Havana, January 28 (Radio Habana Cuba) — Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel led the inauguration of the VI International Conference for World Balance on Tuesday, dedicated to the National Hero José Martí.
More than one thousand delegates from 93 countries are participating in the event, held at the Havana Convention Center. As part of the event’s program, this Monday the Brazilian theologian and intellectual, Frei Betto, gave the keynote lecture on “Justice as a path to Peace and World Balance.”
The conference, organized by the José Martí Project of International Solidarity, will take place until Friday, January 31st, and aims to be a meeting for dialogue between civilizations and the culture of peace.
Within the framework of the forum, a meeting of the International Network of Martian Chairs will take place, an initiative of the project since 2003 that already has more than 40 locations in foreign territories.
Also attending the inauguration of the forum were the president of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Esteban Lazo, the Secretary of Organization of the Communist Party of Cuba, Roberto Morales, the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero, and representatives of organizations in solidarity with the island.
International conference in Cuba dedicated to José Martí
Havana, Jan 28 (Radio Habana Cuba) The 6th International Conference on the Balance of the World, which begins today in Havana, will be focused on the life and legacy of Cuba’s national hero, José Martí.
The program includes a youth forum, several workshops, and a panel discussion on the life and legacy of José Martí, marking the 172nd anniversary of his birth and the 130th anniversary of his death in combat.
It also includes the International Network of Martian Chairs, an initiative of the José Martí International Solidarity Project since 2003, which has already established over 40 locations abroad.
The conference will be a platform for a dialogue between civilizations, where over a thousand delegates from 93 countries will participate, in the pursuit of the advancement of a culture of peace. (Source: Prensa Latina)
Donald Trump threatened Colombia with sanctions and tariffs after it rejected his abuse of immigrants. Colombian President Gustavo Petro hit back, denouncing US “fascism” and declaring, “We are not a colony!”
By Ben Norton – Geopolitical Economy Report January 27, 2025
Donald Trump has kicked off his second administration with a very aggressive foreign policy.
Invoking “Manifest Destiny”, Trump is even attacking Canada and Mexico, the two largest trading partners of the United States.
When Trump selected neoconservative hawk Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, it was a sign that he would be focusing his attention on Latin America, seeking to impose US hegemony in the region — and in particular to prevent China from having close relations with Latin America.
Trump and Marco Rubio revive the colonialist Monroe Doctrine
During Trump’s first administration, Rubio called for the US military to invade Venezuela, to overthrow the government of President Nicolás Maduro.
Rubio likewise wants to impose even heavier sanctions on Cuba, Nicaragua, and other independent leftist governments in Latin America.
In the first week that Trump returned to the White House, one of the nations that he targeted was Colombia.
Historically, Colombia had been one of the closest US allies in the region. Venezuela’s revolutionary President Hugo Chávez famously dubbed Colombia “the Israel of Latin America”. He argued that, just as Israel serves as an extension of US hegemony in West Asia, acting as an “unsinkable aircraft carrier” for the US empire, Colombia plays the same role in Latin America, as a base of operations that Washington has used to try to destabilize other countries in the region.
However, the geopolitical situation changed quite dramatically in 2022, when the people of Colombia elected their first ever left-wing president, Gustavo Petro.
Ever since he came to office, the US government has meddled in Colombia’s internal affairs and sought to destabilize him.
Marco Rubio has waged a kind of political war against Petro, fixating on his past as a guerrilla in a revolutionary leftist organization, claiming that he “has put Colombia’s security and stability at risk”.
Rubio has aggressively aimed to cut off Latin America’s relations with China, which has become the largest trading partner of South America, and the number one trading partner of Latin America as a whole, excluding Mexico.
In 2023, Petro visited Beijing, where Colombia and China elevated their relations to the level of a “strategic partnership”. Rubio wrote in outrage on Twitter that “Petro’s new ‘Strategic Partnership’ with the Chinese Communist Party will leave Colombia hostage to their authoritarian grip”.
Rubio was especially furious when Colombia cut off its diplomatic relations with Israel, with Petro comparing Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler and accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Trump threatens Colombia with sanctions and tariffs
On 26 January, Trump announced that he would impose sanctions on Colombia, along with initial tariffs of 25%, which would increase to 50% in the following week.
Trump wrote that he would levy “Visa Sanctions on all Party Members, Family Members, and Supporters of the Colombian Government”.
“We have never refused to accept migrants and we have tried to stop migration”, Petro explained. “The stupid [US] blockade of Venezuela was what unleashed millions of migrants into the US”.
“But do not demand that I accept deportees from the US, handcuffed and on military aircraft”, the Colombian president added. “We are not a colony of anyone”.
