Park there’s a wall with the over 2,000 names of the Cubans who died in Angola to defend Africa and to defend particularly southern Africa
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