50 Years of Revolution! 50 Years of Dignity! Shunpiking Online Vo.6 No.3

The Canadian Network On Cuba (CNC) extends to the Cuban people our deepest and warmest greetings and sentiments of solidarity and friendship as they celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution. Across Canada and throughout 2009 many events are planned to mark the significance of the Cuban Revolution. On January 1st, 1959, after a century long struggle for national affirmation, liberation and independence, Cuba embarked on the path that established authentic self-determination, placing the Cuban nation firmly in the hands of the people of Cuba. In the fifty years that have passed, the Cuban people have resisted all attempts to take away their independence and freedom, and re-impose foreign domination. They have repelled the unceasing all-sided assault, military, economic, financial and propagandistic by Washington, which has never accepted the verdict of the Cuban people.

The significance of the Cuban revolution extends beyond the geographical boundaries of Cuba. Since its inception, the Cuban Revolution has made an invaluable contribution to the global struggle for justice, social development and human dignity. Cuba has established an unparalleled legacy of internationalism and humanitarianism, embodying the immortal words of Jose Marti: "Homeland is Humanity. Humanity is Homeland." In southern Africa, for example, more than 2,000 Cubans gave their lives to defeat the racist apartheid regime in South Africa. Today this Cuban commitment to humanity is mirrored in the tens of thousands of medical personnel and educators who have served and continue to serve across the world, battling in the trenches against disease and illiteracy.

The CNC affirms that Cuba can continue to count on the solidarity and friendship of the Canadian people, as underscored by the success of the CNC's Hurricane Relief & Reconstruction Campaign, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in financial and material assistance from numerous individuals and organizations. This outpouring of support and empathy for Cuba is indicative of the sentiment of the vast majority of Canadians. Having traveled to Cuba in the hundreds of thousands and having witnessed Cuban reality for themselves, Canadians have come away with a profound respect and admiration for the Cuban people and their efforts to build a society centered on independence, justice and human dignity. Irrespective of their political or ideological positions, Canadians stand for the building of genuine friendship with the island nation: relations based on mutual respect and equality and recognition of Cuba's right to self-determination and sovereignty.

On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, the CNC commits itself to strengthening Canadian solidarity and friendship with Cuba by stepping up the work to free the five Cuban Heroes unjustly imprisoned in the U.S. for defending their country from terrorism, and ensuring that Canada-Cuba relations remain based on equality and respect for the right of Cuba to self-determination.

No words can adequately convey the transcendent and singular meaning of the Cuban Revolution. By holding aloft the banners of Justice, Peace, Internationalism and Human Dignity, Cuba demonstrates that another better world is possible! In a world fraught with intense and significant challenges, in the spirit of the 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution we declare:

Long Live the Cuban Revolution! Another Better World Is Possible!

Isaac Saney
National Spokesperson & co-chair,
Canadian Network On Cuba
Email: isaney@hotmail.com or isaney@dal.ca