The 19th Friendshipment to Cuba is passing through Olympia with tons of aid loaded onto buses ready to defy the U.S. embargo and cross the border.

Join the caravanistas, physically defying the travel ban from Cuba, at Media Island (816 Adams St, across from the Timberland Library) today (6/19) at 6 p.m. as they make their Olympia stop en route to Cuba. Ever wanted to travel to Cuba? Ever wondered why you're not allowed? Ever wonder why we still maintain the Cold War remnant of a trade blockade on necessary shipments to Cuba? Come to Media Island and find out everything you wanted to know about Cuba but were never educated from anyone else to ask.

We will also feature a film festival that starts at 2 p.m. at Media Island.

2 p.m.
¡Salud! - A timely examination of human values and the health issues that affect us all, ¡Salud! looks at the curious case of Cuba, a cash-strapped country with what the BBC calls ‘one of the world’s best health systems.’ From the shores of Africa to the Americas, !Salud! hits the road with some of the 28,000 Cuban health professionals serving in 68 countries, and explores the hearts and minds of international medical students in Cuba -- now numbering 30,000, including nearly 100 from the USA. Their stories plus testimony from experts around the world bring home the competing agendas that mark the battle for global health—and the complex realities confronting the movement to make healthcare everyone’s birth right.

3:45 p.m.
Mission Against Terror - A critically acclaimed film by Bernie Dwyer and Roberto Ruiz Rebo. The film raises the question: why are people who fight terrorism imprisoned in the U.S. while known terrorists are allowed to walk the streets of Miami freely? It follows the case of the five Cubans currently serving long sentences in U.S. jails for trying to prevent terrorist attacks on Cuba. It also depicts the long history of violence against innocent Cubans by right-wing groups based in Miami that are supported by the U.S.

5 p.m.
The Power of Community - THE POWER OF COMMUNITY: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil focuses on Cuba's transition from an industrial petroleum-based society to a sustainable society, as a result of their loss of petroleum when their source, the Soviet Union, collapsed. With less than 2 weeks notice, Cubans were faced with a 90% reduction in petroleum based products. With no food being delivered to stores because of fuel shortages for transportation, on average most Cubans lost 20 lbs. Lawns and public parks were turned into vegetable gardens.

This era of Cuban history is called “The Special Period” a time which radically transformed the Cuban society and economy, as it necessitated the successful introduction of sustainable agriculture, decreased use of automobiles, and overhauls of industry, health, and diet. Relocalization, permaculture, and innovative modes of mass transit had to be rapidly developed.

The goals of this film are to give hope to the developed world as it wakes up to the consequences of being hooked on oil, and to lift U.S. prejudice of Cuba by showing the Cuban people as they are. The filmmakers do this by having the people tell their story on film. It's a story of their dedication to independence and triumph over adversity, and a story of cooperation and hope. Several Cubans expressed the belief that living on an island, with its natural boundaries, breeds awareness that there are limits to natural resources.

6 p.m. - Presentation of the caravanistas including long-time mechanic and Olympia native Rick Fellowes who's been on close to 20 caravans to Cuba. Also, there will be a 30-minute documentary of the IFCO caravan called "Who's Afraid of a Little Yellow School Bus?" which shows what happens when the U.S. interferes with the caravan aid. Documented in the film is a hunger strike by caravanistas initiated at the U.S./Mexico border and national protests outside of U.S. government offices protesting acquisition of the aid.

Your attendance is greatly appreciated and we will have copies to purchase of all the films shown above along with t-shirts and free pamphlets regarding information about Cuba including the incredible free medical school program eligible for all U.S. medical students.

The caravan is desperately in need of money donations, no matter how small. The bus leaving from Olympia will run on diesel gas which went up 55% from last year's caravan prices.

If you can't make the event, please consider tax-deductible donations to:
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=13009

For more information about the Cuba caravan:
http://www.ifconews.org/