Introduction
In the News
Photos
Sponsors
[Cuba images provided courtesy of photographer Bill Hackwell. Follow him on Flickr!]
Program
Contact
Forty internationally renowned Cuba scholars, policy-makers and policy analysts gathered at Dalhousie University in Halifax to take the measure of “The Cuban Revolution at 60.”
All sessions were be open to the public, and free.
The three-day symposium (October 31–November 2,) was highlighted by addresses by two of the key players in the historic 2014 re-opening of relations between Cuba and the United States: Josefina Vidal, now Cuba’s ambassador to Canada and then Cuba’s chief negotiator with the Americans, and Jeffrey DeLaurentis, the first US ambassador to Cuba following the renewal of relations, each offered personal reflections on what happened then, and what isn’t happening now.
Attendees learned the results of the very latest research into a controversial and mysterious ailment reported by some US and Canadian diplomats in Cuba. Dr. Alon Friedman, a ground-breaking neuroscientist at the Dalhousie University Brain Repair Centre who recently led a multidisciplinary study into the so-called “Havana Syndrome” for Global Affairs Canada, presented his findings at the conference.
Leading Cuba specialists from Cuba, the UK, Latin America, Europe, the United States and Canada also participated in a series of panels to assess the successes and challenges of the Cuban economy, Cuba-US relations and Cuba’s international relations. Other panels focused on climate change and ecological challenges facing the island, as well as social change, including issues of race, gender (in)equity, health and sexual diversity.
“This year not only marked the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution,” noted John Kirk, an internationally renowned Cuba scholar and one of the organizers of the event, “but it was also a time of historic transformation on the island: leadership change, constitutional reform, and a complex process of economic developments. This was a good opportunity to discuss the progress Cuba has made over the past 60 years and perhaps more importantly, to analyze current developments.”
Support for “The Cuban Revolution at 60” was generously provided by the Ford Foundation, the Christopher Reynolds Foundation, The Social Sciences and the Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), WOLA, Dalhousie University, CUPW, Saint Mary’s University, the Office of the Mayor (Halifax), the Canadian Network on Cuba, Dalhousie Global Health, and NSCuba, among others.
Saturday activities were held in theScotiabank Auditorium, McCain Building, 6135 University Avenue
Dalhousie University is an accessible campus. Details.
The Thursday and Friday activities were held in the McInnes Room, Student Union Building, Dalhousie University, 6136 University Avenue
PRESS RELEASE - 01 NOV 2019
PRESS RELEASE - 09 OCT 2019 #1
PRESS RELEASE - 03 OCT 2019
Media inquiries and requests for interviews with conference organizers or any of our speakers during the event, contact:
Stephen Kimber — media@cuba60.ca
Questions relating to The Cuban Revolution at 60 international conference can be sent to info@cuba60.ca
PRESS RELEASE - 30 AUG 2019
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PRESS RELEASE - 09 OCT 2019 #2
PRESS RELEASE - 02 NOV 2019
PRESS RELEASE - 21 SEPT 2019
REGISTER NOW
Financial and in-kind support for The Cuban Revolution at 60 international conference was generously provided by the following organizations:
Office of the Mayor
Cheques may be sent to:
Cuba@60 c/o NSCUBA,17 Walter Havill DriveHalifax, Nova Scotia
Canada, B3N 3H4
Your support is appreciated!
1959
The Lord Nelson Hotel is pleased to extend the group rate based on the availability of Classic and Petite guestrooms. Please contact the hotel directly at 1-800-565-2020 and ask for the Cuba at 60 rate, or reference booking number 7845
2019
The Cuban Revolution at 60 international conference is free to attend, thanks to the financial support of our partners.
We encourage participants to provide a financial donation to offset the ongoing costs of maintaining online access to conference information following its conclusion, and additional unbudgeted costs that are likely to arise.
Canadian eTransfers kindly accepted via novascotiacuba@gmail.com — please send a separate email indicating the security password (if required) to that address."
"For U.S.-based or other international transactions, please contact us to make other arrangements. There will be a representative on-site at the event to receive cash donations as well.
LINK OPENS TO AN EXTERNAL PAGE
...the most important [academic event] held outside Cuba....
