14th World Festival of Youth and Students
by Andrew Terranova
This past summer over 12,000 young people from 132 countries traveled to Havana, Cuba to participate in the 14th World Festival of Youth and Students. The ten day festival was organized around the theme "Anti-Imperialist Solidarity, Peace and Friendship" and was designed to promote discussion between young activists from around the world on the issues that they face in common.
In an effort to show their support for both Cuba's struggle and the theme of the Festival, many countries sent very large delegations to participate. There were over 500 delegates from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, nearly 600 from Mexico and over 400 from both Angola and Puerto Rico. In what was a surprise to many, the United States' delegation to the festival was the largest overall, totaling some 850 people. This is especially impressive considering that the U.S. government maintains a travel ban to this small island, punishable by up to 10 years in jail and up to $250,000 in fines. By simply attending this international festival, members of the U.S. delegation were in violation of this law.
The festival kicked off with a large and festive march through Havana, ending on the historic steps of the Universidad de Havana where Fidel Castro officially welcomed the delegates to Cuba. From there, the delegates went to the various barrios, each hosted by Cuban families. Some 53,000 Cuban families had offered to host delegates when the initial call was made.
Throughout the week there were many activities in which the delegates could participate. There were visits organized to different sites in Havana including hospitals, day care centers, schools, and factories, providing the delegates with a first hand look at Cuban society. There were also various cultural and political exchanges between the different countries' delegates including: art exhibits, musical and dance performances, video screenings, debates, etc.. The most interesting parts of the festival, however, were the political discussions.
Each day of the festival thousands of delegates attended intense political discussions on a range of issues that affect young people today. Discussions were organized on Democracy and Participation, Human Rights and People's Rights, the Environment, Racism and Discrimination, Young Women's Issues and Anti-Imperialist National Liberation Struggles.
It was at one of these discussions that the delegates were addressed by Assata Shakur, a former member of the Black Panther Party and political prisoner in the U.S., who escaped from jail and was offered asylum in Cuba. She read a message from Mumia Abu-Jamal who reminded the delegates of the importance of the struggle they are engaged in: "It is that natural instinct of the young that is not only the seed of revolutions, but the germ of hope for a better world to come...Viva the World Youth Festival, '97, Viva Cuba!" Towards the end of the festival, on July 31 and August 1, delegates attended the "Anti-Imperialist Tribunal"--a sort of mock-trial which charged the imperialist countries with various war crimes and human rights violations. The seven judges of the tribunal heard testimony from 75 people from 30 countries including Palestine, Ireland, Cuba, Colombia, Jordan and the United States.
Because this U.S. delegation was the largest group of Americans to ever break the travel ban to attend a conference in Cuba, many were wondering what to expect upon their arrival back in the U.S.. According to Hilma Camargo, a lawyer with the Center for Constitutional Rights who provided legal services to the U.S. delegation, it seems that an overall decision was taken not to harass people upon their arrival because of the sheer size of the delegation and the negative publicity it would inevitably attract. Even so, over 70 delegates were detained or had educational materials seized from them by U.S. Customs agents. The CCR is investigating all of these instances and, together with the American Civil Liberties Union, has threatened to sue the U.S. Customs Department if more harassment occurs.
