A documentary film screening in St. John's on Wednesday night became a rallying point for Caribbean solidarity, as trade unionists, diplomats, politicians, and senior public figures gathered to mark the 67th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution and make a collective, unambiguous call for an end to the decades-long United States economic blockade of Cuba.
The event drew a notable cross-section of Antiguan public life, including Karen Cabral, Senator Colin Browne, House Speaker Osbert Frederick, Alister Thomas, Senator Shaquan O'Neil, Bernard de Nully, and other representatives — a turnout that underscored broad-based regional concern over Cuba's ongoing economic hardship.
Attendees watched American filmmaker Hassan Abid's documentary "I went to Cuba and this is what I saw" before pivoting into an impassioned discussion and call to end the blockade. The gathering also marked the 95th birthday of former Cuban President Raúl Castro.
Cuba's Contributions to Antigua and Barbuda
Antiguan teacher and trade unionist Ashworth Azille made a notable contribution to the discussion, reflecting on Cuba's deep and lasting contributions to Antigua and Barbuda — from Cuban medical professionals serving in local hospitals to Cuban-trained Antiguan teachers in mathematics, science, physics, and physical education. He challenged the audience to imagine how much further Caribbean healthcare and education could have advanced had Cuba never been strangled by the embargo.
Labour and Diplomatic Voices
President of the Antigua Barbuda Trades and Labour Union Bernard de Nully echoed those sentiments in a stirring call for regional solidarity, while Cuban Ambassador His Excellency Sergio Manuel Martínez González outlined the blockade's devastating economic toll on the island nation.
The presence of Cuba's Ambassador alongside Antigua and Barbuda's House Speaker and a sitting senator signalled that the call to end the embargo carries weight not merely in civil society, but at the highest levels of the island's public and political life.
"Viva Cuba"
The evening closed with Azille leading a vibrant "Viva Cuba," as speakers expressed a shared and resolute commitment to deepening ties between Antiguan organisations, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, and the Cuban people — and to speaking out boldly against any force that continues to impede Cuba's growth and dignity.
The gathering reflects a long-standing and deeply felt thread in Caribbean political culture — the sense that the blockade imposed on Cuba is not merely a bilateral dispute between Washington and Havana, but an affront to the sovereignty and self-determination of the entire region. For Antigua and Barbuda, whose healthcare and education systems have been meaningfully shaped by Cuban cooperation over the decades, that sentiment carries particular personal resonance.
