In June 2000 I joined the delegation from North America (above) for the XII Encuentro de Filósofos y Científicos Sociales Cubanos y Norteamericanos (12th Conference of Cuban and North American Philosophers and Social Scientists), 19-23 June, 2000, Havana, Cuba. This conference was co-sponsored by the Facultad de Filosofia e Historia, Universidad de La Habana, and the Radical Philosophy Association. Dr. Mark Wood of Virginia Commonwealth University sponsored a group of ten students to join the North American delegation. We received Treasury Department permission to travel to Cuba for this conference; however, my primary objective was to study the Pre-Columbian art. I participated in a few of the official proceedings, but spent most of my time travelling around the Habana/Matanzas region exploring the caves.

Below are a few links to sites pertaining to the conference and excerpts of emails from Cliff Durand. DuRand is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland, and Profesor Invitado at Universidad de la Habana, Habana, Cuba. As a member of the Radical Philosophy Association, he is North American Coordinator of the annual Conference of North American and Cuban Philosophers and Social Scientists.

5 July 2000:

Dear Fellow Delegates:

In case you missed this while we were in Cuba, here's the article about our conference's opening day that appeared in the Granma newspaper.  (The 'Colin Schaft' quoted is actually Kory Schaff.)

From:  GRANMA International June 20, 2000

U.S. Congress, before and after the Elián case. Around 100 professors and students representing 30 U.S.
universities in 15 states, along with representatives from Canada and Mexico, take part in the 12th Cuban and North American Philosophy and Social Science Conference

BY RAISA PAGES (Granma International staff writer)

THE political ramifications inside the U.S. Congress as a result of the case of Elián González, the Cuban child illegally held in the United States for about seven months, still remain to be seen. However, the upshot could be a lessening in the politics of force previously used against Cuba, said Cliff Durand, a member of the leadership committee of the U.S. Radical Philosophers Association, during a roundtable discussion
about the Cuban Adjustment Act at the University of Havana.

The United States is trying to steal Cuba's future, that is what Elián's case represents. The demonstrations and marches undertaken by the Cuban people have reinforced the nation's heroic spirit and the unity of its society, added Durand. He was the coordinator of the U.S. delegation to Havana, comprising 72 academics representing 30 universities in 15 states, which took part along with Canadian and Mexican representatives at the 12th Cuban and North American Philosophy and Social Science Conference held in Havana.

Durand, who is a professor at Morgan State University in Maryland, added that U.S. public opinion has been transformed and that the fanaticism of the Miami mafia and their efforts to separate Cuba and the United States have been revealed.

Ideological symbolism is different in Miami. They wanted to give Elián the so-called American Dream, as represented by a huge quantity of toys and gifts. It's a surprising position for them to take. Cubans place a lot of value on the concept of the family, and by insisting that he remain with distant relatives they have revealed the extent of their loss of identity.

Collin Shaft, a professor at the University of California, stated that after the Elián case, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the Justice Department will have to review their immigration policies in relation to Cuba. He said that he didn't believe that the Cuban Adjustment Act would immediately be amended, since U.S. laws are sometimes clarified but rarely questioned.

However, he said that he could foresee more rapid changes to some facets of the blockade against the island, as a result of pressure exerted by U.S. farmers keen to get access to the Cuban market. Despite the bonanza in the U.S. macro-economy, problems persist in the agricultural sector, where prices have fallen considerably due to lack of markets.

Many agricultural leaders have spoken in Congress in favor of repealing measures that block  the sale of food to Cuba, said Shaft.

His colleague from the University of Colorado, Jualynne Dodson, said that the Cuban Adjustment Act is virulent, but she didn't think it would be changed quickly because the U.S.  government will instead content itself with making small changes in its immigration policies.  They're not readily going to admit to their errors.

Dodson, who has been a regular visitor to the island, said that the Cuban project could be an alternative to capitalism and that the rest of the world needs Cuba to go on fighting and demonstrating a viable alternative to the globalization of the capitalist system.

She added that they are fighting in the United States for Cuba and that Cubans, in turn, are fighting on their behalf, above all to eradicate racism. There are very few nations that are fighting to eliminate capitalism and racism, she said.

In relation to the Elián case, Dodson said that the U.S. government had delayed a long time before taking the correct position and that it had vacillated and shown a lack of political will.

During the conference's opening meeting, held in the Aula Magna of the University of Havana, Rubén Zardoya, dean of the School of Philosophy and History, said that these bilateral meetings had developed into a much needed space which aided the search for scientific truth. They feature cultured debates between cultured peoples and he said he was pleased that students, who represent continuity and the future, were
present for the third time.

