History
The Southern Cross Brigade is organised by friendship societies in Australia and New Zealand, in collaboration with the Cuban Institute for Friendship Amongst Peoples (ICAP), which is an organisation that maintains links with hundreds of organisations around the world with the aim of strengthening international friendship and solidarity.
The first brigade from Australia to Cuba was named the Eureka Brigade and left Australia in December 1983, returning in January of 1984. After this, New Zealanders were also invited and the brigade became known as the Southern Cross Brigade, or Brigada Cruz del Sur in Spanish. For 37 years straight, the Southern Cross Brigade engaged travellers in this important cultural exchange. Due to COVID-19, there has not been a Brigade since 2020. The 2022-23 Brigade, therefore, will not only be the 38th iteration of this historical journey, but also a celebration and reconnection between long-standing friends.
The Southern Cross Brigade is attended by Australians and New Zealanders of all ages and backgrounds. Age is no barrier, as we have had brigadistas as young as 6 and as old as 88!
Many countries around the world have friendship societies that run similar brigades. Every year, brigadistas visit Cuba from Canada, the US, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, the UK, South Korea, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, and other South American nations. These brigades aim to encourage international solidarity with Cuba and to give non-Cubans a personal connection to the Cuban Revolution.
The first brigade from Australia to Cuba was named the Eureka Brigade and left Australia in December 1983, returning in January of 1984. After this, New Zealanders were also invited and the brigade became known as the Southern Cross Brigade, or Brigada Cruz del Sur in Spanish. For 37 years straight, the Southern Cross Brigade engaged travellers in this important cultural exchange. Due to COVID-19, there has not been a Brigade since 2020. The 2022-23 Brigade, therefore, will not only be the 38th iteration of this historical journey, but also a celebration and reconnection between long-standing friends.
The Southern Cross Brigade is attended by Australians and New Zealanders of all ages and backgrounds. Age is no barrier, as we have had brigadistas as young as 6 and as old as 88!
Many countries around the world have friendship societies that run similar brigades. Every year, brigadistas visit Cuba from Canada, the US, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, the UK, South Korea, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, and other South American nations. These brigades aim to encourage international solidarity with Cuba and to give non-Cubans a personal connection to the Cuban Revolution.
What we do
The 38th edition of the Southern Cross Brigade will kick off on 29 December 2022. The Southern Cross Brigade offers Australian and New Zealand friends of Cuba the opportunity to learn more about the island nation's unique, yet often misunderstood, political history and to participate in Cuba’s rich cultural heritage. As Cuba, Australia and New Zealand reopen, there is no better time to join the brigade and to find out what life is like in socialist Cuba!
Brigadistas (brigade participants) will also meet with a range of Cubans who work for national organisations, such as the unions and the Women’s Federation, as well as people working in government, including economists and foreign affairs experts. Participants will also experience agricultural life, spending five mornings alongside Cuban farmers doing agricultural activities such as fruit picking, pruning or planting.
The majority of the three week trip will be spent in a camp about an hour’s drive outside of Havana. Preliminary plans for the 2022 edition include travel to the provinces of Matanzas and Villa Clara, as well as time in Havana. Brigadistas will visit museums and sites, such as the Che Guevara Mausoleum, Fidel Castro Centre and Playa Girón (Bay of Pigs) Museum, as well as locations related to the creation and distribution of Cuba's home-grown COVID-19 vaccines and discussions with volunteers fighting the pandemic in health centres. There will also be time to explore localities and speak with locals on your own.
International flights, visas and health insurance are not included in the cost sought by the Southern Cross Brigade and will need to be arranged separately.
Brigadistas (brigade participants) will also meet with a range of Cubans who work for national organisations, such as the unions and the Women’s Federation, as well as people working in government, including economists and foreign affairs experts. Participants will also experience agricultural life, spending five mornings alongside Cuban farmers doing agricultural activities such as fruit picking, pruning or planting.
The majority of the three week trip will be spent in a camp about an hour’s drive outside of Havana. Preliminary plans for the 2022 edition include travel to the provinces of Matanzas and Villa Clara, as well as time in Havana. Brigadistas will visit museums and sites, such as the Che Guevara Mausoleum, Fidel Castro Centre and Playa Girón (Bay of Pigs) Museum, as well as locations related to the creation and distribution of Cuba's home-grown COVID-19 vaccines and discussions with volunteers fighting the pandemic in health centres. There will also be time to explore localities and speak with locals on your own.
International flights, visas and health insurance are not included in the cost sought by the Southern Cross Brigade and will need to be arranged separately.
