Moncada Day Celebration in Winnipeg
Nearly three hundred people gathered in Winnipeg's historic Ukrainian Labour Temple on July 26 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Cuba's Moncada Day and to affirm their solidarity with the struggle of the Cuban people to defend their independence.
Eva Doris, a representative from the Cuban Institute for Friendship Amongst the Peoples, (ICAP), spoke about the historical significance of Moncada Day for Cubans. She noted that the group of youth who took a stand against the Batista dictatorship on July 26, 1953 at the Moncada barracks included Fidel Castro and others who went on to lead the Cuban people in their heroic 1959 revolution.
She spoke of the importance of the Cuban people's daily struggle to defend their revolution and sovereignty in the face of a crippling American embargo. She also warmly expressed her appreciation to the organizers of the Moncada Day event in Winnipeg. "Today, it is July 26 in Cuba and in Winnipeg," she said. "Long live the friendship between our peoples!"
Messages of greetings from several political organizations in the city, including the Manitoba Regional Committee of CPC(M-L), were read out.
The evening also included a Cuban-style meal, performances by Cuban dancers and musicians who played contemporary and traditional Cuban music.