The gradual processes of the lobby against the economic blockade, even though it doesn't represent a coherent movement, does help in making people aware of economic policy towards Cuba, said Esteban Morales, a professor at the University of Havana.

The new tools being used in U.S. actions against Cuba are directed at the concepts of U.S.-style democracy, the multiparty system and the market economy, as though they were equivalent. That's the strategy being used by the United States and its allies to try to subvert  the Cuban Revolution, Morales pointed out.

www.granma.cu

July 18, 2000:

Dear Former Delegates,

In several ways, this year has been a breakthrough time for the Cuba related activities of RPA.  So I want to share the good news with you.

1. The Radical Philosophy Association was issued an institutional license for travel to Cuba by the U.S. Treasury Department.  It was just two years ago that we had to do battle to win the right to travel to Cuba at all. Now, with this new license, RPA is authorized to send to Cuba anyone WE choose for purposes of professional research, professional conferences, or educational activities for the next two years.  This is normally given to colleges and universities, not to associations, particularly not radical associations.  We want to make the most of this opportunity to expand our Cuba programs.  So, if you've been thinking about going to Cuba for any of these purposes and would like to organize a group, we might be able to cover you under this license. 
...

6 July 2002:

This year's RPA trip to Cuba was an exceptional experience.  First of all, we had 95 members in our delegation  --the largest ever.  Since this was the 20th anniversary of our first conference with Cuban philosophers in 1982, our hosts had plans to make it special.  It turned out even more special than they expected when all workplaces  (including the university) were closed down for three days for the National Assembly's discussion of a constitutional amendment making socialism irrevocable and prohibiting negotiations under pressure.  This was in response to Bush's recent belligerence toward Cuba and the so-called Varela Project --a petition signed by 11,000 Cubans calling for private enterprise and political freedom.  The Cuban leadership responded to this with its own petition, signed by over 8,000,000 voters, calling for the constitutional amendment reaffirming socialism and national dignity.  We found it very exciting to be in Cuba observing this political process close up; a participatory democracy at work.     The closing of the conference was also special when the President of the National Assemble, Ricardo Alarcon himself, showed up to give the closing address.  He is a philosopher and a member of the philosophy faculty at the University of Havana.  He and the other Cubans warmly welcomed the Resolution our delegation presented (see below).  It was quoted extensively the next day in the Granma newspaper.     We also participated in a joint U.S.-Cuban roundtable discussion of the Aftermath of 911.  I enclose the text of my presentation below.     Next year's RPA trip to Cuba will be June 17 to July 1, 2003, with the conference on June 23 to 27.  Mark your calendar now for the 15th Conference of North American and Cuban Philosophers and Social Scientists.   

Venceremos, Cliff

RESOLUTION:

The North American delegation to the 14th Conference of North American and Cuban Philosophers and Social Scientists express our heartfelt thanks for the warm hospitality the Cuban people have extended to us.  In particular, we appreciate all the help given by those here at the University, at the Institute of Philosophy and in the Cuban Society for Philosophical Research who have made our visit intellectually stimulating, politically informative, and personally comfortable.

During our visit we have been privileged to witness a remarkable political process as over 99% of the Cuban electorate have reaffirmed this country’s socialist character and national dignity.  We have been impressed by the spirit of the Cuban people manifested in this process and its participatory and democratic character, reminiscent of our own earlier New England town hall meeting tradition.

This is a moment in history in which Cuba faces new challenges, heightened dangers, but at the same time, greater opportunities.

*  We who are citizens and residents of the United States decry the increasingly arrogant belligerence of our government.  The tragedy of September 11 should not be used as an excuse to strike against others who do not threaten the American people.

*  In particular, we protest the conviction and harsh sentencing of the five Cubans who came to the U.S. to try to prevent deadly terrorist attacks against their country from our homeland when the U. S. government has failed to curb such illegal activities and continues to harbor known anti-Cuban terrorists.

*  We repudiate our government’s outrageous charges of bio-terrorism against Cuba.  This transparent fabrication attempts to turn one of the Cuban Revolution’s great accomplishments –namely, its advances in medical science – into its opposite.  It is inconceivable to us that a country whose doctors, teachers and others have served selflessly around the world, would use their knowledge to destroy life.

*  We repudiate our government’s claim that Cuba is a terrorist state, when in fact it has repeatedly been the victim of violent acts launched from our soil.

*  And finally, we pledge that as we return to our campuses and communities, that we will work to end the cruel and inhuman embargo –in reality, a blockade—that has been so costly to the Cuban people, a violation of the rights of the people of the United States to travel and inquire freely, and a barrier to the normal relations that should exist between our two peoples.

We look to the day when the United States will finally accept the full independence of this proud nation and recognize your right to pursue your own national project.

Venceremos !