“US products whose price will rise in the national economy should be replaced by national production”, he said, adding that “the government will help in this goal”.
Right-wing politicians in Colombia, like former presidential candidate Fico Gutiérrez, denounced Petro and obsequiously expressed support for Trump and the United States.
“It doesn’t surprise me that they kneel [before the US]”, Petro shot back at Gutiérrez.
Meanwhile, as the US government was attacking Colombia, China’s ambassador to the South American nation, Zhu Jingyang, emphasized that Beijing supported it and defended its sovereignty.
Trump, I don’t really like traveling to the US, it’s a bit boring, but I confess that there are some things that are worth it. I like going to the Black neighborhoods of Washington. There I saw an entire fight in the US capital between Blacks and Latinos with barricades, which seemed like nonsense to me, because they should unite.
I confess that I like Walt Whitman, and Paul Simon, and Noam Chomsky, and Miller.
I confess that Sacco and Vanzetti, who have my blood, in the history of the US, they are memorable and I follow them. They were murdered, for being labor leaders, with the electric chair, by the fascists who are in the US, as well as in my country.
I don’t like Trump’s oil; he is going to end the human species because of greed. Maybe one day, over a drink of whiskey that I accept, despite my gastritis, we can talk frankly about this, but it’s difficult because you consider me an inferior race, and I am not, nor is any Colombian.
So if you know someone who is stubborn, that’s me, period. You can use your economic strength and your arrogance to try to carry out a coup d’etat, like they did with [Salvador] Allende. But I die on my own terms; I resisted torture and I resist you.
I don’t want slave-owners on the side of Colombia; we already had many and we freed ourselves. What I want on the side of Colombia are lovers of freedom. If you can’t accompany me, I’ll go elsewhere.
Colombia is the heart of the world, and you have not understood it. This is the land of the yellow butterflies, of the beauty of Remedios, but also of the Colonels Aureliano Buendía [a revolutionary leader in the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude], of whom I am one, perhaps the last.
You will kill me, but I will survive in my people, which came before yours, in the Americas. We are peoples of the winds, of the mountains, of the Caribbean Sea, and of freedom.
You don’t like our freedom, fine. I don’t shake hands with white slave-owners. I shake the hands of the white freedom-loving heirs of [Abraham] Lincoln, and of the black and white peasants of the USA, before whose graves I cried and prayed on a battlefield, which I reached, after walking the mountains of Italian Tuscany and after being saved from Covid. They are the United States, and before them I kneel, before no one else.
Overthrow me, President [Trump], and the Americas and humanity will respond.
Colombia now stops looking to the north; it looks to the world. Our blood comes from the blood of the Caliphate of Córdoba, the civilization at that time; of the Roman Latins of the Mediterranean, the civilization of that time, who founded the republic; the democracy in Athens. Our blood has the Black rebels who were turned into slaves by you.
Colombia is the first free territory of America, before Washington, of all America. There I take shelter in its African songs. My land is made of goldsmiths from the time of the Egyptian pharaohs, and of some of the earliest artists in the world, in Chiribiquete.
You will never dominate us. You are opposed by the warrior who rode our lands, shouting freedom, who is named [Simón] Bolívar.
Our people are a bit fearful, a bit timid, they are naive and kind, loving; but they will know how to keep the Panama Canal, which you took from us with violence. Two hundred heroes from all across Latin America lie in Bocas del Toro, now Panama, formerly Colombia, whom you murdered.
I raise a flag and as [Jorge Eliécer] Gaitán said, even if I am alone, it will remain hoisted with the Latin American dignity that is the dignity of America, which your great-grandfather did not know, and mine did; you, Mr. President, who is an immigrant in the United States.
Your blockade does not scare me; because Colombia, in addition to being the country of beauty, is the heart of the world. I know that you love beauty as I do; do not disrespect it and it will give you some of its sweetness.
COLOMBIA FROM TODAY ON OPENS ITSELF TO THE WHOLE WORLD, WITH OPEN ARMS; WE ARE THE BUILDERS OF FREEDOM, LIFE, AND HUMANITY.
I am informed that you are putting a 50% tariff on the fruits of our human labor that enter the US. I am doing the same.
Let our people plant corn that was discovered in Colombia and feed the world.
Havana, January 27 (Radio Habana Cuba) — The President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel, expressed our country’s support for Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in the face of a new manifestation of arbitrariness and blackmail by the Donald Trump administration.
“Our support for President Gustavo Petro in his dignified defense of the rights of Colombians and his response to the discriminatory treatment and blackmail with which they intend to pressure his people and Our America,” Díaz-Canel wrote on the social network X.
