HAVANA – In a powerful demonstration of global solidarity, over 600 delegates from 33 nations convened at the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) headquarters on March 21st for the “Our America to Cuba Convoy” welcoming ceremony. The event featured Cuba’s highest leadership, including President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, and became a platform for resounding condemnation of the six-decade US economic embargo against the Caribbean nation.
David Adler, co-general coordinator of Progressive International, set the tone by declaring: “Cuba has taught us what international solidarity means. We will never leave Cuba alone because fighting for Cuba is fighting for the right to self-determination of the peoples of the world.” Adler characterized the US blockade as a unique humanitarian crisis, asserting that convoy members represented millions globally who reject the policy of economic suffocation.
The gathering served three fundamental purposes, according to Adler: humanitarian support for a nation under unprecedented sanctions, defense of Cuba’s revolutionary achievements as a viable alternative to capitalism, and resistance against what participants termed “genocidal policies” of the US government.
Manolo de los Santos, executive director of The People’s Forum, praised Cuba’s resilience, stating: “This nation has given us the greatest lesson in what it means to create a true alternative to the horrors of capitalism and imperialism.” He explicitly labeled the blockade as “an act of genocide” for depriving Cubans of basic rights to life, peace, and normal international relations.
Brazilian student leader Bianca Borges, president of the National Union of Students of Brazil, framed the event as elevating “the banners of solidarity, anti-imperialism, hope, and sovereignty” against imperial domination. She emphasized that solidarity with Cuba remains fundamental for achieving a just, integrated Latin America free from foreign domination.
Fernando González Llort, Hero of the Republic and ICAP president, reaffirmed Cuba’s commitment to internationalist principles, telling attendees: “You represent the certainty that no imperial siege can ever imprison the dignity of our peoples. The homeland we defend is not a strip of land under siege—it is a piece of humanity that refuses to surrender.”
The ceremony concluded with participants vowing to combat media misinformation about Cuba upon returning to their home countries, positioning the convoy as the beginning of sustained international advocacy rather than a singular event.