Subject: Pan Afrikan Tribute To Fidel Castro(Correct Version)From: norman@ckln.fmDate: Wed, May 28, 2008 3:38 pmTo: norman@ckln.fm

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TRIBUTE TO FIDEL CASTRO, MAY 28, 2008 By Norman (Otis) Richmond

The Pan-Afrikan Tribute to Fidel Castro in Toronto was a success. Despitethe fact that only Omme Rahemtullah of CKLN-FM 88.1 and CHRY-FM 105.5, andPhil Taylor of CIUT-FM 89.5 promoted the event about 30 people of all agesand nationalities came out to pay tribute to Castro.

The event took placeat the Trane Studio, 964 Bathurst St., Toronto, Canada on Monday, May26th. This event was organized to coincide with the 45th anniversary of AfrikanLiberation Day. There was a panel discussion featuring Heather Kere ofUnited Black Students @ Ryerson and Dr. Keith Ellis. The film �Cuba!Africa! Revolution!� was screened after the discussion. The idea for a Pan Afrikan Tribute for Castro came from Baffour Ankomah,the editor of the London based �New African� magazine. Ankomah wrote: �

In the 1970s and 1980s, Fidel Castro sent 350,000 Cuban soldiers, civiliansand doctors to support the African liberation struggle, especially inAngola, Namibia, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, and Sao Tome &Principe� A good 2,077 Cubans died fighting in Africa.� Ankomah also suggests that people study Castro�s life. �Interestingly, inhis memoirs, Castro talks about Cuba�s love affair with Africa with suchgusto and passion that you might think it happened only yesterday.� Titled�My Life, Fidel Castro� �.

Every African must get a copy!� Elombe Brath, Professor Ron Wilkins, Kali Akuno, and Abayomi Azikiweendorsed the idea. Brath and Wilkins represent the Patrice LumumbaCoalition in New York City and Los Angeles respectively Akuno is with theMalcolm X Grassroots Movement and Azikiwe is the editor of the �PanAfrican News Wire�.

The Detroit based Azikiwe, screened the film Cuba!African! Revoltuion! in February to commemorate the 150th anniversary ofthe birth of W.E.B.Du Bois. A copy of Muhammad Ahmad�s (Maxwell Stanford Jr.�s), �We Will Return InThe Whirlwind: Black Radical Organizations 1960-1975� was raffled at theevent.

Stanford was one of the first African Americans to visitrevolutionary Cuba in the 1960s. In 1990, he along with Assata Shakur,Elombe Brath, Rosemari Mealy, Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael), AbdulAkalimat and others were in Cuba when the island paid tribute to El-HajjMalik-El Shabazz (Malcolm X). Azikiwe, pointed out, �Fidel Castro should not only be honored on AfricanLiberation Day but every day we live and breathe on this earth.�

For more information email norman@ckln.fm or call Norman Richmond, 416979-5251 ext 2372.