During the day, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla also spoke out, who described the deportation in the conditions in which it is being carried out by the Trump administration as unacceptable and assured that Cuba will support the initiatives of CELAC to confront a new abuse against the region.
“The violent, indiscriminate deportation of illegal immigrants in the United States, violating the most basic human rights, is unacceptable,” the Cuban foreign minister wrote on the social network X.
More than six decades of fraternal and deep friendship between Cuba and India
By: María Josefina Arce
Jan 26 (Radio Habana Cuba) Cuba and India have forged for 65 years a fraternal and deep friendship, based on respect, solidarity and common principles such as the defense of peace, independence and the rights of the nations of the South.
Both States maintain a fluid dialogue and an exchange of visits at the highest level, with the interest of continuing to strengthen the existing political, economic and cultural ties.
The Asian country’s collaboration with Havana through programs such as Technical and Economic Cooperation in agriculture and energy stands out.
In recent years, New Delhi has granted credit lines to the Greater Antilles to support its socio-economic progress and develop programs in important areas.
Both sides believe that there are ample prospects for the development of cooperation in areas such as biotechnology, energy, tourism, agriculture and other sectors.
A collaboration that will benefit from the recent incorporation of Cuba as an associate state in the BRICS Group, of which the Asian country is a founding member and which promotes solidarity.
Over the course of more than six decades, there have been many signs of support between the two nations. Recently, the Indian government donated medicines and raw materials necessary for their production, considering the complex panorama of the Caribbean country due to the obstacles imposed by the U.S. blockade and the damage caused by the scourge of two hurricanes and earthquakes.
The Indian government and people have always expressed their rejection of the genocidal blockade that the United States has maintained against the Cuban people for more than six decades, despite the condemnation of the international community.
Relations between Cuba and India have been described as exemplary by Cuban President Miguel Díaz Canel, who has highlighted the respect and cooperation that characterize them.
For this year, there is the will and the willingness of both States to continue working for the welfare of their citizens and to continue defending peace and the sovereignty and independence of peoples at the international level.
New Delhi, Jan 27 (Prensa Latina) Indian journalist Ullekh N.P., author of the book “Mad About Cuba, a Malayali Revisits the Revolution”, described the decision to return Cuba to the list of state sponsors of terrorism as an immoral act by the United States.
Speaking to Prensa Latina, the writer said he was not surprised by the decision of the new US government, which he also considered an extreme injustice, and recalled that President Donald Trump reversed all the policies of normalization of ties between Cuba and the United States initiated by his predecessor Barack Obama during his first term in office. Then, towards the end of his first term in 2020, he put Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism to win votes in the state of Florida, the center of anti-Cuban politics in the United States.
Ullekh said that such measures against the Cuban people show that the ghost of Lester Mallory, who wrote the infamous 1960 Cuba memo, is still haunting the White House.
The journalist pointed out that Mallory, who was then Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, was the architect of the modus operandi that the United States continues to employ in its relations with Cuba to strangle the island’s economy. His doctrine was aimed at attacking the extremely popular Cuban leaders; for him, the only way to get rid of that support was to ensure that the people went through hardships, including hunger, so as to force them to rebel against the Cuban leadership out of desperation.
The Indian journalist also stressed that in the United States, Cuba’s policy moves a lot of money from various federal programs to promote political change in the island, which was the original objective outlined by Lester Mallory.
For Ullekh, most Americans have no idea about the policies applied by the United States against Cuba with taxpayers’ money, such as the blockade, which has received an overwhelming rejection by the international community in the United Nations General Assembly 34 times. It is an immoral act on Trump’s part to put Cuba back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, he stressed.
Buenos Aires, Jan 27 (Prensa Latina) The Union of Cuban Residents in Argentina (URCA) has reaffirmed its support for the revolutionary process in the Caribbean nation and demanded the end of aggressions perpetrated by the United States.
During a meeting in this capital, the organization welcomed the joining of new members, the 66th anniversary of the revolutionary triumph on January 1, 1959, and the 172nd birthday of Cuban National Hero Jose Marti (1853-1895).
Erenia Garcia, representing URCA, advocated for strengthening a space of unity and commitment that continues to defend the homeland’s ideals from abroad.
The Revolution is a transformative process that, since 1959, has marked the beginning of a new stage of social justice, sovereignty, and dignity for our people. It has taught us that freedom is not to be begged for but to conquer with courage and sacrifice, Garcia affirmed.
We renew our commitment to accompany our country in its dignified struggle and denounce the inhuman policies implemented against it.
