Independence Daze
Coming face to Face with America's Foes
Mark D. Hamilton
October 1, 2001
The huge room dressed in red, white, and blue is filled with people from a melting pot of cultures. They wave flags with pride as they gather to celebrate a nation's independence and its missionary role in constructing a more peaceful and just world. The vice president rises to deafening applause as he speaks of participatory government, protection of domestic workers and consumers, and continued economic progress undergirded by local cultural values, patriotism, and "spirituality." What follows is a passionate denunciation of those "rogue nations" that flout international law and depend on repression, corruption, and ideological propaganda to maintain control. Outside, hot dogs, pizza, ice cream, and other snacks are sold by a crew of chattering vendors who wipe their brows under the blazing sun. The trappings are strikingly reminiscent of a good ol' Fourth of July celebration-lacking only a patriotic Lee Greenwood chorus, a bite of grandma's homemade apple pie, and a spectacular fireworks show. Nevertheless, I, as a U.S. citizen, feel little need to remind our small group of North American Christian university students that we are not in Kansas anymore. Rather, we find ourselves surrounded by unfamiliar people in a most unfamiliar land-seated among more than 4,000 delegates from 118 countries who have filled the Karl Marx Theater of La Habana for the second World Encounter for Friendship and Solidarity with Cuba. This visit to Cuba is a component of an intensive semester-long exploration of Latin American politics, economics, language, and culture sponsored by member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. We enter Cuba much as we have Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala-ready to learn about ...
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