Olympia Welcomes the Cuba Caravan

On the evening of July 5, Olympia will host the Pastors for Peace caravan as they begin their 21rst Friendshipment of material aid to Cuba. The caravan is intended to bring awareness to the illegal U.S. blockade on Cuba. The active blockade stems from obsolete Cold War views and a self-imposed Cuban exile community in Florida that deprive people in Cuba of food, medicine and construction supplies.

The featured speaker for our evening presentation is Manolo de los Santos, a repeated traveler to Cuba with advanced knowledge of the country and an international organizer for aid caravans to other Central American and Caribbean countries. Also speaking will be Olympia's own Rick Fellows, a long-time bus driver and mechanic for the caravan. Along with those speakers, we will have all the caravanistas available to explain why they're on this caravan.

The event will also feature the 2009 documentary "People to People". Directed by Consuelo Elba, this engaging film mixes archival footage with video from the 2008 Caravan to Cuba and recent interviews to tell the story of Pastors for Peace and the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana, Cuba. "People to People" was co-produced in Cuba by ICAIC (the Cuban Institute of Art and Film) and the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP). It's a terrific film that must be seen. Trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhh5_v8gl3M

The event is free but donations are strongly encouraged due to high fuel costs for the caravan. This event is held annually in Olympia yet each year brings its own identity with each presentation.