"The elite in our countries don't like us."

Alexandre Haubrich, from Havana, special correspondent for 247 - “I don’t complain, because in Brazil, the press likes me a lot, they only speak well of me… I was born this way, I am this way, and I will die this way, irritating them.” It was in this relaxed tone that former President Lula spoke during the closing of the Third International Conference for the Balance of the World, at the Havana Convention Palace, this Wednesday. Despite his criticism of the press, Lula avoided mentioning the Argentine Media Law or the possibility of a Brazilian version, preferring to call for integration among Latin American activists via the internet.

“We often complain about the press. We complain and don't do what's within our reach,” he said. “With the internet, if we had unity in Latin America, with our blogs, Twitter, Facebook, we would revolutionize communication, and we wouldn't need to ask them to publish what we wanted anymore,” he added. Lula also highlighted that the “media attacks” don't only happen in Brazil, but in all countries with progressive governments in Latin America: “The elite of our countries don't like us, not because of the mistakes we've made, but because of the successes we've had,” he said.

The event where the former president spoke was dedicated to the 160th anniversary of the birth of Cuban hero José Martí and began on Monday. The meeting included debates on topics such as the environment and communication, and featured lectures by Ignacio Ramonet, Atílio Boron, Frei Betto, and many other prominent intellectuals and politicians from various fields of the global left.

Conference

The Conference brought together delegates from dozens of countries and members of the South American Brigade of Solidarity with Cuba, which includes 80 Brazilians from various states. The brigade members have been in the country since January 20th to learn about the Cuban reality. On Tuesday, before the launch of Fernando Morais' book, Lula received a document prepared by the José Martí Association of Rio Grande do Sul and supported by the Brazilian Brigade in defense of the "Five Heroes," Cubans who have been imprisoned in the United States for 14 years after infiltrating anti-Cuban terrorist organizations.

The main conference room at the Convention Palace was packed to hear Lula speak for about an hour, mainly addressing the issue of Latin American integration, before praising the achievements of his government and calling on rich countries to help the African continent – ​​a theme increasingly present in all of Lula's speeches around the world.

The former president began his speech by explaining the slight delay, which was due to being with the historic Cuban leader Fidel Castro and having lunch with the country's current president, Raul Castro. Before presenting his prepared remarks, he requested a minute of silence for those killed in the Kissi nightclub fire in Santa Maria (RS), a matter of complete knowledge, and offered condolences to the Cuban people. Lula also mentioned wearing a red shirt in homage to Hugo Chávez, before receiving a standing ovation from all those present.

Critics

Criticism of rich countries began in the United States. “Americans turn a deaf ear when something happens in Latin America. They only saw Latin America as a means to support military coups,” he said, before criticizing the blockade imposed on Cuba and recalling that, in addition to the 160th anniversary of Martí's birth, 2013 marks the 60th anniversary of the Assault on the Moncada Barracks, an event that initiated the Cuban Revolution, even before the guerrilla warfare that would ultimately be victorious in 1959. Lula stated that he recently held a meeting with 40 intellectuals to discuss the integration of Latin America, and spoke of the need to create “a doctrine of integration,” with clear objectives.

Seeking to steer his speech towards the event's theme, the former Brazilian president recalled the ideas of José Martí, hero of Cuban independence: “Martí fought for the most just causes of his time: the independence of Cuba and the liberation of Latin America. His thought and action knew no geographical or political boundaries. 'Homeland is humanity,' the leader taught.”

For more than half of his speech, Lula focused on his government's achievements, especially regarding income-generating policies. "There was a time when the poor were the problem, and we proved that the poor are part of the solution to the country's problems," he said. And he asserted that no economics degree is needed to understand the equation: "It's simple: if you have a million dollars and give it to a rich person, they'll put it in their bank account. If you take that million dollars and distribute a little bit to a thousand people, it will translate into the consumption of clothes and food the next day, and the economy will start to grow."

After listing policies in this regard, he added: "This whole set of policies caused a small revolution." Regarding one of the main criticisms from the left against his government and Dilma Rousseff, he defended himself: "When we came to power, we also had a commitment to social movements, which were mainly active in relation to agrarian reform. In 8 years, we expropriated 56% of all Brazilian land expropriated in 500 years of history." And he added: "Not that we have anything against the big players, because agribusiness is very important for Brazil, but when it comes to food, it is the small producers who put most of the food on our table."

Energy

The “energy crisis,” a recurring theme in the mainstream media in recent months, was also present in Lula's speech: “I think that soon President Dilma will be able to announce the universalization of electricity in Brazil.” He also reiterated his claim to be “the president who created the most universities in the country's history,” despite not having a university degree himself, and recalled that “in the last 10 years, 28 million Brazilians have been lifted out of poverty.”

At the end of his speech, the former president touched on the issue of the economic crisis and again criticized rich countries, now for spending "to save the financial system" and for the lack of aid to Africa: "We cannot pay the debt we have with Africans in money, so we have to pay with solidarity." Lula also called on rich countries to change this attitude and dismantle trade barriers with Africans: "African countries don't want any favors, they only want the right to sell what they produce without the protectionist barriers of rich countries."