The U of M Students for Cuba, along with the Manitoba-Cuba Solidarity Committee, hosted an event on March 18 to talk about Cuban democracy. The event covered different areas of the Cuban government, its electoral system and how it contrasts with Canada’s multi-party system. The goal was to debunk the common idea that because Cuba is a one-party state that it is undemocratic.

Diane Zack, U of M alum and retired teacher, was a speaker at the event. “We wanted to have an angle to capture people’s imagination because even the half-sympathetic mainstream media portrays Cuba as an authoritarian dictatorship, which it isn’t.”

The event presented information including statistics on the average voting percentage in Cuba, which is much higher than in Canada and even higher than in the U.S.

“University is a place for inquiry,” Zack explained when reflecting on the importance of such discussions on campus. “Right now, we’re in a period of massive war instigated by the U.S. government […] We have to watch very carefully how the Canadian government is responding to that.”

“It’s important for young people to be aware of what’s going on in the world,” Zack said. She believed that even though young people “may not have time to follow the news that carefully,” they should have “an open mind and a critical eye [and be] able to evaluate the media they follow.”

“Even though you might feel, as many students say, ‘I’m not political, I’m just focused on my career,’ what happens in the world affects us deeply.”

“Canada was one of the only two countries in this hemisphere that did not break off relations with Cuba after its revolution, which was Jan. 1, 1959,” Zack said. “We would like Canada to continue having positive relationships with Cuba, which is why we call on the Canadian government to do many things.”

The event fostered discussions about education and the three-months-long oil blockade that Cuba is facing. Attendees also got to discuss Canada’s independence and sovereignty. They also discussed the role of the communist party in Cuba and its function. Zack believed that students were able to learn new things as a lot of people came in not knowing much about the topic.

“The Cuban people are very proud and they will not be starved into submission. They are ready to fight,” she said.

Zack has also been a coordinator at the Manitoba-Cuba Solidarity Committee for 25 years. She mentioned how the committee’s focus is currently on the campaign to support Cuba against U.S. intervention. She also mentioned that the “committee, and Cuba as a country, have been with Palestine and Palestinian people from even before the founding of the State of Israel.”

The Manitoba-Cuba Solidarity Committee and the U of M Students for Cuba will be organizing several events in the weeks to come, such as rallies for Cuba in front of the U.S. consulate, an event with the upcoming MayWorks Festival of Labour and the Arts, as well as their Che Guevara volunteer brigade panel happening March 25. For more information, check out
@uofmstudentsforcuba on Instagram.