8th February 2010
Latin America 2009
In December I attended the 2009 conference on Latin America. Latin America 2009, held in London, brought together trade unionists, NGOs, academics and progressive movements from Latin America and the UK to explore recent developments across the region. It featured films, stalls, music, discussion on:
• Honduras – the struggle for democracy
• Cuba – 50 Years of Revolution and the fight against the US Blockade
• Venezuela – deepening the revolution
• ALBA – The Bolivarian Alternative For The Americas
• Women In Latin America
• Resistance To Neoliberal Agendas And Debt
Guest speakers included speakers from Honduras, Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela, and Bolivia as well as Ken Livingstone, Frances O'Grady, TUC, Miguel Angel Martinez MEP, Tony Benn, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Tommy Sheridan and NUT National General Secretary Christine Blower.
This 5th annual conference was set up following the successful European Social Forum in London 2004, which three delegates from City of Leicester Association had attended. Hundreds of people attended the 2009 conference, held at the TUC headquarters, and the three plenary sessions and additional workshops were led by a range of guest speakers from UK, other EU and Latin American trade unions, plus politicians and representatives from the Cuban and Venezuelan embassies.
The previous theme of the LA Conference was that of the ESF – 'Another World is Possible'. This year's theme was 'Facing the Challenges' – we celebrate the significant gains in Central and South America; however the gains are not universal and some countries count among the most dangerous in the world for social movements.
There has been much in the European news about 2009 being the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the perceived 'end of socialism'. The international crisis in the banking system has made such statements hollow, and yet most of the European press has ignored the fact that progressive governments are far from at an end in Latin America. The Bolivarian revolution has led to a wave of progressive populist governments being elected.
There are lessons that we in Europe can learn from Latin America. Latin America was the first to experience neo-liberal capitalism under Pinochet in Chile and the bloody repression of workers and their representatives not just in Chile but under various right wing regimes – with tacit and in some cases blatant support from the USA.
Marketisation was less brutal in Europe but the rise of the free market and corresponding fall of the former Eastern bloc has led to the collapse of traditional 'left' parties due to a lack of neo-liberal consensus. Conversely, social movements in Latin America have not accepted that 'socialism is dead' or the view that the market knows best or the need for a 'third way'.
2009 was the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall but it was also the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution. Cuba has a land-size similar to the UK but a much smaller population, and is economically under-developed as a long-time colony (of Spain) and later a playground for 'the unacceptable face of capitalism'. In true David vs Goliath style, this island has delivered staggering gains in education, health care and employment in the face of an unjust and illegal blockade by the USA which continues to impair its economic development. It is brilliant that Cuba exports what it is good at. Despite its own precarious situation it provides health and education to the poorest countries in the world, for example 1.5 million free eye operations.
The Miami Five however have now been imprisoned for over ten years. Two sentences were recently reviewed but two are still condemned to life and relatives are not allowed a visa to visit. Nearly 4,000 Cubans have been killed and many more injured as a result of tacit or blatant USA support for subversive groups in Miami, who live there with complete impunity. UNITE is very proactive in support of Cuba and the Miami Five. The Cuba Solidarity Campaign held successful stalls and a fringe meeting at the TUC and Labour Party Conferences, while three of the most influential USA trade unions are involved in the campaign.
192 countries in the UN have voted against the USA blockade. 248 UK MPs recently signed an Early Day Motion for links with Cuba, and CSC are campaigning for David Milliband to visit Cuba.
Latin America has been transformed during the last 10 years and Che Guevara's dream is being realised with the formation of ALBA (Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América / Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America ) as an alternative to USA-dominated LAFTA (Latin American Free Trade Association). The TV channel Telesur counteracts the propaganda from channels such as CNN.
In Venezuela, 2009 was the 10th anniversary of the election of Chavez which instigated the 'pink tide' which is sweeping over Latin America.
In Bolivia, Evo Morales received two thirds of votes in the recent elections and is likely to be re-elected. There are also progressive regimes in Brazil, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina.
