The Cuba Friendship Society invites you to two public meetings in Auckland to hear Ezequiel Morales from Cuba.

Ezequiel Morales was born to a peasant family. In his early years, he walked the streets cleaning shoes and selling cakes in order to support his family and to pay a teacher to tutor in reading and writing. In 1959, when the Batista dictatorship in Cuba was overthrown and the revolution triumphed, he was eight years old.

Ezequiel’s vocation in education dates back to his childhood, when at the age of 10 he joined the nationwide Literacy Campaign carried out in Cuba in 1961, and taught two illiterate peasants how to read and write. He worked as a teacher and was a leader of the Union of Educators until 1996, when he began his current work at the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP).

Ezequiel will speak on "Cuba and World Literacy" at 6pm, Thursday, May 12 at the University of Auckland, lecture theatre B15 in the library basement, Alfred Street. There will be a reception and public meeting at the Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, on Friday, May 13 at 6pm, where Ezequiel will speak on "Where is Cuba headed?"

Any donations to help pay Ezequiel's airfares and associated tour costs will be greatly appreciated. They can be brought to the meetings or posted to Cuba Friendship Society, c/- 8/26A Sunnynook Road, Forrest Hill, Auckland 0620.

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