We are writing to encourage you to attend an important solidarity with Cuba conference.  The VIII Continental Meeting in Solidarity with Cuba will take place in the Dominican Republic from July 28 through July 30, 2016. For these who can arrive a day earlier there will be an optional all day activity on July 27 in Baní.

This will be only the third time that people from the United States will have been invited to participate.  National Network On Cuba members and other Cuba solidarity activists also attended the VI and VII meetings in Mexico and Venezuela.

As you will see from the attached agenda, the issues and challenges of the history of colonialism and occupation will be included in the meeting.  The Cuban delegation will be led by ICAP President Kenia Serrano and the topics of the blockade, normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba, the challenge of the occupied territory of Guantanamo, and the continuing U.S. led campaign to illegally subvert Cuban sovereignty will be addressed. Participants will have a chance to interact and strategize with other Cuba solidarity activists from the Americas and the Caribbean. It is important to learn from our neighbors in the region and also to make sure that the voice of those in the United States who have for many years supported Cuban sovereignty and continue to do so be heard at this meeting.

Again please attend this meeting, publicize its importance, and share solidarity with Cuba and learn about how Cuba continues to offer solidarity in its interactions with its neighbors.  The registration deadline is June 30, 2016, so make your plans now.

In solidarity,
NNOC co-chairs

Banbose Shango

Cheryl LaBash

Alicia Jrapko

Greg Klave

Nalda Vigezzi

The Dominican Republic’s Solidarity with Cuba Campaign and the Puerto Rico Committee for Solidarity with Cuba, in accordance with the responsibility assumed in Caracas, Venezuela, are pleased to extend their warmest and most fraternal greetings in notifying you that the 8th Continental Gathering in Solidarity with Cuba, will be held from July 28 – 30 2016 in the city of Santo Domingo.  As is customary, coordination of the event will be shared with the Cuban Institute for Friendship among Peoples (ICAP). In keeping with this heartfelt commitment, we invite you to this important occasion where we will discuss current topics involving solidarity with Cuba in the new period. Cuba is the country that for over half a century has resisted the US government’s hostile and genocidal policy with heroism and bravery. The 8th Gathering will also include, among its topics of discussion and debate, the processes that are taking place regionally, the projections for continental solidarity, and the development of new initiatives aimed at strengthening integration, unity, and the defense of our nations’ sovereignty and independence. We will come together under the slogan of ¡FOR THE UNITY AND INTEGRATION OF OUR PEOPLES!,  and we aspire to fulfill our commitment to strengthen the ties of friendship and brotherhood that we share with our sister Republic of Cuba.  In the world that we live Cuba has become the universal reference point for dignity and resistance in the face of harassment, increases in war, and the constant attempts of subversion and threats by the empire. We hope we can count on your presence in Santo Domingo. We look forward to having you and the valuable contributions and initiatives that you can bring to enrich our collective experiences in the struggle against the criminal blockade and the political- ideological media disinformation campaign. Out of this gathering we hope to come away with a strengthening in our working strategy for the continental solidarity with Cuba movement. For further information, please contact: dahumara@yahoo.com (Milagros Rivera, Puerto Rico), aajrd2@hotmail.es (Alfonso Torres Ulloa, Dominican Republic) and  ICAP at: 8encuentrocontinental@icap.cu For the Organizing Committee, Dominican Republic Solidarity with Cuba Campaign, Puerto Rico Solidarity with Cuba Committee, and Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples Registration Form Due date to register June 30, 2016 Please complete the registration form and send it back by email to the following addresses: Alfonso Torres Ulloa: aajrd2@hotmail.es and Milagros Rivera: dahumara@yahoo.com  View the Program Housing Information Visit Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/libertad.loscinco?fref=ts