In an effort to publicize the accomplishments of the Cuban Revolution and challenge the criminal U.S. blockade of Cuba intended to punish the country's people, the Cuba-France Cooperation Association continues its work, which began some 21 years ago.
To celebrate the date, a delegation visited Havana and Roger Grevoul, president and founding member of the group, spoke with Granma International, emphasizing the concrete joint projects undertaken in health, education, culture, agriculture, sports, public transportation, the environment, electrification, and water treatment.
There are now 14 local committees of the association, in different regions of France, working to make contact with businesspeople interested in investing in Cuba, explaining the advantages available based on the recent approval of a new foreign investment law in the country.
Grevoul explained, "We have been working since 1995, when the association was founded, on the problems of potable water treatment in Havana, Cienfuegos, and Santiago de Cuba. We have collaborated on projects related to the treatment of waste water, and undertook another one regarding distribution to rural settlements. We have additionally organized scientific exchanges on agricultural issues. We learn from Cubans, and we share our knowledge."
Among other initiatives, members of the solidarity group have delivered donations to a school for children who are blind or visually impaired; worked on repairs at facilities for older adults; provided buses for workers' transport; participated in the restoration of Havana's Metropolitan Park; and supported efforts to clean-up the Almendares River and Cienfuegos Bay.
Their efforts have included road repairs; the restoration of hospitals and schools; remodeling the Terry Theater in the central province of Cienfuegos; the purchase of equipment for the collection of solid waste; and the provision of photovoltaic panels to remote, mountain communities.
The principal obstacle the organization has faced in its work has been the interventionist U.S. blockade's extraterritorial implementation, according to
Roger Grevoul who noted that many French businesspeople are afraid to invest in Cuba since they have seen other companies fined for having financial relations with the country.
For that reason, he said, the organization has participated with others in mobilizations to demand an end to the cruel U.S. policy, and has promoted art exhibits, concerts, conferences, film screenings, and other activities to publicize the issue.
"In three years we will celebrate the 500th anniversary of Havana's founding
(2019)," Roger said, "Our organization will accompany this celebration with an international colloquium we have named "Víctor Hugo, a visionary of peace," and we have invited recognized intellectuals from the five continents. We want to speak out for world peace, relating it to the thinking of Cuban independence leader José Martí."
This will be one of the tasks the Cuba-France Cooperation Association will undertake over the next few years, focusing its work on involving more youth in showing solidarity with other countries. Members hope to promote understanding of the possibility of building a society far removed from the consumerist one engendered by capitalism.
Roger Grevoul concluded, "I am a Communist; all my life I have struggled for a different society, a more humane one, better for the people, a society that lives in peace. Cuba gives me energy, because it is struggling for this type of society."
