Malta-Cuba Society

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Reading book available at Malta Cuba: Napoleon Bonaparte’s and his Maltese soldiers

When General Bonaparte left Malta to invade Egypt, among the troops of his Army of the Orient were some 400 Maltese, ex-soldiers of the Knights of Malta forcibly “press ganged” by the French. In Egypt, Bonaparte formed them into the Legion Maltaise.
Author Richard Mifsud tells the story of the trials and hardship suffered by the Maltese soldiers in a new book, in English, entitled “Napoleon’s Maltese Legion”. He also tells the story of some 40 Maltese soldiers who ended up in France where a Depot de la Legion Maltaise was set up.
Just published by KoPri koperattiva ltd, the book is the first of a project by KoPri to produce historical studies.

Further information from the author at mifsud.richard@yahoo.com (mob: 9928 1575)
or from Ghaqda Malta-Kuba (mob: 7928 3716)

Napoleon’s Maltese Legion is retailing at 10.50 euros
Students price from Ghaqda Malta-Kuba 8.00 euros

REMARKS BY ARMY GENERAL RAUL CASTRO RUZ, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA, AT THE 15TH NAM SUMMIT, SHARM EL SHEIKH, EGYPT

Your Excellency Mr. Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt:

On behalf of my delegation I wish to express our appreciation to the Egyptian government and people for their warm welcome. We are convinced that this 15th Summit Conference will strengthen the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. Cuba shall offer its full support to Egypt as its new chair.

It is an honor for our country to pass the chair of the Movement on to one of its founders. From its early days, the Cuban Revolution found friendship and support in this Arab nation; and this year we shall celebrate together six decades of continuous fraternal relations.

We never forget the noble gesture of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, one of the founding fathers of non-alignment, who visited the then Prime Minister of the Revolutionary Government, comrade Fidel Castro Ruz, when both converged in New York in 1960 to attend the 15th Session of the UN General Assembly and the Cuban leader was accorded a discriminatory and insulting treatment by the U.S. authorities.

The ministerial meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of NAM held in Havana April 27 to 30 this year succeeded in its basic objective of making arrangements for this summit conference. The ministers and heads of delegations assembled there reached consensus on their positions with regard to the most pressing issues affecting humanity and particularly the developing countries.

The Special Declaration on the World Economic and Financial Crisis adopted in that meeting is proof of the transcendence of the debates and of our determination to work in concert towards the solution of the international problems. NAM has asserted its firm belief that every country, and not only a few, should participate in the quest for effective and just solutions to the current crisis.

Żjara mill-Għaqda Malta-Kuba lill-iSpeaker tal-Kamra tad-Deputati - 16.06.2009

Delegazzjoni tal-Għaqda Malta-Kuba mmexxija mill-President tal-Għaqda s-Sur Michael Camilleri l-bieraħ għamlet żjara lill-iSpeaker tal-Kamra tad-Deputati l-Onor Louis Galea.

Din iż-żjara saret f’serje ta’ laqgħat li l-Għaqda qed ikollha ma’ persuni distinti bi preparazzjoni għall-parteċipazzjoni tal-Għaqda fil-Brigata Jose Marti li sejra ssir f’’Kuba f’Lulju li ġej.

Din hija t-tielet sena li l-Għaqda Malta-Kuba ser tipparteċipa f’din l-attività annwali li ssir f’Kuba sabiex membri ta’ għaqdiet Ewropej ta’ solidarjetà ma’ Kuba jagħtu l-kontribut tagħhom permezz ta’ xogħol volontarju filwaqt li fl-istess ħin jaraw b’għajnejhom ir-realtà ta’ dan il-pajjiż.

Matul iz-zjara tagħhom f’Kuba l-voluntiera jkollhom l-opportunità li jagħmlu xogħol fl-oqsma tal-agrikoltura u kostruzzjoni, xogħol utli ħafna, speċjalment meta tqis li s-sena l-oħra Kuba ntlaqtet minn tlett uragani li għamlu ħafna ħsara.

Letter of condolences, Comrade Ken Gill, from the Malta Cuba Society - 29th May 09

Dear Friends,

Please accept the sympathy of the Malta-Cuba Society for the loss of Comrade Ken Gill. Please convey our condolences to his immediate family and to his friends and comrades in the Cuba Solidarity Campaign and in all the other organizations he was affiliated too. I had the honour to come to know him during the European Solidarity Committee meetings that was held in Copenhagen in 1998 and can understand the loss suffered by the Cuba Solidarity Campaign.

Victor Degiovanni
International Secretariat
Malta-Cuba Society

Ken Gill, former chair of CSC died on Friday 23 May 2009.

The Campaign suffered its greatest loss with the death of Ken Gill who had been
chair of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign and a member of the Campaign’s National
Executive from 1993- 2008.

