Many people in Antigua and Barbuda are surprised and worried when they read in the Antigua Sun that the Stanford 20/20 Board of Directors announced that Cuba will not be participating in the 2008 Stanford 20/20 Cricket Tournament. Antigua and Barbuda is an independent and sovereign country, why then can’t the Cuban cricketers participate in this tournament if they have been officially invited to participate. The team is scheduled to play in the opening game on January 25th, 2008 and an envoy of the Stanford 20/20 Board of Directors visited Cuba twice to coordinate its participation. The answer is found in the unjust, criminal and illegal blockade which U.S government have imposed on Cuba more than 40 years ago all because the Cuban people decided by its own to build its own destiny. Sport is one of the most beautiful human ways to unite countries, communities, societies, people and regions any where in the world. Cuba does not send soldiers to kill innocent people abroad or invade countries to steal its natural resource; on the contrary, Cuba sends doctors, nurses, teachers, constructors, engineers and musicians to support the efforts of the people in third world countries in their development. The Cuban Cricketers were very happy and enthusiastic to participate in the 2008 Stanford 20/20 Cricket Tournament, we saw it as a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the relations with our fellow cricketers and to visit this beautiful and friendly country where more than one hundred doctors, nurses, constructors, technicians, musicians and engineers are already working. However, once again the Bush Administration interferes in the internal affairs of Caribbean countries; only some months ago The US ambassador in Barbados urged the people of the Caribbean to speak out against Cuba. This is of course because what is at stake is that Bush Administration is afraid of the friendship, and cooperation links which unite Cuba and the Caribbean people. And the significance of the Petrocaribe in the development of the OECS. History can not be stopped, the unjust and criminal blockade sooner or later will be lifted due to the awakening of the people of United States themselves, the international opposition to the blockade is seen each year in the General Assembly of United Nations and the historical and patriotic resistance of the Cuban people who are demonstrating that a better world is possible. (Cubaminrex-Embacuba Antigua y Barbuda) |