Communism is a worldwide movement. For the first time in 1978, the regular Soviet backed world youth festivals was held outside eastern Europe and in a poor brown country. Things got a little weird. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelists.
This really is a great emblem for the convention that captures what happened very well. As the movement expands outward from where it started in Europe, it will naturally change to cope with the sensibilities of the new arrivals. That doesn’t mean it won’t be fun though and you could never tell where or when Fidel Castro would pop up to sign autographs and hand you a cigar. You wouldn’t have gotten that at the previous youth convention in East Berlin. Interestingly, the official emblem for the event in Cuba has been dumbed down. Below is what they display now.
Todays stamp is issue A898, a 1.5 Zloty stamp issued by Poland on July 12th, 1978. It was a single stamp issue. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents whether used or unused.
The theme of these conventions was anti imperialist solidarity, peace, and friendship. Thousands would gather, mostly eastern European youth, but a few invited westerners, ( the several hundred Americans had to travel by way of Canada to get around the travel ban) and solemnly debate how best to bring the world the good news of communism. Sorry but the Cubans really weren’t interested in that. Those debates were in Havana considered derisive and against the party atmosphere. What they instead had in mind was listening to the Africans such as Oliver Tambo tell them how great they were for being multiracial followed by the grievance porn of what went on in South Africa. Then the delegates and Cubans would celebrate until late at night with street dancing in a Latin Carnival atmosphere. Neighborhood committees of the Defenders of the Revolution had stands set up where they would hand out rum and cigars and offer Samba demonstrations.
The western young lefties seemed to be the biggest problem. Americans wanted to bring up Soviet dissident hassling. They were rightly I think heckled. Weirdly as the whole thing was supposed to be anti imperialist, the young Italian commies tried to heckle the Ethiopians because they wanted former Italian colony Eritrea given back. I am sure that they would add they wanted Eritrea communist, just not Ethiopian. That record wasn’t going to play in Havana. Also in showing what you could and couldn’t do in Cuba, a group of female young French delegates created a stir when they tried to sunbathe topless on a Cuban beach. Shocked local Cubans called the police but the bathers were let off with a warning.
About 20,000 delegates from 145 countries attended the 10 day event in Havana. The Russians still back these lefty conventions and the most recent one was in Sochi, Russia in 2017. It had a record 30,000 delegates from 185 countries. The slogan has been modified a little bit. For peace, solidarity, and social justice, we struggle against imperialism. Honoring our past, we build the future. I think there is a petty strong hint there that they are just doing these for old times sake. Good for them.
Well my drink is empty. If a Cuban offers me a cigar I will indeed ask for his autograph. Come again soon for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting. First published in 2021.