Ortega: Cuba remains an example

Ortega: Cuba remains an example

By Denise van Wissen

MANAGUA — A day of festivities to celebrate Nicaraguan Solidarity with Cuba was held here on July 26, the 39th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Barracks. Activities included dancing, music by performers such as Luis Enrique Mejia and puppet shows and piñatas for the children.

A surprise visit by FSLN general secretary Daniel Ortega was greeted enthusiastically by the crowd. In a spontaneous speech, Ortega stressed that Cuba remains an example to other Central American countries despite the hardships which the US economic blockade forces on the island. He also recalled Cuba's long tradition of solidarity.

In reference to recent skirmishes between newly demobilised soldiers and the police, Ortega stressed that capitalism and capitalists are the real enemy in Nicaragua. "If the government doesn't change its economic course, then the people will", he said.

Nicaraguans, Cubans and foreigners attended the festivities, paying the entrance fee of a "notebook and pencil for the children of Cuba". This is Nicaragua's contribution to the international campaign in support of Cuba. The Nicaraguan Solidarity with Cuba Committee reported that its original goal had been surpassed. The first plane of paper, notebooks and pens had flown despite Nicaragua's own desperate economic and political problems.

From GLW issue 66