With Cuba, always! UNE’s solidarity with the rebel island spans generations

This week, we embarked for Cuba. Bianca Borges, current president of UNE, accompanied by three former presidents — Orlando Silva, Gustavo Petta and Manuella Mirella — as part of the “Comboio Nuestra América”, an international mobilization of solidarity with the Cuban people. We took donations collected by the “With Cuba, Always!” campaign. and, more than that, we carry the historical message of the Brazilian student movement: the fight for peace, for the sovereignty of the people and against imperialism.

The presence of four generations of UNE leaders in this mission is not accidental. It is the recognition that international solidarity is not a management agenda, but a permanent commitment that spans decades of the entity’s history. Since its founding in 1937, UNE has defended the end of wars, the self-determination of peoples and the construction of a world without blockades, invasions or imperialist interventions.

Peace as a principle, solidarity as a practice

The defense of peace has always been a hallmark of UNE. We denounce the Wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, we mobilize against military invasions in Latin America and, today, we remain firm against all forms of imperialism that threaten sovereign peoples. For us, defending peace is not rhetorical speech — it is concretely confronting the causes of wars: greed for natural resources, economic submission and the cruel blockade against nations that dared to choose their own path.

Cuba has resisted the economic blockade imposed by the United States for more than 65 years. This siege is not just an abstract trade sanction — it is a systematic policy of suffocation that prevents access to food, medicine, energy and essential supplies. In recent years, especially during the Trump administration, the blockade has been intensified with new sanctions that directly affect companies and countries that trade with Cuba, deepening the energy and humanitarian crisis on the island.

In view of this, it is up to countries in the Global South, especially Latin America and the Caribbean, to mobilize in concrete solidarity. Break blockades, create humanitarian chains and ensure that imperialism does not advance against peoples who resist heroically. The Cuban Revolution transformed the life and history of Cuba, guaranteed universal education and healthcare, eradicated illiteracy and became a world reference in science and medicine. This revolution spans generations and is still alive, despite everything.

Generations united for the same cause

The composition of this train symbolizes the historical continuity of the student struggle for international solidarity. Orlando Silva presided over UNE between 1995 and 1997, in a period marked by resistance to neoliberalism and the reorganization of social movements after the redemocratization and impeachment of Collor. After his administration, he joined the World Federation of Democratic Youth (FMJD), strengthening the international ties of progressive youth.

Gustavo Petta led the entity between 2003 and 2005, a period in which UNE hosted the OCLAE Latin American and Caribbean Student Congress together with the UNE Biennial, an event that was attended by President Lula, Evo Morales, Cristina Kirchner and Minister Gilberto Gil, among other leaders. It was a historic moment of Latin American integration and affirmation of student leadership in the region.

Manuella Mirella presided over UNE between 2023 and 2025, a management marked by major mobilizations in defense of Palestine. Several actions were carried out at universities, and the 2025 Congress, which ended its term, ended with a great act of solidarity with the Palestinian people. His administration also hosted the Regional Higher Education Conference (CRES), an international event that discussed inclusion, diversity and policies for university education in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Now, Bianca Borges, elected in 2025, leads the UNE in a context of global conservative offensive and deepening structural crises. Under his presidency, the entity launched the “With Cuba, Always!” campaign, mobilizing students from all over Brazil to raise funds and medicines for the Cuban people. This initiative speaks directly to the historical tradition of UNE, such as the “O Petróleo é Nosso” campaign in the 1950s, which mobilized the country for national sovereignty.

Rebellion that spans generations

What unites us — four presidents from different generations — is the conviction that the fight for international solidarity does not grow old, does not retire, does not get tired. With each generation, imperialism reinvents itself, but so does the resistance of the people. And UNE, fulfilling its historic role, continues alongside those who resist.

Bringing medicines to Cuba is a concrete humanitarian gesture. But carrying the Brazilian students’ message is, above all, a political gesture: Cuba is not alone. Latin America will not abandon those who inspired it to dream of revolution, sovereignty and dignity. As long as there is blockage, there will be resistance. As long as there is imperialism, there will be solidarity.

This train is the rebellion that inspires us. It is hope that moves us. It is the story that unites us. With Cuba, always!