For a full report and tribute go to:
http://www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk/news.asp?ItemID=1625

Bibieta mal-Hbieb

Organizzata min Zminijietna - Lehen ix-Xellug

Post: Lady Di Pub - Tas-Sliema [vicin Quisisana]
L-Erbgha 20 ta' Mejju fid-9pm

Ghal aktar informazzjoni 79536914

F'din l-attivita se jitqassamu ukoll kopji tal-harga (Mejju 2009) ta' Zminijietna

Ghall din l-attivita gejjin ukol partecipanti Maltin li se jippartecipaw fil birgata Ewropeja tal-2009 gewwa Havana - Kuba. F'din l-attivita se jkun hemm ghall bejh flokk edizzjoni specjali mahrug mill-Malta Kuba

Visit CUBA next JULY

The Malta Cuba Society will be participating in the Jose-Marti European Solidarity camp covering a full two weeks next July (6th to 21st), for the third consecutive year. The International Work Brigade consists of groups from solidarity and socio-political organisations of several European countries mostly youths. Members of the Brigade spend two weeks in Caimito - Havana as a ‘Brigadista’, working and socialising with Cubans and people from all across Europe. It is a unique opportunity to experience the Cuban Revolution firsthand and show that Cuba is not alone. This event is organised by ICAP (Cuban Association of Friendship with other Nations).

This camp is ideal for students, youths, teachers, political activists and those wanting a different holdiay.

Participants will have the opportunity to see and experience the real Cuba:

Participation in any of the events is non-obligatory. Brigadistas also take part in a full programme of activities including educational and political events plus visits to hospitals and schools to see for yourself the successes of the Revolution. Entertainment is provided at the camp with live bands and dance lessons, whilst excursions to some of Cuba’s fantastic beaches and places of interest are organised. The brigadistas will also stay a weekend at a hotel in Pinar del Rio, an adjacent province to Havana, which also has its distinct characteristics from Havana.

More information can be obtained from the Jose Marti section on the website from here or by emailing andre.damato@gmail.com or phone/sms 7928 3716 / 7937 0523

In accordance with the ideas expressed by President of the Council of State and Ministers, Army General Raul Castro Ruz, in the constituent session of the 7th Legislature of the National Assembly of the People´s Power on February 24, 2008, regarding that “it is required today a more compact and functional structure, with less number of organisms of the State´s central administration and a better distribution of the work they carry out,” the Council of State, on the proposal of its President, previously consulted with the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Party, agreed in a meeting carried out today, make the following changes of officials and restructuring in some organisms of the State´s Central Administration:

1. Relieve comrade Jose Luis Rodriguez Garcia from the post of Vicepresident of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Economy and Planning.

Appoint comrade Marino Murillo Jorge in the post of Vicepresident of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Economy and Planning and release him from his responsibility as Minister of Domestic Trade.

2. Relieve comrade Otto Rivero Torres from his responsibilities as Vicepresident of the Council of Ministers, taking into account he has concluded the transfer of the programs attended by him to the respective investor organisms. Vicepresident of the Government, Ramiro Valdes Menendez will be in charge of its coordination and control.

3. Fusion the ministries of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment and Economic Collaboration and appoint comrade Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz in the post of Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, denomination that comprises the activities of Economic Collaboration carried out by the country.

Relieve comrade Raul de la Nuez Ramirez from his responsibilities as Minister of Foreign Trade.

4. Fusion the ministries of Food Industry and the Fishing Industry and appoint comrade Maria del Carmen Concepcion Gonzalez, who was previously relieved from her duties as member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party, as Minister of the Food Industry, denomination that comprises the activities of the Fishing Industry.

Relieve comrades Alejandro Roca Iglesias and Alfredo Lopez Valdes from their posts as ministers of the Food Industry and the Fishing Industry, respectively.

5. Relieve comrade Felipe Perez Roque from his responsibilities as Minister of Foreign Relations and promote current First Deputy Minister, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla to that post. 6. Relieve comrade Georgina Barreiro Fajardo from the post of Minister of Finance and Prices and name in her place comrade Lina Pedraza Rodriguez, also released from her condition of member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC in Spanish), responsibility from which she attended the global economic entities.

7. Relieve comrade Fernando Acosta Santana from the post of Minister of the Steel and Mechanic Industry and promote in his place the Brigadier General Salvador Pardo Cruz, who worked as Director General of the Military Industrial Union.

8. Promote comrade Jacinto Angulo Pardo, First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Domestic Trade, to the post of Minister of that organism.

9. Relieve comrade Alfredo Morales Cartaya from the post of Minister of Labor and Social Security and promote in his place comrade Margarita Marlene Gonzalez Fernandez, currently First Deputy Minister of that organism.

10. Appoint as Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment, organism to which the Science Center (research) is added for its attention, comrade Jose M. Miyar Barruecos, who was relieved to that end from his condition of Secretary of the Council of State.

