Eric Robertsdon. Photo: Courtesy of the musician / The Washington Informer

Renowned singer-songwriter Eric Roberson said he is no stranger to the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, especially after learning its global impact in conversations with his international students at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and then losing a couple of friends to it. of COVID-19.

In the months since reports of the first national COVID-19 case emerged, Roberson continued to produce music, not for his financial well-being, but to lift the spirits of those confined to their homes during a public health emergency.

Amid ongoing efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, Roberson has also used his talents in support of a campaign to bring a well-known Cuban medical brigade to the US.

“For Blacks, music has been the soundtrack and motivation between every move we had,” Roberson told The Informer. “As a musician and artist, I learned early on that I am fortunate to make a living doing this, but it is a service above all else.

“When I create music, it brings me peace and I share it [with hope] that it brings peace to others,” he said. “It’s one of the most powerful tools that I know we have, and we should always encourage our musicians and artists to see it that way.”

Roberson was among a group of vocalists and instrumentalists from across the African diaspora who performed during an online benefit concert the weekend of July 25 as part of the “Out of the Way from Cuba!” campaign, launched earlier this year at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

The two-day virtual event counted as the third stage of a highly organized attempt to shed light on the work of Cuba’s Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade in combating COVID-19 in various countries, particularly those with whom the nation has ties. unstable or nonexistent diplomats. .

In April, campaign organizers demanded in a two-page letter that the U.S. government allow contingents of the 7,400-member volunteer corps the opportunity to help national hospitals and clinics, train workers of health and collaborate with the American Medical Association, the National Medical Association and Black Nurses Association, and authorize the use of Interferon Alpha 2B, a treatment developed by the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology of Cuba that has been considered effective against COVID -19.

At the start of the campaign, COVID-19 cases in the United States, which numbered in the thousands, had already exceeded the figures reported by other countries, including Cuba, which only had 650 positive cases and 20 deaths. Communities for whom the coronavirus posed a significant danger included people of color, a significant number of whom suffered from pre-existing conditions that put them at higher risk of contracting the virus.

The deadly virus nearly claimed the life of Ignacio “Nachito” Herrera, a Cuban-born jazz pianist who would later become an advocate for tightening security measures and a key supporter of “Get out of the way for Cuba! ”. Bell.

In late March, Herrera spent nearly two weeks battling the disease under the supervision of doctors at the University of Minnesota, who implemented life-saving measures in collaboration with Cuban medical professionals.

“Thanks to Cuban Ambassador José Ramón Cabañas in DC, my wife / manager Aurora was able to contact Dr. Tania Crombet, a specialist in epidemiology in Cuba,” Herrera, a resident of the United States for two decades, told The Informer in his account of a long battle during which he experienced organ failure and temporarily lost the movement of his hands.

In the months leading up to her July 25 performance at the online benefit concert, Herrera continued to promote the collaboration between the United States and Cuba as a key reason for what she described as a miraculous recovery.

“Dr. Crombet and other doctors in Cuba worked with Dr. Melisa Brunsvold from the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation program in Minnesota to take care of my lungs and replace them with fresh oxygen,” he said. “Among the entire team of cardiologists and doctors from Cuba , I was able to revive. It is imperative that people know that two health programs can work together [for the benefit of] the entire community. “

Cuba’s Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade, a brainchild of the late Fidel Castro who was later named after a soldier in Cuba’s war of independence, has assisted more than 60 foreign countries on medical missions, including as U.S. officials they tried to evade such collaborations with claims. that the Cuban government exploits its doctors.

When the coronavirus pandemic first struck, 28,000 Cuban doctors, nurses and medical personnel had already been sent to other countries. To the chagrin of the Trump administration, the brigade would later provide services in more than two dozen countries, including Italy and the United Kingdom.

These acts of service continue with what “Out of the way of Cuba!” The organizer of the campaign, Obi Egbuna Jr., described as a tradition that the United States continues to ignore and attempt to sabotage for overtly political reasons.

“When it comes to defending Cuba’s territorial sovereignty, too often we overlook the cultural assault, mainly due to the Bay of Pigs invasion, the 635 attempts on the life of Commander Fidel Castro, and the illegal racist blockade,” Egbuna said. . “We must not forget that films like ‘The Godfather II’ and the 1984 remake of ‘Scarface’ were Hollywood’s contribution to Cold War propaganda.

“This includes the boxing match in the 1980s that involved Aaron Pryor and Alexis Arguello,” Egbuna said. “It was a pleasure to bring together artists from all over the African world to show their love and appreciation for the Cuban people and their revolution.”

(From The Washington Informer)