“While the rest of the world saw in Africa a beautiful bride to be besotted after, exploited and deserted thereafter, Cuba saw in Africa the brotherhood and sisterhood of a shared humanity. It is on record that while the different army of occupation that ran riot all over Africa despoiling us of our people, our riches and our history, Cuba provided a helping hand without helping herself with the resources of Africa.”
AN ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS, COMRADE AYUBA WABBA, mni AT THE OPENING SESSION OF THE 6TH CUBA AFRICA REGIONAL MEETING/CONFERENCE ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2019 AT THE SHEHU MUSA YAR ADUA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE, ABUJA.
Protocol
On behalf of the Local Organizing Committee of the 6th Cuba Africa Regional Meeting, and the leadership of Organized Labour in Nigeria: the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, I welcome our distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen to the august occasion of the 6th Cuba Africa Regional Meeting taking place in Abuja, Nigeria from today, September 23 to Wednesday September 25, 2019.
You may recall that it was at the Fifth Continental Conference held in Windhoek, Namibia, from 5th to 7th June 2017 that Nigeria was granted the Hosting right of the Sixth African Meeting. We are grateful to our brother African countries for this honour. We also appreciate the confidence reposed on us by the Cuban government and people especially through the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the People (ICAP). I must commend the support of the Nigerian government which has gone a long way to make this event possible. I also commend the efforts of the Nigeria Movement of Solidarity with Cuba who put up a strong bid for the hosting of this conference and also made humungous efforts to ensure that the 6th Cuba Africa Conference is a success.
This conference, as you already know, is the sixth in the series. The five previous conferences had been held in South Africa, Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia and Namibia in that order. The inspiration for the Cuba Africa Regional Meetings and Conferences is to re-emphasize and consolidate the age-long friendship, solidarity and historical ties between the people of Cuba and Africa. Our motivation for these meetings is to affirm international support and solidarity with Cuba and “demand respect for Cuba’s right to self-determination and sovereignty and their right to pursue the political system of their choice”.
For the working-class people of Africa, the friendship and solidarity with Cuba is special. The role played by Cuba under the revolutionary leadership of Comrade Fidel Castro in the emancipation of many African countries from the iron grip of imperialism remains evergreen in our memories. The flourishing of trade unionism in Africa took a quantum leap upon the liberation of the continent from colonial powers.
Ladies and gentlemen, time will fail me to mention the blood and sweat shed by the Cuban government and people for mother Africa. In the hey days of colonial rule, Cuba did not sit on the fence. Cuba was vocal and involved in ridding our continent of foreign economic adventurists and opportunists. Cuba sent its soldiers at its own expense to Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. Cuba’s support for the African National Congress remains a watershed in the revolutionary strides against the forces of occupation and injustice on the mother continent.
I make bold to say that without the intervention of Cuba in the liberation wars on the mother continent, many of us gathered here today would still be in one jungle or another fighting guerrilla battles. But Cuba happened and our wars ended sooner than later. Cuba happened and our chains got broken sooner than later. Cuba happened and we can now recollect with nostalgia our collective strive and victory against forces that at a time appeared too overwhelming and invincible.
While the rest of the world saw in Africa a beautiful bride to be besotted after, exploited and deserted thereafter, Cuba saw in Africa the brotherhood and sisterhood of a shared humanity. It is on record that while the different army of occupation that ran riot all over Africa despoiling us of our people, our riches and our history, Cuba provided a helping hand without helping herself with the resources of Africa.
Instead of plundering Africa to the ground, Cuba sought to build Africa. Cuba ensured that the frailties that afflicted many African countries especially in terms of shortages of skilled manpower was bridged by sending her skilled professionals – doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers and non-human resources to help many African countries build their capacities post-independence. This lifeline by the Cuban government became the difference between chaos and progress for many African states. We seize this opportunity to re-echo the depths of our gratitude.
Even in the post-colonial history of Africa, Cuba has continued to play very crucial roles to expand the frontiers of friendship and solidarity with its African brothers and sisters. When Ebola pandemic broke out in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, Cuba did not hesitate to send in her medical personnel and medical kits and facilities to manage and halt the spread of the Ebola virus. Many Africans were saved as a result of that intervention by Cuba. In many of our African cities even here in Nigeria, we can still find Cuban doctors, nurses and teachers who are still rendering humanitarian services and care to the African people.
Indeed, Cuba has proved that the ruins left by the overbearing fangs of organized capital can be restored and healed by a human-centric social heart that beats compassion, care, inclusion and solidarity. It is this beautiful heart of Cuba that we are here to celebrate. It is this heart that beats to connect all humanity as one indivisible entity united by the common challenges of needs and scarred by the common grips of greed that we are here to celebrate. We celebrate the heart of Cuba which reaches out without asking for anything in return, exports kindness without expropriating riches, and embraces without a dagger behind.
This conference offers us a good opportunity to ask ourselves what lessons we have learnt from Cuba. If we have learnt the lessons of servant leadership from Cuba, would our continent still be riddled with oppressive regimes who see their own citizens as slaves who must be exploited and subjugated? We do not show true affinity with Cuba if our continent is still finding it difficult to evolve home grown solutions to our challenges without running cap in hand to countries that visited our continent with the worst crimes imaginable. We are not in true solidarity with Cuba if we fail to show love to other Africans. The recent xenophobic attacks, or rather ‘afrophobic’ attacks, would not have happened if we truly share in the Cuban ideals of a shared humanity.
Now is the time to show by our deeds and not just words that we truly share friendship and solidarity with the Cuban people. The proof of this pudding is in rediscovering our mission of recovering the mother continent from the current failed narratives and restoring her glory and making her the pride of all lands. The liberation of Western Sahara from internal colonialism by Morocco and France should be our first major frontier in the collective strive to reclaim the dignity of our continent.
Our celebration of Cuba and its friendship with the African people cannot be complete without speaking up strongly for Cuba. For the umpteenth time, we call on the United States and its western allies to lift the economic blockade against the people of Cuba. The people of Cuba has indeed turned the joke on the imperialists. The thought that Cuba would collapse after a few years has now been debunked by the resilience of the Cuban people these past sixty years and counting.
We believe that if the Cuban people and government could build such great education, health and public service institutions despite decades of blockade, Cuba would compete with the most advanced countries of the world if the prison doors are opened.
We also call on western countries to quit interfering in the sovereignty of nations. The attempt to make another Cuban example out of Venezuela will also fail. The international conspiracy to isolate and punish the Venezuelan people for choosing an economic model they believe works for them is evil and primitive. We call on those seeking to plunge Venezuela into an internecine conflict to cease and desist. The fires of your irresponsible meddling in many other climes are still burning and choking the conscience of our humanity.
I salute the leaders of the Cuban revolution – Late Comrade Fidel Castro, Raul Castro and the current President, Comrade Miguel Diaz Canel for showing the world that another type of socio-economic model can thrive and flourish regardless of blockade and sanctions. We thank the people of Cuba for the lessons in solidarity and resilience. Together, with Cuba, Africa will rise to take her place as the pace setter continent.
To our international guests, I enjoin you to feel at home and enjoy the local delicacies that Nigeria is famous for. And I wish you safe journey back to your various stations at the end of this conference.
Viva to the Cuban People
Viva to mother Africa
Viva to Cuba Africa Solidarity
Comrade Ayuba Wabba, mni
Chairperson, LOC
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