11. Appoint in an interim manner, subject to his ratification by the People´s Power National Assembly in the next ordinary session period, deputy Homero Acosta Alvarez in the post of Secretary of the Council of State, with the duty to assist and aid the President, the First Vicepresident, the Vicepresidents and the rest of the members of the Council of State in the performance of their duties according to Articles 89, 90 and 93 of the Constitution of the Republic.

The post of Secretary of the Council of State does not constitute in itself a decision-making authority and does not have any protagonism in the direction of the State.

12. Relieve comrade Carlos Lage Davila from his post of Secretary of the Council of Ministers and appoint to that responsibility the current chief of the Secretariat of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Brigadier General Jose Amado Ricardo Guerra, with the function of assisting and aiding the President of the Council of Ministers, the First Vicepresident and the rest of the members of the Executive Committee in their activities, corresponding to article 97 of the Constitution of the Republic and the current legislation and thus this post does not legally constitute an authority with decision-making functions in government matters nor it is attributed to him any protagonic role in the direction of the Government.

In the framework of these decisions, the Political Bureau and the Council of State ratified the validity of the words of comrade Raul Castro on February 24, 2008 when he expressed: “…the institutionality is one of the pillars of invulnerability of the Revolution in the political area, that is why we must work to constantly perfect it. Not think ever that which we have done is perfect.” In correspondence with the aforesaid, it was deemed necessary to continue studying the current structure of the Government with the aim to reduce gradually its magnitude and heighten its efficiency

Castro jimxi fit-toroq tal-Havana - Christopher Cutajar

Nhar il-Gimgha li ghadda l-agenzija tal-ahbarijiet Reuters irrapurtat li Chavez (President tal-Venezwela) stqarr fuq ir-Radju li Fidel Castro hareg f'mixja taht sigurta' stretta gewwa l-Havana. Dan ghamlu wara sentejn li kien ilu ma jaghmel xi dehra pubblika. L-eks mexxej ta' Kuba li llum jghodd 82 sena wasal ukoll biex jikteb lil Chavez (f'wahda mill-ittri li jibghatlu spiss) li sahanitra mar "il-boghod" biex jara sigar li kien hawwel mal-erbghin sena ilu fil-bidu li Kuba bdiet titmexxa tahtu (1959).

Huwa interessanti li wiehed janalizza l-ghaliex ir-rivoluzzjoni socjalista gewwa Kuba irnexxielha zzomm sa issa. Jiena nemmen li whud mill-fatturi kienu l-intelligenza fit-tmexxija, l-investimenti fl-edukazzjoni u s-sahha, u l-kapacita' li jaghmlu l-bidliet necessarji mall-waqa' tal-Kamp Socjalista, ossija il-Hajt ta' Berlin.

Raul Castro, hu Fidel, issa li ghandu t-tmexxija ta' Kuba f'idu, donnu qed jaghti kaz hafna tal-htiega li l-ekonomija tkun aktar produttiva u efficjenti. Il-qasam agrikolu jehtieg li jipproduci aktar ghall-Kubani. L-uragani li kellhom dan l-ahhar servew ta' xkiel mill-akbar, izda xorta d-determinazzjoni fit-tmexxija tal-haddiema tibqa' hemmhekk.

(Fir-ritratt t'hawn fuq - mix-Xellug - Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, Raul Castro)

Kuba zortha f'Lulju li ghaddha. Mort Havana, Santa Clara u Cienfuegos. Ghandhom problemi f'dak li ghandu x'jaqsam trasport, xoghol produttiv u importazzjoni ta' makkinarju teknologiku. Mill-banda l-ohra in-nies jieklu sew, jilbsu sew, ghandhom kura ta' sahha tajba, edukazzjoni li taghti r-rizultati ghalkemm jixirqilha tirrikonoxxi aktar tipi ta' hsibijiet u fuq kollox livell kulturalment ta' l-ghageb.

Fil-hmistax li domt hemm rajt lil Raul jitkellem fl-assemblea nazzjonali (parlament taghhom), fuq it-televixin Kuban. Il-bniedem jidher li mhux biss irid jitkellem fuq il-problemi, izda wkoll jahdem biex isolvihom.

Awguri lil Fidel ghal aktar snin fuq dil-pjaneta. Awguri lil Raul sabiex Kuba tkun aqwa milli halliha huh il-kbir.

Stqarrija Stampa / Press Release - 16/02/09

Laqgha Generali tal-Ghaqda Malta-Kuba u Kumitat Gdid

L-Ghaqda Malta-Kuba tellghat il-laqgha generali biannalli ghal perjodu 2007-09 nhar il-Gimgha 6 ta’ Frar 2009. Fir-rapport ta’ Hidma ghall perjodu 2007-09, tissemma l-partecipazzjoni tal-Ghaqda fil-Brigata Jose Marti - attivita anwali fejn l-fuq min 150 zghazagh ewropew jiltaqghu flimkien sabiex jaghmlu xoghol volontarju u jsiru jafu l-Kuba b’mod uniku. L-ghaqda ippartecipat fl-edizzjoniet 2007 u 2008, f’ta’ l-ewwel b’zewg brigatisti u s-sena l-ohra bi tlett partecipanti.

