Latin America Dayschool 2008 is a celebration of remarkable social progress being made across the continent. For more than a century, the U.S.A. has treated the region as its ‘backyard’, installing military dictatorships and supervising the repression of progressive movements. The return of democracy in recent years has restored a degree of political sovereignty to the peoples of Latin America—but they have lost economic sovereignty, as market reforms imposed by the IMF have produced rising inequality and turned what was a US backyard into a free-for-all for US and European corporations.

Now, movements against this exploitation are strengthening; many nations are fighting for the right to determine their own futures.

On 1 January 2009 Cubans will celebrate fifty years of their revolution, whose achievements include the eradication of illiteracy, a greater life expectancy than the US and full employment. Defying Washington's unwavering hostility and its economic blockade, Cuba continues to exercise in full its right to self-determination—and has made great efforts to help others do the same, from providing free primary healthcare to millions across the world, to helping defeat South Africa’s invasion of Angola and thus hastening the end of apartheid. Contrary to media speculation, the end of Fidel Castro's presidency does not mean the end of Cuban socialism.

Venezuela has made great advances during Hugo Chávez’ ten-year presidency. With the help of thousands of Cuban doctors, millions of poor Venezuelans now get medical care. By moving to end the foreign plunder of oil and other national resources, Venezuela has been able to fund education and rapidly reduce poverty. Refusing to accept multiple electoral victories, the U.S. seeks ways to undermine Venezuela’s government, funding opposition parties and supporting an attempted coup in 2002.

In 2006 Evo Morales became Bolivia’s first indigenous leader. So far, he has acted to take substantial natural gas reserves out of foreign hands and use them to relieve extreme poverty, and moved to restore rights to the indigenous majority. In response, the US is working with right-wing forces to make the country ungovernable. Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador and others have joined together to form ALBA—the ‘Bolívarian Alternative for the Americas’—to ‘combat poverty and social exclusion’ and further cooperation across the continent. The influence of this alliance is growing and other countries, such as Paraguay, Brazil and Chile, have started to signal their discontent with the status quo.

Latin America Dayschool 2008 is an opportunity to learn more about these developments and their great significance, not just for the Americas, but for the world.