An end to the U.S. economic blockade of the island and the demand for the return to Cuba of the territory illegally occupied by the U.S. Naval Base in the province of Guantánamo were the focus of debates during the 13th Camilo Cienfuegos Regional Cuba Solidarity Encounter, held in the Argentine city of San Carlos de Bariloche, as activist Víctor Cayetano Rocchi told Granma International.
Rocchi explained that participants discussed anti-Cuban media campaigns, in particular misinformation regarding the alleged sonic attacks on U.S. diplomats in Havana, as well as topics such as the integration, sovereignty and unity of Our America and different Cuba solidarity initiatives.
The encounter was held at the headquarters of the Union of Education Workers of Río Negro from December 8-9, 2017, with the participation of Cuba solidarity groups from the cities of Neuquén, Cutral-Có, Zapala, San Martín de los Andes, El Bolsón and San Carlos de Bariloche, in the provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén.
The final declaration of the event called on activists to up efforts to disseminate information on Cuba and its links with the peoples of the continent. Also encouraged was study of the history and present-day reality of the region, the problems it faces and steps taken by neoliberal governments which negatively impact the peoples of the continent.
Participants proposed to draw up a press release denouncing the repression suffered by Mapuche communities and workers from Neuquén fighting for their rights.
Meanwhile, Cuban Ambassador to Argentina, Orestes Pérez Pérez, headed a panel discussion entitled “Cuba today: Internal situation and foreign policy,” which was well attended, according to Cayetano.
Víctor, now retired, worked for 43 years as a network administrator for the National Institute of Agriculture and Livestock Technology in the city of Bariloche.
His interest in the Cuban Revolution began at an early age, reading up on the subject and listening to radio broadcasts from the Caribbean island.
In 1993 he established contact with various solidarity groups, after work colleagues asked him to help them send donations to Cuba following the collapse of the socialist camp in Eastern Europe and the tightening of the U.S. blockade.
Today, Cayetano produces the Tuesday-night radio program “Cuba and Us,” on the Gente de Radio station.
He also organizes workshops and film screenings designed to publicize Cuba’s reality, and manages the Bariloche Cuba solidarity group’s website at: www.baricuba.blogspot.com.
“My main responsibility is spreading information by any means possible about the reality of the Cuban Revolution, exposing the negative effects of the brutal economic blockade, demanding the return of the territory illegally occupied by the Guantánamo Naval Base, and refuting the constant media attacks against Cuba. In short, I believe that by doing this I am defending our own sovereignty, based on the principle of the self-determination of the peoples, free from any kind of foreign intervention.”