Participants also demanded the end of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade that the United States has imposed on Cuba for more than six decades and called for Cuba’s removal from Washington’s State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) list.
he forum is a platform for diverse and interdisciplinary perspectives, aimed at fostering ideas and understanding about resolving global conflicts
Havana, Jan 23 (RHC) Approximately 900 delegates from 93 nations will gather at the Havana Convention Palace for the 6th International Conference on the Balance of the World, which will focus on fostering dialogue between civilizations and promoting a culture of peace.
This forum, to take place from January 28 to 31, is a platform for diverse and interdisciplinary perspectives, aimed at fostering ideas and understanding about resolving global conflicts.
The program features a section dedicated to the Brazilian intellectual Frei Betto, who fought for justice and peace on a global scale.
It also includes the Open Science Symposium for Equity, the 21st International Meeting of the Cátedra Martiana, the Forum of Peace and Democracy, the Congress of Poets for Peace in Defense of life on Earth, the Colloquium of Historians, and a panel discussion on Puerto Rico.
In this context, Eduardo Torres Cuevas, a Cuban historian and the chairman of the organizing committee, stated that this event is a crucial, having evolved since its inception in 2003.
According to Torres, the Conference embodies the unifying vision of the Cuban National Hero, José Martí, a visionary who sought world peace and addressed the challenges of the modern world.
The event, held every two years, now coincides with the 130th anniversary of the death in battle of Martí.
It will take place in the context of a civilizational shift that goes beyond the legacy of colonialism, hegemony, and unipolarity, with the goal of making multilateralism and the sustainability of human progress its primary objective. (Source: Cubadebate)
January 24 — World Day of African Culture and Afro-descendants
Havana, January 24 (RHC) — Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla recalled today from his X account the celebration of the World Day of African Culture and Afro-descendants.
“We are children of Africa,: the head of Foreign Relations stressed. “We are united by centuries of history, solidarity and brotherhood, a time in which culture, traditions and religions have been mixed, which are the essence of Cuban nationality,” he wrote in his message on the social network.
“World Day of African Culture and Afro-descendants is a reason for celebration in Cuba. We are children of Africa. We are united by centuries of history, solidarity and brotherhood, a time in which culture, traditions and religions have been mixed, which are the essence of Cuban nationality.”
UNESCO adopted January 24 as the World Day for African Culture and People of African Descent during the 40th session of its General Conference in 2019.
The date pays tribute to the many cultures of the African continent and African diasporas around the world.
Hanoi, Jan 23 (Prensa Latina) For Cuba and Vietnam, love is repaid with love, Cuban Ambassador Rogelio Polanco said here on Thursday, in a commemorative event on National Hero José Marti’s 172nd birthday.
Polanco made the statement in response to those who wonder about the reasons for so much mutual love, and pointed out that they cannot understand the existence of intangible reasons that transcend diplomatic formalities and intergovernmental agreements.
When blood is offered for a brother, everything is said, noted the diplomat, who expressed his pride in being able to pay tribute to the Cuban independence hero from a Tao Dan park-garden in the heart of Hanoi, and from a heroic Vietnam.
The Cuban diplomat recalled that Martí was the first “who took us on a tour of this sister land and described with unparalleled beauty those who live on fish and rice and dress in silk, far away in Asia, by the seashore.”
He also taught us to admire those who fought like the bravest and of whom he predicted that they would fight again, because they have known how to die, thousands upon thousands, to close the way to the foreign invader, Polanco added.
“Here we are, Apostle, together with the kind, hard-working and heroic people who, almost a century after your marvelous evocation, finally achieved victory, reunited the nation and began to build a Vietnam ten times more beautiful,” he said.
The apostle of Cuban independence, ideologist of the necessary war against colonial power, architect of the unity of the insurrectional forces, forger of a Party to make the revolution, Major General of the Liberation Army, precursor and innovator in letters and in revolutionary action. José Martí is all of this and much more, he pointed out.
The Cuban ambassador recalled Martí’s sentence that “the world is a beautiful temple, where all men of the earth fit in peace,” and emphasized that this peace, achieved with the colossal sacrifice of the nation, is the supreme guarantee to preserve the high values that inspired so many generations of Vietnamese.
For that beautiful temple that the world should be, there is still much to be done, he pointed out, adding that wars, conflicts, ambitions, plundering and blockades continue to be the scene of the planet, while the human race resists domination and submission.
“That is why the history that unites our peoples is so valuable,” Polanco stressed, and praised the fact that in 2025, it will be 65 years since Vietnam and Cuba formalized a bond that was already woven by Martí with his eloquent prose and that Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro and President Ho Chi Minh forged in the anti-colonialist, anti-imperialist and socialist struggle.
