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Vancouver Event with Sandra Ramirez, A Huge Success! 
Tamara Hansen, coordinator of VCSC and MC for the evening, welcomed everyone to the event as organizers found more chairs to accommodate the standing-room only crowd. She emphasized that the large crowd in attendance represented the huge interest around Cuba in Vancouver. She then welcomed MX Katracho to share some of his beautiful music. Guitar in hand, MX Katracho got the crowd singing along to his Ranchero melodies. After the evening was set off with music, Azza Rojbi, co-coordinator of the Free the Cuban 5 Committee—Vancouver shared some of the beautiful poetry of Antonio Guerrero, one of the Cuban 5 currently imprisoned in Marianna, Florida. The crowd was then given a glimpse of the 2013 Ernesto Che Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade to Cuba as Payvand Pejvack and Sarah Alwell, both 2013 brigadistas, presented a slideshow of this year’s brigade. Through palm trees, organic gardens, beautiful beaches and the Latin American School of Medicine, the great experience of volunteering, education and fun was brought out with every slide. After the slideshow, Peter Noble, executive committee member of the CNC and organizer with the Canadian Cuba Friendship Association – Vancouver, brought greetings on behalf of CCFA—Vancouver. Next, Tamara Hansen, coordinator of Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba brought greetings from VCSC, explaining the different aspects of VCSC’s work for Cuba. The main speaker of the evening, Sandra Ramirez, was given a very warm welcome from the crowd. As director of the Canada Desk of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), she was visiting Vancouver as part of ICAP’s ongoing work to promote and enhance solidarity with the Cuban Revolution and develop friendship between the people of Cuba and other nations. ICAP is connected with over 2000 organizations in solidarity with Cuba in 152 countries worldwide. As part of this cross-Canada tour, Sandra spoke about the important new developments in Cuba today, including the many questions raised around the economic changes taking place. She outlined the main economic problems that Cuba faces today, and she addressed the campaign of disinformation led by the United States against Cuba. In addressing the principles for updating socialism in Cuba, Sandra explained the mass participation of Cubans leading up to the 6th Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba. “From December 2010 to February 2011 more than 163, 079 debates took place involving 8.9 million people to discuss 291 draft guidelines that were proposed. As a result of this mass national debate and discussion across the island and in Cuba’s national, provincial and municipal assemblies, more than two-thirds of the original 291 were modified and eventually 311 guidelines emerged,” she explained. As a result of these new guidelines and economic changes taking place, she emphasized that despite what some media may report, the goal of this whole process was to strengthen the socialist system in Cuba, not weaken it and that Cuban people have faith and conviction in the revolution. Sandra also brought an update on the Cuban 5 with Rene achieving his freedom and returning to Cuba. She emphasized that they are ALL still the Cuban 5 until they are all freedom and the importance of increasing solidarity work for their release. Finally, she encouraged the audience to see Cuba for themselves and to travel on the Che Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade to see the country, its people and socialist system firsthand. Questions and discussion flowed in to the night as time ran out and the Neighbourhood House staff needed to close the building. Participants grabbed fliers, buttons, books and T-shirts from the information tables and continued discussion outside. This event was truly a joint success for CCFA-Vancouver, VCSC and the Free The Cuban 5 Committee—Vancouver, as well as the CNC, and building Cuba solidarity in Canada. 
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