FRSO Seattle hosts screening of “Che: Un Hombre Nuevo” amid Trump’s escalation of Cuba blockade
Seattle, WA — On February 7, two dozen people attended fundraiser for medical aid for Cuba hosted by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. The fundraiser featured a screening of the Spanish-language documentary Che: Un Hombre Nuevo and a panel discussion with activists who had all recently been to Cuba and who shared details about the blockaded country.
Recent escalations to the unilateral sanctions on Cuba by the U.S. are not only violations of international law but represent the dying gasps of an empire no longer able to achieve its imperial aims through “soft power.” Cuba may pose no material danger to the United States, but its successful socialist revolution, refusal to bend a knee, and continued humanitarian support and solidarity to sovereign nations under similar threat from the U.S. empire – Venezuela is only one example – makes it an ideological threat to a state that relies on a lie: that the only viable way of life is under capitalism.
Che: Un Hombre Nuevo (2010), a film by Tristán Bauer, shows the thoughts of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, the doctor-turned-revolutionary born in Argentina who became one of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro’s most trusted comrades-in-arms during Cuba’s revolutionary struggle.
In this documentary, which took 12 years to come together, viewers are able to understand the day-to-day of revolutionary struggle, the hardships of training, the material support of the rural peasants; incredible strides made post-revolution through literacy campaigns and carefully planned industrialization; the personal sacrifices of those who serve the revolution, just to name a few details – through private archives, letters and recordings. These powerful footages and narrative dispel the propaganda of the U.S. empire that aim to delegitimize the socialist revolution to manufacture consent for imperialism’s unilaterally imposed sanctions which kill thousands through what is effectively a modern-day siege.
Beyond the informative aspects of the documentary, the brave struggle of the people who fought to liberate Cuba from the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista serves as an inspiration to all those who fight for liberation today. As Che himself says, “The eagerness to sacrifice a life for the good of the noble ideals is useless if it is a one-man effort. To start a revolution, you need the people mobilized as a whole.”
After the documentary, a panel that included Nolan Good, a member of FRSO Seattle who was on the 2025 May Day Brigade, and Cindy Domingo, a labor leader and activist who has visited Cuba regularly since the 90s, answered questions from the audience about daily life in Cuba.
Cuba’s revolution is threatened by tightening U.S. sanctions designed to force regime change on the country. Now more than ever all progressive people should stand up and say “Hands off Cuba! End the blockade now! ¡Cuba sí! ¡Bloqueo no!”