I am a Cuban who has lived in London for six years. I came to this country for family reasons and I appreciate the opportunities this country has given me. However, I continue to defend my country and I cannot remain silent while it is slandered with impunity in the media, in international institutions, by disreputable politicians and internationally recognised NGOs, just because it has a different system.
When it comes to respecting the rights of dissidents and respecting dissent, we must begin by hearing the claims of Cuba – a hardened dissident in defence of its rights as a nation.
I have read Amnesty International’s reports about the impact of the blockade imposed on the Cuban people and your advocacy for definitively ending it. I thank this important international organisation for that. I also appreciate your position in support of the Cuban Five.
On March 1st, 1982, Cuba was added to the U.S. Department of State’s list of state sponsors of terrorism. Why? Because “at the time, numerous U.S. government reports and statements under the Reagan Administration alleged Cuba’s ties to international terrorism and its support for terrorist groups in Latin America,” says a 2005 Congressional Research Services report.
That was then; this is now. Visit the State Department’s website ; the few paragraphs that detail Cuba’s designation on the list actually read more like reasons to remove Cuba from the list. Now is the time for the United States to show its sincerity in pursuing a path toward improved relations with Cuba. It’s long overdue that we join the rest of the world in recognizing that Cuba is not a threat, but rather a potential partner in the western hemisphere. And if not a partner, then at least not an adversary. Cuba says it is ready and willing to move in that direction. Is the United States? While the majority of U.S. citizens want to engage with Cuba, the White House doesn’t seem to be hearing us.
Signed Photo of Sting & Andy Summers (The Police) by Jill Furmanovsky
A massive thanks to famous photographer Jill Furmanovsky (founder of Rockarchive) for her donation to our Send a Piano to Cuba project (www.gofundme.com/pianotocuba) - two amazing original photographs of rock superstars Sting and Andy Summers (The Police) plus a signed copy of her book The Moment, 1970-1995.
The prints are signed by Sting and Summers themselves, as well as by internationally acclaimed Furmanovsky herself. The items are being auctioned by Givergy and the money will go to our project to donate a grand piano to the Amadeo Roldan music school in Havana. Please support us by bidding and sharing the auction link with your friends.
‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me’ – or so they say. Not so for the ultra-right in Miami which has contrived to ban concerts organised in Washington, New York, Texas and Tampa by Cuban duo Buena Fe. Their crime? Comments honouring Fidel Castro, leader of the Cuban Revolution, following his death on 25 November 2016. The tour was organised by Blue Night Entertainment who explained that they ‘decided to cancel the tour’ to avoid upsetting ‘the Cuban community in the United States.’ In reality, it is a small but vociferous minority within that community which imposes such censorship.
Short and sweet: we want to get 
