Cuba: Solidarity Brigade Members' Opinions

Ecuadorian customs official Martha Rea said this is her first visit to this country where she has felt very happy as a member of the solidarity brigade.  “I’ve felt wonderful and I admire the firmness, the desire to struggle and the courage of the Cuban people when facing such a tough blockade for so many years. That attitude deserves the highest admiration”, added Rea.

When asked about the process underway in his country, the young lady said she believes that President Rafael Correa can attain significant achievements for the benefit of the Ecuadorian people. “I hope that our support to Correa helps us move forward and get what Cubans already have. Consciousness is needed both on the advantages of socialism and the integration of our peoples”, concluded the visitor.

A VISITOR FROM THE COUNTRY OF CHE GUEVARA

Claudio Patat is a 53-year-old Argentinian ecology specialist who visits Cuba for the first time, a visit he said to be very much excited about.

He began to know about the Cuban Revolution and its achievements when he was a teenager. Now he’s been able to go deeper into such Cuban attainments like health, education, grassroots organizations, social workers and the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), among others.

When referring to Che Guevara, the visitor said he was more than an Argentinian, more than a Cuban, he was a universal man. Nevertheless he considered him a Cuban rather than an Argentinian because he decided to join this country’s struggle in an exceptional historical moment.

He also spoke about Camilo Cienfuegos and said he sees him like “a living Hero of the Cuban Revolution like Che and Juan Almeida because of the way Cuban people feel about them”.

Patat gave his impressions about the current situation in Latin America and said that “A new process is taking place in the area, with greater integration and links between the countries and the support of the Cuban people who have never changed their solidarity policy towards their sister nations with whom they share their modest resources”.

FROM RIO DE JANEIRO TO CUBA

Daniel Nunes Ferrá was born in the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro. He lives in Sao Paulo, where he teaches in a reform school.

This is his third trip to this country, which he visited for the first time in 2002 as a member of another brigade.

 “I like to come to Cuba very much. I like to feel myself as part of this Revolution, so I’m sympathetic to this country’s socialist cause.  Of course I will return sometime. I believe it’s necessary to foster integration in Latin America in order to crush the imperialist-capitalist enemy that exploits us and wants to keep on doing the same”, added Nunes Ferrá.

 No se descarta que traten de apropiarse por la fuerza de los recursos que la naturaleza le concedió a nuestros pueblos”.

When asked about the aggressive threats of the US imperialism concerning the activation of the IV fleet and the oil fields found near the Brazilian coasts he said they need to be ready to defend themselves. The imperialist regime will not take a break in its desire of domination despite the failure with the ALCA proposal. We cannot dismiss the possibility of them trying to get our natural resources away from us by force".