Edition #2: The Cuba Experience - International Workers' Day

We chose our tour dates to coincide with the May 1st International Workers’ Day celebrations in Havana, the largest gathering of labour activists in the world.

The festivities marked 2011 as the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the Cuban Workers’ Central Union (CTC) plus the 52nd anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. As well, a lot of attention would be on the campaign to free the “Cuban 5” unfairly imprisoned in the US.

Ahead of our trip the CTC invited to us to join the parade as labour delegates – so we wouldn’t just be watching this tremendous event, we would be part of it! We joined the festivities and had the experience of our lives.

An early start to our memorable day

We rose at 3:30 am, had a quick breakfast and piled onto our bus. By this point, many streets were blocked off and only authorized vehicles were getting by. We noticed families along the route had already set up to watch the parade hours in advance. Many enjoying a picnic breakfast as they waited surrounded by flags draped from windows, doors and trees. We soon learned May Day in Cuba is a family affair.

As the drive continued, we noticed political slogans and inspirational messages on billboards and sides of buildings. The bus finally dropped us off about 6 blocks from the Plaza de la Revolucion, the symbolic political heart of the country and the start and end of the parade route.

Even though it was still before dawn, people as far as one could see had gathered. We were led into the mass, penetrating further into the crowd until we could move no further. Then, we patiently but excitedly waited several hours for the parade to begin.

Among the people

The crowd that surrounded us was made up of Cubans of all ages, families with small children, youth and seniors. They wore red, white or blue, the colours of the Cuban flag. We gave them red and white beaded bracelets, which were happily accepted when those around us realized we were Canadians. Music played in the background and across the square the image of Che Gueverra looked down on us. Later, as the parade took to the streets we would see many images of Che or other revolutionary figures.

This part of the day was especially memorable for Sussanne Skidmore of Local 1211, who recalls standing: “in the midst of many young Cubans. Their pride of country and the passion they had for life was nothing like I’ve ever experienced before. They had waited all night to march in this parade!  Despite the language barrier, we felt welcomed and shared their pride in being part of the May Day celebrations. We traded our BCGEU pennants for Cuban flags. The national anthem started and the energy in the crowd was powerful and moving.”

Faith Carleton of Local 1206 remembers a feeling of anticipation growing in the crowd. “You could feel the excitement building as the sun started to rise and the music began. At that moment the Cuban people were celebrating their revolution and the choices they had made in shaping their future.”

We join the parade

We were hosted by the Cuban National Union of Education and Professional Workers, which aligns closely with our own occupational groups, and part of the Cuban Workers’ Central Union (CTC). They invited us to join their delegation. which had the honour of being at the front. Fifty thousand strong, we were, leading off an estimated 1.2 million parade participants.

We marched through the square, in front of a monument to Jose Marti, a hero from the struggle for independence against Spain. A bit like a military review there were hundreds of dignitaries and media assembled who waved and cheered as we came by.

After the parade, we were invited to join our host union at their clubhouse as their honoured guests for lunch and celebrations. In the 1950s, this area of Havana was home to beach clubs owned by the big casinos. In the decades since the, Cuba’s major unions have been given access to these beach clubs to use for family events and other labour functions.   

A day we’ll never forget

Lori Joaquin PE member: “It was impressive how extremely organized this was, first we saw all of the organizers out on the streets early in the morning (in fact we were joined on our bus by a union representative to assist us in making our way), there were hundreds of parade marshals just in our sight once we joined the parade line. Most of the marshals were young army cadets, both male and female. Dressed in green and white, identified with badges and “armed” with water bottles! There were clearly marked first-aid attendants and stations. The crowd was hundreds of people wide and stretched longer than you could see. We all remarked on how trouble free this massive group was. This is an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.”

Ron Jetko 1201: “One thing that struck me was the emphasis on “Revolucion”. The revolution that defeated the regime of Bautista began in 1959 and this was 52 years later. However, after meeting with various government and other groups, it became apparent that the revolution continues. To me, revolution in Cuba represents the ongoing process of improving the lot of the people – housing, education and health care. In that regard, we have a lot in common with the people of Cuba.”

Linda Sonmor 1204: “I was so proud to be there with my Canadian sisters and brothers waving the BCGEU flag.”

Barb Peters 1203: "Even though I am not Cuban and have no connection to the island, I felt like part of the celebration. It didn`t matter that I didn`t know the language, the atmosphere and energy was contagious. All of those around us had been in place for several hours – no whining from those young or old, this was an impressive show of solidarity and one that we Canadians can learn from.”

Colette Fauchon 1203: "A truly remarkable day, and one that I will never forget. Attending this celebration reinforced for me the power of people en masse and how we can effect positive change if we stay united.”

What’s next

There’s more to come and we look forward to sharing. We’ll be web-posting material about our education tour, sometimes by date and sometimes by theme. We’re also exploring other ways to share what we learned. Check back here soon for the new segments.

Photos:

1) Buildings
2) Paul Finch 1201
3) Ron Jetko 1201
4) Parade crowd
5) Colette Fauchon 1203 on the right (white t-shirt)