Moncada Day Celebrated in Winnipeg

Moncada Day, the national day of Cuba, was celebrated in Winnipeg on July 26 with a concert featuring the Cuban band, Grupo Moncada. The concert, which was attended by approximately 250 people, also included music by Hugo Torres-Cereceda and Easter Island dances performed by Latin Connection.

Moncada Day marks the July 26, 1953 storming of the Moncada Barracks by a group of 134 revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro, an event which is recognized as the beginning of the Cuban revolution. Although the attack failed and Fidel Castro was imprisoned for two years, just six and a half years later, on January 1, 1959, the revolutionary armed forces entered Havana in victory.

Messages of greetings were delivered to the celebration by several organizations, including the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist), the Association of United Ukrainians of Canada, the Communist Party of Canada and the Structured Movement Against Capitalism. Numerous other organizations sent written greetings.

Grupo Moncada, which has been one of the most popular groups in Cuba since its establishment in 1973, is spending a month in Winnipeg popularizing Cuban music at various venues. It is performing at the Brandon Folk Festival and will be the featured entertainment at the Cuban pavilion of Folklorama during the week of August 5 to 11.