| Sixty delegates from around Australia reaffirmed their commitment to the Cuban Revolution at the annual National Consultation of the Australia-Cuba Friendship Society, which was held in Brisbane on the 29–31 March, 2019.
After a Welcome to Country by local elder, Sam Watson, the delegates heard reports from the Cuban ambassador to Australia the Hon. Ariel Lorenzo Rodríguez, about growing trade between our two countries, and the contribution of the solidarity movement to Cuba’s development. There was also a report from Leima Martínez Freire, the Head of the Asia-Pacific section of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the People about the new Cuban constitution, and the state of the solidarity movement, with more than 2000 solidarity committees in over 160 countries, and plans for a regional solidarity conference in Kathmandu in July this year.
A special presentation from Lucy Nuñez and Lia Weitzel on the roll-out of the Cuban literacy program Yes I Can in Indigenous communities in NSW and the Northern Territory, through the Literacy for Life Foundations was a highlight of the program.
Delegates thanked Rhonda Andrews for her nine years of dedication to coordinating the annual Southern Cross Brigade to Cuba, and welcomed Lia Weitzel as the new National Brigade Coordinator.
On Saturday night our interstate visitors and their friends were treated to some great performances by Brisbane artists; Juan Zepeda, Albert Revelo, Marina Orellana, Ovidio Orellana and Russell Neville, and Jumping Fences, in the #FuerzaCubaconcert which raised more than $1200 for relief from the tornado that swept through parts of Havana on 27 January, 2019.
On Sunday the delegates passed resolutions condemning the US Blockade, calling for the Australian government to increase its efforts in building bilateral relationships, and advocating in international forums for the lifting of the blockade. There was a resolution of support for Venezuela and its government in the face of growing aggression by the United States, and a reaffirmation by the Australia-Cuba Friendship Society to
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