Location:
The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium
In April, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro took advantage of the
conflict in Iraq to crackdown on peaceful dissidents in his own
country. But instead of sweeping discontent under the carpet, he
attracted unanticipated attention. Not only were his actions
repudiated by international figures whom once supported him, but
also the center of public interest shifted from Castro to the
dissidents working to define a framework for future democracy and
respect for human rights. Heidi Ewing's film, Dissident,
documents this struggle and most particularly the work of dissident
Oswaldo Payá and others involved in the Varela Project, an
endeavor last year which collected 11,000 petition signatures for a
referendum on Cuban socialism.
Join us for a look at this fascinating documentary, which replaced
Oliver Stone's film, Comandante (about Fidel Castro), at
the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City earlier this month.
Discussing the status of the dissidents will be Gerardo LeChavelier
of the National Democratic Institute and Francisco de Armas, who
represents the Varela Project.
More About the Speakers
Heidi Ewing?s documentary film
Dissident
With comments from
Gerardo Le Chevallier
Director Latin America and the Caribbean, the National
Democratic Institute
Francisco de Armas
The Varela Project