On Saturday April 2, 2016, Fire
This Time celebrated one decade of
publishing its monthly newspaper.
It was an important opportunity to
reflect on the origins of the Fire This
Time Movement for Social Justice
and the lessons learned in publishing
an independent newspaper reflecting
the struggles of oppressed people for
building a new world.
Over 130 people came to the Central
Branch of the Vancouver Public Library
to join in the celebration, including
many members of different political
organizations and tendencies. The event
was also themed, “Socialist Cuba, How
Far We have Come” and featured Mr.
Julio Garmendía Peña, Ambassador of
the Republic of Cuba to Canada who
traveled from Ottawa to participate
with Miraly González González, First
Secretary and Political Attache of the
Cuban Embassy.
Fire This Time Editorial Board member
Tamara Hansen welcomed everyone
to the celebration before introducing
Coast Salish elder Kelly White, who
was joined by other members of the
indigenous community in leading the
celebration through a welcoming ceremony
to unceeded Coast Salish territory.
After Kelly, Latin American troubadour
Beto Fuentes sang energetic songs
inspired by the Cuban Revolution, with
participants in the crowd joining in
singing the classic ‘Guantanamera’.
Charles Boylan brought greetings from
the Central Committee of the Communist
Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist), and
the celebration was also joined by Garry
Owens via video conference. Garry was a
founder and leading organizer of the Black
Panther Party in Seattle, and has remained
active in many social justice struggles up
until today. As part of his greetings he
made an appeal for people to subscribe
to Fire This Time, which was actually
very successful in prompting half a dozen
people to fill out a yearly subscription card!
The celebration was also honoured by
the participation of Wilfredo J. Perez
Bianco, the Venezuelan Consul General
in Vancouver. He brought greetings on
behalf of the Consulate, and also gave
an excellent speech in defense of the
Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela. Fire
This Time has continually advocated for
solidarity and defense of the Bolivarian
Revolution, especially in the current
context of increasing imperialist attacks.
Mr. Julio Garmendía Peña, Ambassador
of the Republic of Cuba to Canada and
guest of honor to the celebration spoke
next. He began by saying, “I would like
to congratulate the Editorial Board of
Fire This Time for the 10th anniversary
of this publication that that together
with others in Canada reflect the reality
of Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia and other
countries of our region - opposing the
lies and the cliches that the big press
delivers about us, Happy Birthday!”
The Ambassador then outlined some
of the important developments and
analysis of the new era of US-Cuba
relations. He emphasized that Cuba
has not renounced or compromised
any of its guiding socialist principles
in negotiations, and that it is the US
which has been forced to change and
compromise in its relations with Cuba.
Fire This Time Political Editor, Ali
Yerevani brought the political program
of the evening to a close. He emphasized
the objective political conditions which
led to the creation of Fire This Time: aworld defined by war, occupation
and a deep world wide capitalist
crisis coupled with the necessity
of building an anti-capitalist and
anti imperialist consciousness
to confront it. 10 years later he
reflected, “From an idea we
have become an established
political tendency. The Fire This
Time newspaper is not just a
new revolutionary working class
newspaper, but the backbone of a
revolutionary socialist project in
Canada.”
He emphasized Fire This Time’s
focus on solidarity with Cuba
and Venezuela, and its organizing
perspective and method, “Fire
This Time tries very hard to be
very close to touch the pulse of
understanding, mentality and
struggle of the working class. The
newspaper’s job is to support and
engage with other progressive
and revolutionary movements
and their struggles. We seek to
reach a collective level of mass
consciousness through analysis,
solidarity and political campaigns
which allows the working class and
oppressed people to think socially
and act politically, to achieve social
justice locally and internationally,
as Malcolm X said, by any means
necessary.”
Noah Fine and Macarena Cataldo,
both contributors to the Fire This
Time Newspaper finished the
program by performing a song by
revolutionary Chilean musician,
Violeta Para.
Tamara Hansen closed the
celebration by thanking everyone
for attending and emphasizing,
“The reasons Fire This Time
was created are even more real
and more important today, let’s
continue to work together to build
that better world we all know is posible!"
Read the "Solidarity as a Constitutional and Strategic aspect in Venezuela, the Speech by Wilfredo J. Perez Bianco, the Venezuelan Consul General in Vancouver, at the Fire This Time 10 Year Anniversary Celebration Here
Follow Thomas Davies on Twitter:
@thomasdavies59
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