Saturday, April 25 through Sunday, May 5, 2019
Visit Cuba for May Day
with a Special Delegation
Havana – Matanzas – Varadero
This is an opportunity to take part in a “PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE” exchange that complies with
existing US restrictions and regulations. Our Delegation will visit the cities and regions of Havana,
Matanzas, and Varadero. A highlight of our trip will be the Delegation’s participation, with one million Cuban working people, in the May Day Holiday and Celebration. Our group will join many hundreds of trade unionists and solidarity activists from around the world on the reviewing stand for this major event in the Cuban revolutionary calendar.
The itinerary for this special trip is being organized with the collaboration of the Cuban travel agency Amistur and the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP). A special theme for this May Day 2019 trip will be the historic struggle against slavery and racism on the Island by Cubans of African descent and Cuban revolutionaries. We will spend a day and night in the picturesque city of Matanzas, the center of a wave of massive 19th Century slave revolts, including the 1843 uprising led by the legendary woman slave Carlota. We will visit the Museum of Slavery there among other activities in Matanzas and Havana that explore the African-Cuban experience, including distinct African religious traditions.
In addition, we will meet with Cuban working people in their neighborhoods and also meet with
Cuban trade unionists.
Our Delegation will also spend several full days in Havana where we will take in many cultural and educational
delights. We will also visit the beautiful resort town of Varadero.
We hope to keep overall expenses to around $2000 per person. This will include round trip air fares from New York City to Havana; hotel accommodations in Havana, Matanzas, and Varadero; two-meals a day; and all fees, including visa costs. The final figure for individuals and couples will depend on the final size of the Delegationand if we qualify for special rates.
Our group will be led by Ike Nahem, a long-time activist and veteran leader of people-to-people tours of trade unionists and others to Cuba. Nahem is a retired Amtrak Locomotive Engineer and member of the Teamsters Union. He has written extensively on US, Cuban, and Latin American history and politics.