Xoghol iehor f’dan il pejodu kien l-izvilupp ta’ sit elettroniku tal-ghaqda www.maltacuba.org. Fiha nsiebu kemm taghrif dwar l-Ghaqda u kif wiehed jista’ jissieheb bhala membru kif ukoll taghrif generali dwar Kuba. Jidhru ukoll avvizi dwar avvenimenti bhal konferenzi li jkunu sejrin isieru Kuba u li jistghu ikunu ta’ nteress ghal persuni specjalizzati Maltin, bhal ricerkaturi, xjenzjati, ghalliema, eccetra. Rokna interessanti li qajmet interess hija t-taqsima li fiha jidhru r-riflessjonijiet ta’ Fidel Castro.

Fid-dawl tal-urugani li laqtu lil-Kuba fl-2008, l-ghaqda hejjiet kampanja publika ta’ gbir ta fondi li wasslet sabiex ingabret is-somma ta’ € 705. Permezz ta’ Victor Degiovanni, l-ghaqda hadet sehem fil-Laqgha tal-Ghaqdiet ta’ Solidarjeta ma’ Kuba mill-pajjizi tal-Ewropa u pajjizi ohrajn. Din il-laqgha saret Terni - Italja - f’Ottubru 2008.

L-Ghaqda eleggiet ukoll il-kumitat ezekuttiv taghha ghas-snin 2009-11. Il-kumitat huwa maghmul kif gej :

President: Michael Camilleri
Segretarju: Mario Mifsud
Ufficjal Relazzjonijiet Pubblici: Andre’ Damato – li fliemkien ma’ Maria Catania jiffurmaw il-Unit ghar-relazzjonijiet publici.
Tezorier: Christopher Camilleri – li fliemkien ma’ Bernard Darmanin u Daniel Muscat jiffurmaw il-Kummissjoni ghal-fund-raising.
Kummissjoni Internazzjonali : Victor Degiovanni u David Pisani

Andre’ Damato
Ufficjal Relazzjonijiet Pubblici
andre.damato@gmail.com
00356 79370523

Press Release - 01/01/09 - Messagg fl-okkazjoni tal-50 sena mit-trijomf tar-Rivoluzzjoni Kubana.

L-Ghaqda Malta-Kuba bghatet dan il-Messagg lill Instituto Cubano de Amistad Con Los Pueblos(ICAP) fl-okkazjoni tal-5O sena mit-trijomf tar-Rivoluzzjoni Kubana.

Il-Mesagg iffirmat mill President tal- Ghaqda s-Sur Michael Camilleri, huwa indirrizat lill Jorge Marti Martinez. Jifrah lil-poplu u lil Gvern Kuban fl-okkazjoni Tal-Hamsin Sena mit-trjomf tar-Rivoluzzjoni Kubana u rijafferma is-Solidarjeta tal-Ghaqda Malta Kuba ghad-determinazzjoni tal-Poplu Kuban li jzomm iebes kontra l-forzi rejazzonjarji li joperaw mil-Istati Uniti(Kubani ta' Maimi)
L-Ghaqda Malta Kuba tikkundana l-atti terroristici immirati kontra Kuba, mwettqa min elementi kriminali fil komunita Kubana fl-Istati Uniti, u l-Embargo ekonomiku li l-Istati Uniti li kull sena jigi ikkundanat mill pajjizi membri tal-Gnus Maqghuda. L-Ghaqda tawgura li matul l-2009 l-amministrazzjoni l-gdida tibdel din il-politika ta animosta lejn Kuba.

L-Ghaqda tafferma is-solidarjeta taghha mal poplu Kuban kemm moralment u kif ukoll materjalment. Espressjoni ohra ta Solidarjeta mill-Ghaqda Malta-Kuba hi li kull sena tipperticipa fil Brigata Internazzjonali Jose Marti fejn zghzagh Maltin jaghmlu xoghol volontarju gewwa Kuba.

Malta Cuba participates in Jose-Marti

For the second consecutive year, last July a group of Maltese will participate in the yearly Jose-Marti Brigade. This is a Voluntary International Work Team where the participants spend two weeks in Caimito - Havana, working and socialising with Cubans and people from all across Europe.

Din is-sena 3 membri ta` l-ghaqda Malta-Kuba telghu ghal 16 -il jum Kuba sabiex jaghmlu parti mill-brigada Jose` Marti.

Fost attivitajiet li kelna nsemmu: