* conference reports Cuba: women's solidarity meeting From April 14-18, women activists from all over the world met in Havana to express solidarity with the Cuban people against the illegal trade blockade of Cuba enforced by the U.S A in the last two years following the Helms Burton law. Nellys Palomo Sanchez reports.
Some 3,200 women from 36 countries met for four days to agree on the need for not giving up hope in these difficult times for the human race. In the face of globalisation and human tragedy the idea of solidarity must be raised above all else.
During the meeting the wandering from hotel to hotel or university to study centre where the workshops were taking place caused great disruption and dampened the mood for many participants. Many workshops were not properly organised. Some were so overcrowded that a raffle was held to determine which speakers from each delegation would participate out of the 100-200 who were due
Undoubtedly this meeting was a challenge for the organisers who had not expected so many participants and couldn't cope with the large numbers. The long delays and queues aggravated the problem and resulted in many interesting and important workshops having to be cut short.
From the inaugural speech it was clear what the objectives of this meeting were; to go no further than expressing solidarity and condemnation of the blockade. The concluding global declaration took account of women's oppression in a macro sense without going into the minutia of the patriarchal oppression under which women live in all societies despite great social advances such as those achieved in Cuba.
Effectively the meeting was not to discuss a long list of specific topics or for the advertised workshops to find consensus on the different themes as these had only been allocated one day. It was basically a demonstration of solidarity and to show what effects the blockade had on the island, its people and in particular on women.
The Vice President of the International Democratic Women's Federation, Mayada Abassi said in her opening speech it is the dignity of the Cuban people and Cuban women that will make the international community realise that this situation enforced on Cuba is unjust."
She also told us of the need to fight against social inequality and the pauperisation of millions of human lives on this planet; She dramatically described the social effects of neoliberalism on people pointing out that the first victims are women and children.
In the face of this devastating panorama she said "the only means we have to combat neoliberal policies is the solidarity between those who fight against the feminisation of poverty, violence, discrimination, illiteracy, militarisation and the annihilation of cultures and people different to those of the West, such as this meeting today with the indigenous peoples of the
In the same way Nora Castaneda, general secretary of the FCMDVD (Continental Front of Women for a Life of Dignity), made reference to the consequences of structural adjustment programmes in Latin America, which have not had the same effect in Cuba, and have imposed on women the burden of administering
Understanding that in today's world there are two conflicting forces; neo liberal globalisation and the internationalisation of solidarity, Nora supports "the hope for a fairer world, equitable and humane, where solidarity is the love of our people". Obviously in this ideal world women will have to discuss how we build and what way of life we propose as a women's movement.
Must we adapt to the neoliberal ideology, or can we incorporate the feminist ethic into resistance against globalisation and social struggles? These were questions that were left unanswered for The real lives of women in Cuba
"Where is the feminist perspective in Cuba and at this meeting?" one Colombian participant asked one of the Cuban activists. This question bothered many participants, and is a stinging question for some Cuban women. The few who we could talk to faced up to the challenge and dared to talk about
Many women activists in Cuba have been the beneficiaries and the protagonists of the "revolution within the revolution" as Fidel calls it and the great changes it brought about in Cuban society. But. despite these gains, they continue suffering trom machismo, which finds its expression in serious ways such as violence in interpersonal relationships, and overwhelming female responsibility for childcare and domestic tasks. For many Cuban women today the constant demands of the family continue falling on them and they have to struggle with the unresolved problems that have worsened during the "special period."
As Mirta Rodriguez says, the material
. have psyche. It is them, it is us who determine in a measurable way the mood of the country. We are the ones who educate the others. Even in the queues, that intangible component of calm and firmness which translated into words says "despite all that has happened to us, it's worth persevering and resisting to conserve the sense of dignity, of educated poverty and of equal rights that we have as Cubans". How representative is the Federation?
And what about women's organisations in Cuba? In January 1961 the FDMC (Federation of Cuban Women) started with 17,000 members, and grew to 239,000 members by 1962.Their objective was to raise the ideological, political, cultural and scientific level of women with the aim of incorporating them fully in the process of building the new way of life.
This was a dignified objective that, in those years, was an orphan of the feminist ethic beind discussed elsewhere.
Even though the material conditions are much better than those in all the other countries in the region, in education, health and child care services, the Cuban Women's Federation does not reflect the day to day realities of Cuban women. The president of the Federation, Vilma Espin pointed out an endless list of impressive statistics to support the material advances in Cuban society, that women make up 37% of the labour force, 58.3% of technicians, 61% schoolchildren and 57% of university students. However she did not mention what percentage of women hold positions of responsibility in the leadership structures In Parliament, for example, women held 33.9% of the seats until the last election, when this figure was reduced to 22.8%. In the Cabinet there are only two women ministers.
If we look at the Magisterial Conferences, we see a complete absence of women civil servants working for Carlos Lage (chief architect of the economic reforms), Ricardo Alarcon (president of the National Assembly) or for Rosa Elena Simeon minister of Science, Technology and the
They told us about the government plans and policies to deal with the terrible situation the country is in, but they failed to mention what they we doing about prosutution, unemployment (currently the "Puertas Propistas" women who go rising among youth and women) or about door to door selling desperately needed goods now regarded as luxuries in Cuba.
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATiON
Populism in Latin America
32 International Viewpoint #303
After this meeting we continue to condemn the U.S blockade of Cuba as a criminal act against the Cuban people. However some of us were left with questions about women's oppression in Cuba and the inequality in political, social and economic fields. *
Neoliberalism, the IMF and International Solidarity Seoul, S. Korea, September 9 -12
Korea, sandwiched between the Third World and advanced industrial nations, has become a new flashpoint in the ongoing battle between the people and the neo-liberal offensive. Hence the interest of this conference, which is organised by a range of South Korean labour unions and other people's organisations. They describe the conference as "a small step towards building cross-border and cross-sectoral alliances among various people's movements." There will be working groups on unemployment, privatization, migrant environmental issues, the urban poor, and IMF-WB-MAI-NAFTA. Travel subsidy may be available for those from the global South. Registration costs SUS1,000 (Northern participants) or $US70 (Southern participants). Food and accomodation are included in this price. Lee Chang-geun, PICIS (Policy & Information Center for For more information contact: International Solidarity, Tel: +82 2 837 2853, Fax.: +82 2 839 4359, E-mail: hanboss@nownuri.net Web: http://kpd.sing-kr.org/~picis Or contact the organising committee at 5th Fl. Woosung Blg. 1578-3 Shillim 1-dong, Kwanak-gu Seoul, South Korea, e-mail: hanboss@mail.nownuri.net tel. +822-837-2853, fax +822-839-4359 MAI '98 in Paris
An international week of action against the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) will take place on
September 21-28. The aim is to put MAI back on the front page of the newspapers, and build for the International gathering against MAl in Paris, France
In France, Canada, the USA, Belgium and New Zealand, the disclosure of the content of the Multilateral Agreement on
Investment has caused public indignation and at long last generated public debate. The meaning of this "constitution for a single global economy" has been grasped by scores of NGOs, trade-unions, political organisations and social movements. They are now working together in a common resistance to the "Silent Coup" of multinationals and investment banks, who, via
MAI, have imposed a new set of rules
The Paris protests will begin on Saturday 17 October, two days before the official meeting on MAl resumes at the
OECD building in Paris on Monday 19
October. (confirmation pending). Large delegations to the counter-meeting are expected from France, Belgium and
Switzerland
Tony Clarke <tclarke@web.net> from the Polaris Institute,
Canada is centralising all suggestions and amendments on his draft final declaration of the meeting. In France,
Susan George <sgtni@globenet.org>, from the
Observatoire de la Mondialisation, is also working on a
"People's Treaty." In Belgium, Gerard Lambert
<gerardlambert@skynet.be> and Paul Lannoye (Ecolo
Party), are consulting around a set of basic principles and obligations of investors.
coming soon Preventing violence: the role of health professions and services Mumbai, India, 28-30 November 1998
Health professionals and activists know from their experience that, • The poor and the underprivileged masses in the Third World still do not have access to basic health care. Access to heath care is a human rights • The world in general and India in particular, are in the grip of massive epidemic of violence. Violence affects the physical and psychological health of survivors and in worst cases, lead to
A vigilant and sensitive health care service could contribute positively by caring for survivors and be effective in prevention by assisting survivors in getting justice. While this crucial position of health services and profession is understood by all of us, their roles and dilemmas are hardly discussed
We also haven't created space for doctors, nurses and other health workers to interact with activists from women's, human rights, humanist and other movements. Indeed, we have lot to learn from each other. This conference is intended to provide such space.
Within the general framework of violence, the conference will focus on three themes: Violence Against Women;
Caste and Communal Violence; and Violence by State Agencies
As well as a range of Indian groups, interest in participation has been exp ressed by Physicians for Human Rights
(USA, UK, Israel, Palestine, South
Africa), the British Medical Association,
International Federation of Health and
Human Rights Organisations, Bangladesh Medical Association, treatment centres for survivors of torture in
Bangladesh, Nepal and Denmark, and many more groups and individuals.
Thus, we would like health professionals as well as activists from various movements, NGOs, other professionals such as lawyers, media, academia, researchers, etc. in India to participate.
All participants - from 'health' or 'nonhealth' backgrounds - but active or interested in the issue, will play a crucial role in making the conference a success.
There are some funds for travel expenses of participants from India, Nepal,
Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
Accomodation and food are provided
Contact: CEHAT, 519 Prabhu Darshan, 31 S. Sainik Nagar
Amboli, Andheri West, Mumbai 400058, India Tel: 0091-
22-6250363, Fax: 0091-22-6209203. Email:
admin@cehat.ilbom.ernet.in