On the downside, the coup which removed Zelaya in Honduras is a retrograde step. Zelaya was a reformist politician democratically elected, who fell foul of right wing elements when the minimum wages was increased and Honduras joined ALBA and signed agreements with Venezuela and Cuba under which medical students trained in Cuba, and Cuban teachers aided a literacy campaign. There have been street protests against the coup for the last four months and the coup has united social movements in Honduras. This has been met with brutal repression with thousands of illegal detentions, many people injured and some killed.
The recognition of the 29th November 'elections' in Honduras, where an estimated 60 to 70% of the people didn't vote were a litmus test for Barack Obama which he failed. There is worldwide support, including that of the UK government, for the restoration of the Zelaya government. It is important to lobby the EU and those who have commercial dealings with Honduras as the coup in Honduras is reminiscent of previous events in Latin America and could set a precedent for elsewhere.
Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world to be a trade unionist – 2704 trade unionists have been murdered by the current regime and trade unionists and other human rights activists continue to 'disappear' or face long prison sentences. Teachers are the largest group of trade unionists attacked by the regime.
The USA has increased its military presence, theoretically as part of the 'drugs war', and there are to be seven USA bases in Colombia which has the worst human rights record in the world and is too close to Venezuela for comfort. The Colombian government has been trying to change its image and misleading the EU to try and get a free trade agreement. 'Justice for Colombia' is trying to highlight this in its 'Trading Away' Campaign. Two years ago Kim Howells, then Minister of State, posed with death squads in Colombia. Yessica Hoyes, a Colombian human rights lawyer carrying on the work of her murdered father, spoke movingly to the Conference.
Panama has held recent elections, while Guatemala is never mentioned in the EU press – constant misrepresentation in the British media was a recurring theme of the conference.
There were a wide range of optional workshops and it was difficult choosing which to attend. As NUT delegate I attended the Education Workshop chaired by Bill Greenshields with speakers from Cuba and Venezuela.
Bill Greenshields joined a NUT delegation to Cuba for a conference on pedagogy and the NUT has published 'The Education Revolution' by Theodore McDonald – £15 and worth buying. The Conference had discussed the 'two world view' of education – our system with winners and losers, so that some children must fail, compared with a system of collectivity. This gives rise to a very different education system in Cuba, and Cuban participants in the Conference were amazed at the top down privatised system in the UK which 'won't work'. Cuba values emulation rather than 'target setting'.
Carlos Gonzales, a Cuban teacher, said that there was a 'revolution inside a revolution' in Cuba. There are traditional universities in major cities but he is now a professor in a local community – higher education is extended to the municipality. He was a professor in the Latin American School where all students learn English as Cuban doctors are prepared to go all over the world. People from all over Latin America study medicine in Cuba and the emphasis is on its humanitarian role.
David Drever, President of the Educational Institute of Scotland, was part of a delegation to Venezuela. Venezuela is a wealthy country compared to Cuba but has learnt from Cuba re. health and education. Chavez' education programme has rolled out education from the cities and there have been remarkable developments since he was first elected. Illiteracy was eradicated in 2005, two years ahead of schedule, financed by oil revenues. Classes are not just for children but for all ages – necessary to educate the dispossessed of the pre-Chavez era. There is also a move to restore the indigenous culture, destroyed since Spanish colonialism, to celebrate Venezuela's heritage based on the 'Gramsci role model'. Education is multicultural and not just child-centred . "The whole of Venezuela is going to school."
I don't do lunch so in the lunch break watched a film on Venezuela which outlined the situation before Chavez, Chavez' first victory, the attempt to destabilise the government and the significant achievements made by the government. One of the myths put about by the British press is that Chavez (along with other Latin American leaders) is an autocrat but what came across from the film and other Venezuela events is that this is a truly populist government (in fact the word 'populist' has been used by a variety of US and European journalists and politicians as a derogatory term).
