by Cindy Domingo, Cuba and the Bolivarian Alliance Issue Committee

Dr. Norma Vasallo Barrueta has received clearance for a US tour from April 18 to June 10, 2015. WILPF had invited the University of Havana professor for a 2014 speaking tour, but she received her visa too late – a tactic used to undermine US tours.

We invite branches to invite Dr. Vasallo, professor of social psychology and director of the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Havana, to their cities.  She can speak on the achievements and challenges of Cuban women past and present, the impact of economic and social changes in Cuba for Cuban women and their families and Cuban women’s identities through the generations.  She is a respected international scholar and feminist and has just published a new book, Distant Sounds, Nearby Voices, Feminist Viewpoints.

Unfortunately, while Dr. Vasallo was granted a US visa, Isel Calzadilla Acosta, who was invited by WILPF to come this spring to speak about the struggle against homophobia in Cuba, was denied a visa last week.  The discrepancies used in issuing US visas to Cubans is one of the topics currently being negotiated between the US and Cuban governments.

Please contact Cindy Domingo, chair of the Cuba and Bolivarian Alliance Issue Committee at cindydomingo@gmail for more information.  Financial assistance may be possible for this tour.