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‘People’s knowledge is people’s power’: Havana conference takes on imperialist propaganda

From left: Elier Ramirez Canedo, Anil Cynar, Chen Yiming, David Gomez Rodriguez, and Jorge Hernandez.

Nico Lopez was born on Oct. 2, 1932, in Havana, Cuba. Just over 24 years later, the Batista regime murdered Lopez and four of his comrades after they landed in Cuba along with the rest of the Granma’s crew. Lopez gave his life for Cuban socialism and the liberation of the Cuban people from U.S. proxy rule. 

Thus, it is fitting that the third annual International Meeting of Theoretical Publications of Left-wing Parties and Movements (Encuentro Internacional de Publicaciones Teóricas de Partidos y Movimientos de Izquierda) opened in the theater of the Nico Lopez University of the Communist Party of Cuba. The conference’s goal is to continue building political communication and solidarity among the world’s progressive movements in Cuba, as the country and the world navigate a new era of imperialist aggression. 

Hundreds of progressives and left-wing activists piled into the auditorium. 

A panel on geopolitical relations and international analysis of global tensions and their impact on the left movement opened the conference. The panel consisted of four contributors:

  1. Anil Cinar, member of the Communist Party of Turkey and manager of the Party’s magazine, Gelenek;
  2. Chen Yiming, the Director General of the Chinese Communist Party’s Bureau of Latin America and the Caribbean publication of the People’s Daily;
  3. David Gomez Rodriguez, the Vice President of Formation and Ideology for the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, and
  4. Jorge Hernandez, Director of the Center for Hemispheric and U.S. Studies at the University of Havana

The discussion was moderated by Elier Ramirez Canedo, a member of the Cuban Communist Party’s central committee. 

All four speakers analyzed the problems facing the global working-class movement in the face of imperialist aggression from their own unique perspectives. 

Anil Cinar opened the panel with a speech about the imperialist strategy to sow lawlessness across the planet. The imperialist United States creates this chaos through sanctions, covert operations, and war. Cinar asserted that this strategy can be seen through not just the horrific genocide in Palestine, but in the continuing campaigns against Venezuela, Cuba, Yemen, and Iran. 

The speaker insisted that all these struggles are not just fights for national independence but also fronts in a growing global class struggle. Cinar concluded his talk by touting Cuba’s insistence on socialism as an example for the world. He asserted that the struggle in Turkey will continue until a new system rises that refuses to play facilitator for Western capital. He called upon the audience to push the socialist struggle around the world in unity to defeat imperialism. 

Director General Chen Yiming spoke next. He said the world is under strain, but the Global South is gaining economic power. China, he affirmed, is part of the Global South and committed to unity among its nations — including Cuba, Russia, Venezuela, and Vietnam. Chen emphasized that Cuba and China have built socialism together through economic, political, and cultural cooperation. He announced plans to expand trade with Cuba and to distribute Cuba’s socialist newspaper, Granma, more widely in China.

Next, Dr. David Gomez Rodriguez took the stage to loud applause. The crowd’s response reflected both the imperialist aggression against Venezuela and the resistance of its people, led by President Nicolás Maduro.

Rodriguez declared that Che and Fidel live on — in Cuba and in the global struggle against imperialism. He hailed the shared achievements of Venezuela and Cuba in eradicating illiteracy and defeating U.S.-backed coups.

But he warned that unity between nations like Venezuela and Cuba is now more vital than ever. A bloody struggle is coming, he said — a fight against the rise of fascism to ensure the working class of the planet not only survives but builds a new socialist world.

Rodriguez cited Russia’s war against NATO-backed Ukraine and the Axis of Resistance’s refusal to bend to U.S. pressure in West Asia as examples of that global resistance. He ended with a call to action: Only the unity of socialist states and anti-imperialist movements can secure the working class’s victory over imperialism.

Professor Jorge Hernandez was the final speaker. His message was direct: Today’s wars do not exist in isolation.

He analyzed the war in Ukraine and the genocide in Palestine as U.S. proxy wars — bent on smashing resistance and increasing profits. He urged every left-wing publication present to keep exposing the truth. Progressive newspapers, websites, books, social media, and magazines all play a role in breaking down the myths of imperialism. Simply put, people’s knowledge is people’s power.

Hernandez closed his talk acknowledging that while the process of fighting the empire is unfinished, it is by no means impossible. Quoting the founder of Bolivarian Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, he ended: “Community or nothing.”

Through these four speakers, the defiance of the Global South against imperialism was unmistakable. The conference closed with a firm anti-imperialist direction that will shape the debates and resolutions ahead. As long as leaders like these continue the struggle, hope for working-class victory over exploitation, racism, and genocide remains alive and strong.

 

Lev Koufax

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