Alan Woods – Venezuela, Cuba, and the Future of the Latin American Revolution

When: 11/14/12 1:00PM – 3:00PM

Location: University of Minnesota, Coffman Memorial Union – 300 Washington Avenue SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455

Description: In 2002, a U.S.-sponsored coup ousted the democratically elected president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. In the days that followed, for the first time in Latin American history, the Venezuelan masses mobilized and succeeded in overturning the coup and bringing back their president. Shortly thereafter, the Hands Off Venezuela Campaign was launched to raise awareness and defend the Venezuelan people’s right to determine their own destiny.

For over a decade since then, the Latin American Revolution has swept the continent, transforming the lives and consciousness of millions of people in the region and around the world. For the first time in decades, the question of socialism was back on the agenda throughout the region. Should a country’s resources be used to provide things like housing, education, and health care to the majority, or should they go to line the pockets of a rich minority and foreign multinationals?
What is the future of the Latin American Revolution? Of the Venezuelan Revolution? Of the Cuban Revolution? What can we learn from the heroic struggles of the masses of this vast region? What can we do to help spread awareness of the exciting developments taking place in our own hemisphere?

London-based Alan Woods, founder of the Hands Off Venezuela Campaign, and chief political editor of the In Defense of Marxism website (www.marxist.com) will discuss these topics and more at this special afternoon event. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, for media opportunities, or to co-sponsor this event, please contact La Raza at [email protected] or John Peterson at [email protected] or 651-373-7609.

Sponsored by La Raza Student Cultural Center, Hands Off Venezuela, Workers International League, the Student Marxist Association, Socialist Appeal, Wellred Books