Sailing aid to Cuba - a touching video

Sampson Boat Company navigates the complex process of legally delivering food and medical aid to local Cuban charities.

Beyond the logistics of this humanitarian mission, the journey offers a rare, firsthand glimpse into the daily lives, economic challenges, and resilient culture of the people in Santiago de Cuba. 

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Excellent and moving video. Would have been appropriate to mention the US economic blockade of Cuba for so many years that is the primary cause of Cuba's difficulties today....

Good idea to go to Santiago which is on the opposite side of the island from Havana. Back in the 1990's, while coordinating the Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice, I organized three study tours to Cuba with about 30 Floridians each time.

On each trip we visited different parts of Cuba, including Santiago which is known as an arts city and proved to be true upon our arrival there.

I loved my visits to Cuba. Once upon returning back to Miami and walking out of the airport, seeing the huge city all lit up at night, I broke down crying.

Inside Cuba I'd never witnessed such loving concern for the people - amongst the people themselves.

Just one tiny example but illustrative I think. While in Havana on one tour we were on our bus and stopped because of an accident along the street. People came pouring out onto the accident scene from all over. They quickly stopped the nearest car and packed the injured person into it for a rush to the hospital. They were swarming like ants, yelling and moving as one. My heart was forever touched.

Another vivid memory was a visit to a dance program in Havana held out-of-doors with a white man (Spanish heritage) and a black woman (African heritage). They incorporated both styles of dance (Spanish & African) into their act. I'd never seen anything so touching before. For me it so beautifully represented the integration of both cultures in Cuba. All were embraced. We saw it over and over again during our visits.

I thought about the US while watching the dance. Slavery in the US for so long followed by Jim Crow racism. The African culture largely rejected - even violently repressed. No melding of the dominate white people with the African culture and Native Americans. Change in the US has come slowly with, as we are experiencing now, many backward steps.

Washington often declares that the now 250 year old US is the 'shining city on the hill'. The 'greatest nation in the world'. All bullshit.

The US is an arrogant nation now at war with Iran which has a history and culture of more than 2,500 years. One can hope that the US will soon emerge from this war presently aimed at Iran for Israel's cold-hearted benefit. It's time for US citizens to learn some humility.

These kind of scenes are what made me cry as I reached Miami. The return to dog-eat-dog, everyone for themselves, worship the dollar bill, chewing up the environment for endless development, ugly and stupid culture.

Capitalism and white supremacy are the poisons that now contaminate the veins of our nation.

I hope more people will help fight to end the brutal blockade of Cuba. At the same time leave all of Latin America in peace in order that they decide their own fate rather than the current trajectory of the US war machine suppressing the entire region.

Bruce

PS Just yesterday I saw some photos of Zelensky meeting with the president of Honduras. Ukraine is being turned into an international 'state of terrorism' that is being used to act as a proxy for US-NATO. Be warned.