Lisbon, July 16 (RHC)-- On Saturday afternoon, the act of solidarity with Cuba that took place at the Society of Instruction and Beneficence "The Voice of the Worker", with the presence of President Diaz-Canel, turned out to be a thrilling event, with a crowd that not only filled a theater but also a nearby space to watch what was happening through on a huge screen.
In the heart of this beautiful city, hundreds of friendly voices joined together to shout "Cuba yes, blockade no" -- and to reaffirm that the Cuban Revolution is a source of inspiration. It was beautiful to see with renewed eyes, as if remade, how much the arrest of a small Caribbean country whose unforgivable sin in the eyes of the empire has been to take the reins of its own destiny.
There were very emotional moments, such as listening to the singing of a group of Portuguese miners, or enjoying the dance, on the stage, of a group of young people to the rhythm of "La Maza", by Silvio Rodriguez. And it was unexpectedly very deep to see a group of Cuban pioneers holding hands and dancing, wearing their scarves -as in Cuba- and guided by the patience and love of women from the beloved island.
On the latter, when our children finished their presentation, the Head of State blew them kisses full of gratitude and affection, because seeing them was like having a little piece of our homeland at hand, although the Portuguese love, spread in the theater hall, left no room for nostalgia.
Towards the end of an unforgettable event, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba took the stage to the microphones to say: "Greetings Portugal. A hug for the workers and for the Portuguese brothers of solidarity with Cuba. An embrace to all those who are here in this room, expressing their support to the Cuban Revolution, to the Cuban people, to those who are in other rooms watching this event on the screen and also to those who could not make it".
The President extended "an embrace and recognition to the organizers, to the producers, to the scriptwriters and to the artists who have given us with all their passion their revolutionary art, who have given us songs and dances of solidarity". And he spoke about how the Cubans there were "very excited". And he emphasized:
"We are living very intense emotions in this meeting with you." He then referred to the way in which the friends mobilized, to "the efforts they had to make to get here -many have come from other regions of the country, from very far away, they have dedicated part of their family time this Saturday evening to be with us-, and we will be grateful for that for the rest of our lives, and we will never forget this meeting with you".
Cuba that inspires
"This meeting, between brothers, between friends, between people whose ideal is a better world that is possible, as Fidel told us, has precedents," said the president, who then said that "in these days, and I also want to thank you, when we have been in a group of public activities here in Lisbon, we have always had the support of young communists who are here, and other members of solidarity organizations who have been accompanying us with those same slogans that you are cheering here in this room."
"And we ask ourselves: if this is the affection, if this is the warmth, if this is the way we are being received in these spaces, what is going to happen on Saturday in the massive act of solidarity with Cuba? And here we are with you, sharing feelings. You don't know how many ideas are going through our heads when we see how in different latitudes those of us who want a better world can share ideas, can share commitments, can share dreams and above all share the conviction that we will be able and that we will win.