In the afternoon I attended the 'After Obama' workshop. Bernard Regan (NUT and CSC) explained how Hugo Chavez has spoken of the 'riddle of the two Obamas'. Obama's speech in Cairo had been an attempt to reach out to the Muslim world and Hilary Clinton has spoken of the need to 're-think' US foreign policy. However the rhetoric has been different to reality. Obama has an agenda, he is just more intelligent than Bush. Obama's recent decision to send a further 30 000 troops to Afghanistan is a continuation of Bush's war. The 2011 withdrawal date is for domestic consumption. Despite the talk of end dates in Iraq is simply a repositioning shift with NATO. The US is preoccupied with the 'War on Terror' – this has left potential space in Latin America. The US is subservient to the Netanyahu regime in Israel. China, a global force, has developed links with Latin America. There is a domestic economic crisis in the US.
Hilary Clinton has a very biased attitude to Latin America – her reference point for US policy on Cuba is from Cuban exiles in Miami with a history of trying to destabilise the Cuban government.
Ernesto Laclau, professor at the University of Essex, suggested that the hegemony of the US was being challenged by the rise of China – in 25 years it will be more powerful. India and Brazil also have strong growth.
The Western press is biased. For example 'El Pais' is against politicians such as Chavez and Morales – and is critical of popularism. Instead it supports liberal governments.
Latin America won't have US domination in the traditional sense. It is interested in the EU and the Lisbon treaty.
In the final plenary George Galloway expressed the view that Obama has been a big disappointment and criticised the USA for its continuation of Roosevelt's amendment to the Monroe doctrine, which considers Latin America as the USA's 'backyard', and takes the view that the USA has the right to intervene when there is 'flagrant and chronic wrongdoing' in Latin American countries – for example, the election of progressive governments.
Ken Livingstone firstly justified the 'oil for transport' deal struck between London and Venezuela and rebutted erroneous criticism in the British press before turning to the main focus of his contribution, 'climate change' in the light of the Copenhagen Conference. Climate change is a real threat to many LA countries – hurricanes in the Caribbean, deserts in the Andes and the Amazon rainforest are all heavily influenced by the rise in global temperatures and the press already cover the threat to many African countries. In Cuba and Venezuela domestic lighting is being replaced by energy efficient lightbulbs provided by the state and the World Wildlife Fund has recognised Cuba as the only country in the world with sustainable development. The future generation of refugees will be due to climate change unless world leaders take urgent action.
Jeremy Corbyn continued this theme having taken a parliamentary delegation to Bolivia which depends on glaciers for its water supply and where the melting glaciers are a disaster. The interests of the car owning minority, the power of the oil industry and USA support for oligarchs dominate the rest of the world. He condemned the US bases in Colombia and the excuse that these were necessary in the 'drugs war' and Colombia's record on human rights and justice. He also criticised the Monroe doctrine and welcomed ALBA as a very positive move for genuine free trade in Latin America. There needs to be a systematic campaign against the EU/Colombia 'Free Trade' agreement.
Hilary Wainwright, editor of Red Pepper magazine, had attended the World Social Forum in Porto Allegri. He spoke of how the world social order was changing, and of how important Latin America was – no longer the backyard. We should be learning Spanish.
Tony Benn couldn't attend as recovering from a recent operation.
Conference mourned Redmond O'Neill, Secretary of Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, who recently died of cancer.
There is a detailed report of the Conference with alternative workshop reports on the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign website.
Urgent Action Points
• Join CSC and VSC and support the Miami 5.
Venezuela Solidarity Campaign
Cuba Solidarity Campaign (Leicester contact)
Unite's Miami Five campaign
• Join petition 'Wish You Were Here' to persuade David Milliband to visit Cuba
• Beg, steal or borrow and visit Cuba – it's brilliant and hot
• Colombia – lobby your MEP against EU Colombia trade agreement – don't be misled that this murderous regime is now 'respectable'. Join 'Justice for Colombia'.
Since I started this report there have been coup plots in Ecuador and Paraguay; Cuba has been branded 'terrorist' after recent attempted hijacks took place in the USA; and there has been the tragic earthquake in Haiti.
Related articles
- National Conference 2007 (09/04/2007)