Native delegation from
U.S. arrives in Havana
Special
to Workers World
San Francisco
The
first-ever Native-Cuba Cultural Exchange arrived in Havana on Feb. 5.
The
project was initiated by the International Peace for Cuba Appeal. The delegation
is led by Native leader Dennis Banks and includes representatives and activists
from many Native nations from around the country, many of them dancers and
drummers.
The
trip is the realization of an invitation made by President Fidel Castro to
Dennis Banks in 1993. Banks--along with former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey
Clark, African American author Alice Walker and others--had been delivering $2
million worth of insulin to the Cuban people.
This
trip will focus on Native culture and history, both in the U.S. and Cuba.
Features of the trip will include a shared performance with the National
Folkloric Dance Group, visits to historical sites in Mantanzas and Pinar del Rio
associated with the Native peoples of Cuba, meetings at the University of
Ministries of Culture and Justice, and visits to schools, daycare centers and
Committees in Defense of the Revolution.
The
delegation will also deliver several thousand dollars worth of medicines and
dental
supplies.
The
delegation left for Cuba after a grand send-off celebration in San Francisco
with Native dancing and drumming, speakers and music from well-known activist
Floyd Red Crow Westerman. The send-off was attended by 150 people and raised
over $1,500 for the trip.
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