The Israeli military's horrifying attack on Gaza over the past month has revealed, yet again, the profound humanity and international leadership of the revolutionary governments of Cuba and Venezuela.
Cuba has always acknowledged the dispossession of the Palestinian people and refused to recognise the state of Israel.
In response to Israel's latest attacks, Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chavez became a hero to the Palestinians by moving quickly to break ties with Israel and expel its ambassador.
The Venezuelans also sent two large shipments of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Both Cuba and Venezuela were instrumental in the passage of motions through United Nations bodies condemning the attack on Gaza.
In a world being destroyed by war, greed, oppression and environmental neglect, it is this kind of courageous and principled stand that can inspire millions. The Cuban and Venezuelan revolutions encourage people to resist oppression in their own countries and to act in solidarity with others who are fighting for justice.
The huge advances that these two revolutions have made for the people within their own countries also provides powerful evidence that a socially just world is possible.
Key elements of these revolutions include universal access to high quality health care and education at every level; and campaigning against racism and for the rights of indigenous peoples.
But Cuba and Venezuela are paying a high price for their pro-people, anti-imperialist stance.
Along with a permanent campaign of misinformation about the revolution in the capitalist media, Cuba has endured almost five decades of economic blockade by the United States. Literally hundreds of US-backed attempts have been made to assassinate former Cuban president Fidel Castro. The US continues to hold Cuban revolutionaries in its jails.
That this year Cuba celebrates the 50th anniversary of the revolution is a "spit in the eye" for imperialism that supporters of human rights and national sovereignty should be immensely proud of.
In Venezuela, ever since the election of Chavez as president in 1998, the Venezuelan people's Bolivarian revolution has been in US imperialism's gun-sights.
An attempted coup against Chavez in 2002 was only defeated by the mobilisation of the people. Ongoing economic and administrative sabotage and the massive US funding of Venezuela's right-wing opposition have so far failed to destroy the revolution, which this month celebrates its 10th anniversary.
People in Australia have a unique opportunity this year to celebrate and extend much-needed solidarity to both revolutions. Delegations to Venezuela and Cuba are being organised by Australian solidarity groups for April and May.
On April 15-25, the Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network (AVSN) will be conducting one of two solidarity brigades to Venezuela this year.
Participants in that brigade can then fly over to nearby Cuba to join a brigade from April 27 to May 9 organised by the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples.
The Cuban Federation of Trade Unions has also invited Australian trade unions to send delegations to join the huge May Day rally in Havana.
These back-to-back brigades are a rare opportunity for people in Australia to see for themselves two very different but vitally important revolutions in motion.
Participants in the brigade to Venezuela will visit worker-controlled factories and cooperatives, free public education and health programs, and community media outlets.
They will observe institutions of "popular power" at work in the communal councils and will speak to a wide range of grassroots and government organisations about the radical changes being implemented by the Venezuelan people. The brigade will help participants better understand Venezuela's goal of creating "socialism of the 21st century".
In Cuba, brigadistas from around the world will visit many places of historical, cultural, educational and social interest that will give a detailed picture of the Cuban reality. Accommodation, translation and internal transport will be arranged for participants in both brigades.
For more information about the brigade to Venezuela, email
The deadline for registering for the Venezuela solidarity brigade is March 1, 2009. Registration forms and more information about the brigades to Venezuela is available at
For more information about the brigade to Cuba, contact your local Australia Cuba Friendship Society committee or the Cuban Consulate at (02) 9698 9797. Registrations for the Cuba brigade close on April 1.
[Lisa Macdonald is a member of the AVSN national coordinating committee.]