00:00In Havana, the international colloquium dedicated to the legacy of Commander Fidel Castro is underway in the years of his
00:07centennial.
00:08Delegations from various countries around the world have gathered in the Cuban capital to better understand the enduring relevance of
00:15his ideas.
00:16Our correspondent, Belén de los Santos, has valuable information. Let's take a look.
00:50First of all, Ben, thank you for joining us.
00:54Yesterday was the first day. What resonated with you? What ideas stuck by after the first day of discussions?
01:01I think more so than anything that was said in any given speech.
01:06I was just inspired by how many countries sent representatives, how many governments.
01:12People from across Africa, the Caribbean, from Russia, China, Vietnam, Laos.
01:18I just think, especially in the West, we can feel like the popular movements are very, very isolated.
01:25But it seems very clear that, you know, there is an alliance across the world of peoples and it is
01:32centered here, it meets here in Havana.
01:34And obviously this is like, this is so natural considering the legacy of Fidel Castro, this great internationalist, you know.
01:42That is one of the things that many have been repeating, right?
01:46Fidel Castro was very strong for internationalism and in the era of his centenary, the international community has come here
01:54to pay his honors and also remember those ideas.
01:58And I wanted to ask you, this happens in a very important moment as well, increased aggression against Cuba.
02:03But why is it important to travel this far and be here in this moment?
02:08Well, I mean, I've only been in Cuba for five or six days, but I've spoken to many of the
02:12people here and it's so clear how difficult the conditions are.
02:15You know, through the blackouts, the medicine shortages, the food shortages, you know, it's a terrible situation that people are
02:24facing here.
02:24But it speaks to the Cuban, the fullness of the Cuban revolution, that people are so aware of the reasons
02:32why, you know, that it is the U.S. blockade, that it is imperialism.
02:36And that, yeah, this is so, why it is so important for us as internationalists to be here to offer
02:41that support.
02:42So many people have thanked us for being here for, and we, my brigade, we brought medical supplies.
02:47But obviously, the most important bit is what we can do when we go back to our countries, you know.
02:51And for me personally, I think this is, as was said in the speeches, it's fighting the disinformation, it's raising
02:58funds to offer more practical solidarity.
03:00And particularly for this event, it's to read the works of Fidel, you know, and, yeah.
03:06Thank you so much, Ben, for joining us and also sharing a little bit of that experience being here as
03:12part of the international brigades.
03:13So, one more of the testimonies, the importance and the all-round experience that is this colloquium.
03:20Again, it is debate, but it's also an opportunity for people from all over the world to come here in
03:25this important moment.
03:27And as Ben was saying, also fighting disinformation, the media narratives are one of the key points of the aggressions.
03:33And the presence of so many delegates from across the world here makes such a difference.
03:38I go back to you now.
Comments