Ambassador of Cuba to Canada
Josefina Vidal
Emily Morris (University College London)
PROGRAMME DOWNLOAD
4:00pm
Josefina Vidal (Ambassador of Cuba to Canada)
9:00am
11:00am
Thursday, October 31
7:00pm—8:30pm: Inauguration and Opening Panel
THURSDAY
SATURDAY
Rafael Hernández (Editor of Temas)
Chair: William LeoGrande (American University)
* * *
Cuba and the Cuban Revolution: Overview and Personal Reflections
1:30pm
FRIDAY
2:00pm
Welcoming Remarks from Conference Organizer, Dr. John Kirk
Bagpiper, Rod MacInnis
Welcoming Remarks from Dr. Patricia Doyle-Bedwell
Welcoming Remarks from Mayor of Halifax, Mike Savage
The Cuban Revolution at 60
Photo by Daniel Salas
Helen Yaffe (University of Glasgow)
Hal Klepak (Royal Military College)
Question & Answer Session
Carlos Alzugaray (Member of Temas editorial board)
Friday, November 1
9:00—10:30am: Setting the Historical Scene: Evolution of the Revolution (McInnes Room, 2nd floor, Student Union Building)
Chair: Rafael Hernandez (Revista Temas)
Antoni Kapcia (University of Nottingham)
Chair: Helen Yaffe (University of Glasgow)
Paolo Spadoni (Augusta University),
—Cuba’s External Trade and Investment Sectors
Al Campbell (University of Utah)
—Building a Prosperous and Sustainable Socialism:
Successes and Challenges
Ricardo Torres (CEEC),
Economic Reforms/Macroeconomics
Saturday, November 2
9:00—10:30am: Economic Change in Cuba: Successes and Challenges
All panelists - open discussion
Q&A Session
Other Media:
Interview with Stephen Kimber
—CTV News Atlantic (7 November 2019)
Cuba's Shift From Sustainability Laggard to Climate Leader
—Dal News (7 November 2019)
Cuban Ambassador ‘Realistic’ but Hopes for Better US-Cuba Relations
—Cuba Business Report (1 November 2019)
The Havana Syndrome—An Answer from Science
—Cuba Business Report (1 November 2019)
Halifax conference examines the Cuban Revolution, 60 years later
—Halifax Chronicle-Herald (1 November 2019)
Media coverage
Former US Ambassador to Cuba to offer "personal reflections" at Conference
—Cuba Business Report (2 October 2019)
Halifax conference attendees hope Cuban-U.S. relations setbacks can be reversed
—Halifax Chronicle-Herald (3 November 2019)
Taking Stock of the Cuban Revolution, 60 Years Later
—Dal News (25 October 2019)
A Tree and a Toast to Cuba-Nova Scotia Friendship
—Cuba Business Report (2 November 2019)
Prestigiosa universidad de Canadá celebra conferencia sobre Cuba (+Fotos)
–Prensa Latina (1 November 2019 —Spanish)
The Cuban Revolution at 60
—Cuba Business Report (1 October 2019)
Two key players of U.S.-Cuba normalization to headline conference
—Cuba Standard (2 October 2019)
Valerie Miller (Environmental Defense Fund),
—Building a Network for a Sustainable Ocean
Emily Kirk (Dalhousie University)
—Disaster Management in Cuba:
A Health-based Approach
11:00am—12:30pm: Surviving Climate Change,
Envisioning the Ecological Future
Rebekah Stewart (Center for Responsible Travel),
—The Potential for Ecotourism in Cuba
Margarita Fernández (Vermont Caribbean Institute),
—Agroecology, Food and the Climate Crisis:
Transition, Adaptation and Building Resilience
in Cuba
Welcoming Remarks - Dalhousie University
Dr. Teresa Balser
Friday, November 1
Chair: Julia Sagebien (Dalhousie University)
Q&A Session + Wrap-up
1:30—2:00pm Keynote Address:
Alon Friedman
(Department of Neurology, Dalhousie University)
The ‘Havana Syndrome’: An Analysis of the Canadian Diplomats’ Health in Cuba
Introduction by Shelagh Savage
Photo by Will McLernon
Q&A Session
María José Espinosa
(Center for Democracy in the Americas)
—Women and LGBTQ+ in a Changing Cuban Society
Q&A Session
Gail Reed (MEDICC)
—Health in Cuba: Crossroads and Crosshairs
(unable to attend)
Yulexis Almeida (University of Havana)
—The Intersection of Race and Gender
Chair: Meg Crahan (Columbia University)
María del Carmen Zabala (FLACSO Cuba)
—Equidad social en Cuba: logros y desafíos
en el contexto actual
Harold Cárdenas (Columbia University)
—Youth
2:00—3:30pm: Social Change in Cuba: Past Successes, Future Challenges
Meg Crahan (Columbia University)
Helen Yaffe (University of Glasgow)
Carlos Alzugaray (Temas)
Peter Kornbluh (National Security Archives)
Geoff Thale (Washington Office on Latin America)
4:00—5:30pm Mesa Abierta: Discussion of the Day’s Themes:
Chair: Anthony Kapcia (University of Nottingham)
11:00am—12:30pm: Cuba and the United States—A Roundtable Discussion
Ricardo Herrero (Cuba Study Group)
William LeoGrande (American University)
Robert L. Muse (Washington, D.C. lawyer)
Saturday, November 2
Chair: Geoff Thale (WOLA)
Carlos Alzugaray (Temas)
1:30-2:00pm Keynote Address:
Jeffrey DeLaurentis (Georgetown University and Former US Ambassador to Cuba) “US-Cuba Relations: Personal Reflections”
Chair: Isaac Saney (Dalhousie University)
2:00—3:30pm: Cuba’s International Relations, Now and Tomorrow
H. Michael Erisman (Indiana State University)
—Cuba as a PetroPower?: Foreign Relations Implications
Ana Covarrubias (Colegio de México)
—Cuba’s Relations with Mexico
Mervyn Bain (University of Aberdeen)
—Cuba and Russia
John Kirk (Dalhousie University)
—Cuba-Canada Relations
Rafael Hernández (Editor, Temas)
Ricardo Torres (University of Havana)
4:00—5:30pm: Closing Plenary: Survival, Development and Sovereignty
Hal Klepak (Royal Military College of Canada),
Chair: Mario Bronfman (Ford Foundation)
Josefina Vidal (Ambassador of Cuba to Canada)