*Final day continues with workshops and exchange of experiences
*The event goes deep on the need for greater articulation of counter-hegemonic media
*The event goes deep on the need for greater articulation of counter-hegemonic media
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NewsTranscript
00:00And as the International Colloquium Patria comes to an end, we go live with the correspondent in Havana, Cuba, Belén de los Santos.
00:07Hi Belén, what is happening in these final hours of debates?
00:14Hello Ale, it's a pleasure to be with you once again in this third day of the Patria Colloquium here in the University of Havana.
00:22And we continue to speak to all the international guests who have really come from all over the world.
00:28And we really mean that when we say from all over the world.
00:30We are now joined by Destiny Sanchez.
00:33She comes from Great Britain.
00:35Actually, she's now in Havana for some months.
00:38And she is a member of the Revolutionary Communist Group.
00:42And we would like to continue speaking about the experiences that all of the guests are having at this colloquium
00:49that is set to discuss the challenges of journalism, digital communication from a Global South perspective.
00:56So Destiny, thank you so much for joining us in Tell Us Your English.
01:00And I would like to ask you, from your perspective, why is it important to be here, to participate in these dialogues,
01:06to have these discussions about what are the challenges that we are facing at this real context in terms of digital communication?
01:14First of all, thank you so much for having me.
01:16For me, it's really important to be able to have a forum to discuss with comrades from across the world
01:22the challenges that we're facing on the left in challenging this imperialist media narrative
01:28that continues to vilify the left, vilify anti-imperialism,
01:32and build a broad anti-imperialist movement that will challenge the far right that we're seeing growing.
01:38Especially now, when here in Cuba, we've seen the blockade.
01:42In Venezuela, the US and other imperialist countries continue to sanction, sanction, sanction.
01:48When we look at anti-imperialist movements in the AES states, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso,
01:56we're seeing a massive lack of information, disinformation.
02:00And it's so important that we can unite here to really work on this fight back, the resistance,
02:05and to use social media and media communications in general as a crucial tool
02:10to really challenge the imperialist narratives that have prevailed for years and years.
02:16Of course, and one of the key topics of discussion has to do with
02:21how can we counter those imperialist narratives around the world?
02:26And networking and the possibility of building these connections is one of the key aspects of this colloquium.
02:33So, we're talking about the Global South, but I wanted to ask you,
02:37what do you think is the role of the media outlets and also the solidarity movements in imperialist countries,
02:43like those in Great Britain, like the US?
02:47What do you think those roles are in this mission of networking,
02:52of being able to counter those narratives and really speaking about the struggles of our peoples?
02:58It's so inspiring to meet comrades from across the world who are fighting different struggles
03:03and doing different things as part of the global fight back of anti-imperialist struggles,
03:09anti-colonial struggles, movements against capitalism.
03:13And for me, in Britain, we see what the media is like, we know what the media is like.
03:17Under capitalism in Britain, you can't have a progressive media.
03:21You can't have media that's going to challenge these narratives
03:24and actually put the needs of humanity before profit.
03:28So, for us, it's really important as solidarity activists.
03:31I'm in an organization called the Revolutionary Communist Group.
03:34Our newspaper, Fight Racism, Fight Imperialism,
03:37has historic solidarity with anti-imperialist movements across the world.
03:41And for us, it's so important to be active on the streets,
03:44speaking to people, finding out how to actually build this movement in the belly of the beast.
03:50We know what Britain represents, we know what imperialism represents.
03:53The Guardian, which we've done several actions against,
03:56they continue to peddle themselves as this leftist newspaper.
04:01But in reality, they don't support Cuba, they don't support Venezuela,
04:04and they continue to attack Palestine in their resistance struggle.
04:08So, for us, it's really, really important that we take our roles as activists,
04:13going out into the streets, organizing protests,
04:16really trying to build this unity to fight back and resist,
04:19like we're seeing our comrades do in these anti-imperialist struggles in the global south.
04:25And truly, the massive demonstrations that have been held all over the globe
04:30including countries in the north, have been very important and very significant
04:35to understand, for example, the resistance movement and the solidarity movement
04:39for denouncing the genocide in Gaza.
04:43And also, Great Britain has played an important role,
04:46and your activism there has played a very important role as well.
04:49So, I wanted to ask you, in terms of these demonstrations,
04:53how do you see this year to come?
04:56The global context is very complex, with ongoing attacks in Gaza,
05:01despite the ceasefire.
05:03How do you see the possibility of more activism in your country,
05:08for example, in this year, 2025?
05:11So, at the moment, we're seeing massive state repression.
05:14At the moment, in Britain, we have a defense campaign for a comrade
05:18who's been charged under the Terrorism Act.
05:21She's a student at the University of London, SOAS.
05:24So, we've got this massive defense campaign.
05:26We're seeing support for Palestine being attacked by the state,
05:30attacked by governments across the world.
05:32We're seeing it in the US. We're seeing it in Britain.
05:35And this is fundamentally an attempt to not just vilify,
05:39but to kind of try and stop solidarity with Palestine.
05:43And it's really important that we're not scared by these threats by the state,
05:47and we continue to resist and fight back,
05:49taking inspiration from the people in Gaza,
05:52the people in the West Bank that are continuing to fight,
05:55and the fight of the people in Gaza,
05:57the fight of the people in Cuba against the sanctions,
06:00in Venezuela, in the Sahel states.
06:03These are anti-imperialist struggles, fighting back against the horrors,
06:07the warmongering nature of imperialism
06:10that refuses to put the needs of humanity and the planet before profit.
06:14So, for us in Britain, it's so important.
06:17It's our moral duty.
06:19But more importantly, as anti-imperialists, as progressives,
06:22as communists, socialists, we have to be on the streets to fight back,
06:26because that's the only place that we're going to be heard.
06:28We know that we can't appeal to the social democratic governments.
06:31We know that there's a massive opportunist trend in the imperialist world.
06:35So it's really important that, as activists,
06:38we take our role seriously and continue to resist
06:41to support our comrades from across the world
06:44in these international struggles against capitalism and imperialism.
06:48And, of course, taking note of this international effort
06:52and how, really, the peoples around the world
06:55are carrying along the struggles in very similar ways,
06:59despite being very different regions, very different countries,
07:02is some of what this colloquium is also all about.
07:05Thank you so much, Destiny, for joining us here in Telus for English.
07:08It's been a pleasure.
07:10And, Ale, this is something of what is being discussed here.
07:14We will continue bringing you different testimonies
07:17from across the world here, from the university in Havana.
07:20And I go back to you now. We'll stay in touch.
07:25Thank you, Val.
07:27And also thank you, Destiny Sanchez, for all the information.
07:30And we will go back to you.