Two former Presidents of Ghana, John Kufur and John Mahama,
as well as the leadership of labour unions and civil society groups across
Africa on Monday called for an immediate end to the international trade blockade
against Cuba.
Also, sentiments against the xenophobic attacks in South
Africa echoed at the African Continental Conference of Solidarity with Cuba
jointly organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Nigeria Solidarity
Movement with Cuba on Monday in Abuja,
Former President of Ghana, John Mahama, who was represented
by the National Women Leader of Democratic Party of Ghana, Hanna Loiusa Bision,
said he hoped that the expression of solidarity by people around the world
would send a signal to the United States of America that the continued trade
embargo against the Cuban people is no longer acceptable.
While praising the resilience of the Cuban people, he said
the country had made significant contributions to development in Africa.
According to Mahama, despite the orchestrated attempt by the
world power to bring Cuba to its knees, the country is still standing tall and
is never about to give up.
Another ex-President of Ghana, John Kufur, who was also
represented at the event, said that apart from helping in the African
liberation struggles, Cuba has provided development aides to African countries.
He said he was joining other leaders to demand that the
people of Cuba be allowed to decide the system of government they want.
While welcoming African leaders and labour unions to the
event, the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said the aim of the event was to show
solidarity with the people of Cuba and to demand an end to the economic
blockade by the United States of America and its allies.
Wabba said such trade embargo can only affect the development
assistance being enjoyed by needy countries around the world who are
beneficiaries of the Cuban development aide.
"Our celebration of Cuba and its friendship with the
African people cannot be complete without speaking up strongly for Cuba. For
the umpteenth time, we call on the United States and its western allies to lift
the economic blockade against the people of Cuba," he said.
The NLC president also said that the conference would afford
an opportunity for African leaders to evaluate the lessons from the Cuban love
for humanity and to begin to put that into practice.
Wabba said the recent xenophobic attacks, or ‘afrophobic’
attacks, would not have happened "if we truly share in the Cuban ideals of shared humanity."
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu
who opened the foodgate of solidarity messages to the Cuban people on the occasion, said that the island nation
has a long history of solidarity with African people.
He said that apart from playing a leading role in the
struggle for the emancipation of Africa from colonial rule, Cuba recently took
the lead in providing doctors that helped in sumounting the spread of the
deadly Ebola disease on the continent.
"We should never forget the sacrifice the Cubans have
made to come here even when others were running away because they feel there
was no cure for Ebola, but the Cuban doctors didn't do that," he said.
Onu also spoke about the sacrifices Nigeria and Cuba made to
bring an end to apartheid in South Africa, saying that civil servants made
monetary contributions towards funding the anti-apartheid struggle.
Prominent Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist, Femi
Falana also urged African leaders to rally Cuba people and ensure that the
effects of the economic embargo is neutralised.
Falana asked the leadership of the South African ruling
African National Congress (ANC) and the Socialist Party to rise and condemn the
xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other Africans living in South Africa.
Falana got a loud ovation when he said: "I was happy
when my comrade from South African communist party said that we must learn
humanism from Cuba. South Africa must learn humanism from Cuba and that is why
the ANC and the South African Communist party must condemn xenophobia and
Afrophobia as that is the only way we can show that we are learning humanism
from Cuba".
Speaking on Cuban contributions to African development,
Falana said that it helped to arrest the spread of the Ebola scourge even when
the only thing Western countries could offer Africa was mere sympathy.
He specifically said that Cuba sent about 400 doctors to
Africa to assist in queling the medical crisis caused by the Ebola disease.
He urged African leaders to resolve to join hands to bring
an end to the international embargo against Cuba and also end the Morrocan
occupation of the Western Sahara.
Similarly, representative of the Namibian labour union,
Christin Horbes said xenophobic attacks in South Africa was a setback to the achievements recorded by
continent's struggle for freedom, especially the dream of Africa's founding
fathers for a united states of Africa.
She urged Africans to ignore the ugly incidence of
xenophobia and continue to push forward in the spirit of solidarity and
brotherhood.
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