President Oakley: “The goal is to transform Latin America and the Caribbean”

That was on August 11, 1966. In Havana Fourth Latin American Student Conference Commander in Chief Fidel Castro had the idea of ​​creating an organization that would unite the progressive student movements in the region, based on the principles of solidarity, anti-imperialism and anti-fascism.

This is how the Latin American and Caribbean Continental Students Organization (Oclae), headed by the Federation of University Students (FEU) in Cuba, was born thanks to the vote of 23 organizations in the region.

At the following conferences and until today, FEU will be certified at the helm of students committed to just causes in Latin America.

This Thursday, when Oakley celebrates his 56th birthday, Cubadebate He talks with its leader, Lionel Perez Freeman, a fifth-year medical student.

What aspects are currently distinguishing Oakley?

– Today the organization consists of more than 35 student unions left and right (high school, university and graduate) from about 22 countries in the region. We work together for free, high-quality public education.

“We also join the struggles against imperialism on the continent and advocate for causes such as peace in Colombia, independence for Puerto Rico, an end to the embargo on Cuba, environmental protection, gender equality, and human rights, among others.”

Leonardo Perez Freeman has been president of Oclae since 2020. Photo: Courtesy of guest.

How is this comprehensive organization organized?

Officially, all FEU and FEEM students in Cuba, as well as from the Latin American and Caribbean federations that make up Oclae, are members of it, just because their organization is listed.

“OCLAE consists of the General Secretariat (which includes all associated federations), the Latin American Congress (the highest governing body), and the Executive Secretariat.

The Executive Secretariat, in particular, is made up of members from four organizations representing different regions of the continent: for the Southern Cone, there is the National Student Union of Brazil; for the Andean Region, Venezuelan Confederation of High School Students; for the Central American region, the National Federation of Nicaraguan Students and also for Central America and the Caribbean, FEU in Cuba. Each one has a specific representative. In my case, I’m the FEU’s representative as Oclae’s president.”

I suppose that during the pandemic isolation that has just ended, it was difficult to coordinate the actions of the organization, since it was not possible to hold face-to-face meetings. How did they develop the work?

Imagine that I became president in August 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak. What we did next was hold secretariat meetings via Online.

“We met every month through this medium and checked the progress and tasks to be done, in addition to having our own WhatsApp group, where we coordinated the tasks. The four members of the Executive drew up the guidelines. Then we exchanged information and spoke with the members of the Secretariat.

In November 2021, we were able to hold the first meeting of the Secretariat in person, in Guadalajara, Mexico. More than 15 countries participated there, despite the complex situation that remains due to COVID-19.

“Because vaccines have made it possible to control the disease a little bit, we met again in February 2022 in Caracas, Venezuela, and agreed to hold the Latin American and Caribbean Student Conference (CLAE) in November of this year, in Caracas itself.”

After a break from face-to-face meetings, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Oakley met again in Mexico in 2021. Photo: Courtesy of guest.

How are preparations going for this meeting?

– It’s a gigantic whirlwind. Keep in mind that this is a major event for the student movement in the region and the first we will develop after the tense period of the pandemic.

“We aspire to have over 2,000 students from across the continent, to further mobilize and standardize our membership.

“We are now finalizing preparations for what will be the inner life of CLAE, for example, how the main lectures will be distributed, discussion tables, what the general program of the event will be and the main lines that will be discussed (which will include confrontation with the commodification of education, gender politics, policy Neoliberalism and Alliances in Latin America as Integration Mechanisms).

“I must also point out that the conference will be devoted to Che on the 55th anniversary of his assassination next October, and that we will hold workshops on leadership and the importance of the student movement, demonstrations and marches,” he added.

Obviously this work should occupy most of your efforts at the moment, but what other projects does Oakley indulge in?

– Since last year we have focused on strengthening our main campaigns. One of the key factors is peace in Colombia, because we are one of the organizations that has been overseeing compliance with the peace agreement, since it was signed in Havana in 2016.

From July 29 to August 4, Oakley developed the first mission for students and youth to accompany and monitor the implementation of final peace agreements. The student unions got involved in our organization there and they were the ones who took the lead throughout this process.

“Another campaign we indulge in is the initiative against the commodification of education. It is also one of the most important, because neoliberal governments are constantly trying to break educational justice and we are committed to public, free and quality education, without ‘selling’ knowledge so much in private universities.

Furthermore, it is Oakley’s duty to contribute to the strengthening of the student movement; Keeping up with the struggles of peoples in issues such as unemployment, immigration and quality of life, among other problems that limit their development; As well as strengthening and coordinating the social movements that are being developed in our country.”

The organization is made up of more than 35 student unions left and right handed from about 22 countries in the region. Photo: Courtesy of guest.

What are the most important achievements of the organization in these 56 years?

– The first is to preserve more than half a century of articulation of the Latin American and Caribbean student movement, which is a very heterogeneous movement. In addition, remaining to this day as a major binding platform for student movements in the territory is, in and of itself, an advantage.

“I can also tell you that in these years we have gained recognition from international organizations such as the United Nations. We work within the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural System (UNESCO) and have consultative status with UNICEF, as well as special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc) .

“On the other hand, we have participated in the main processes of the continent during these years, because we believe that students should lead social transformations. The electoral processes and historical demonstrations (such as the one in Chile) have had Oakley’s presence, and we have created an international movement capable of renewing the foundations of the left in Latin America”.

What is the importance of having an organization like the one you lead in the current context?

Our organization brings together the student unions that fight for progress, social justice and full equality in their cities. But they must constantly fight with certain sectors and institutions and even with the governments of their own countries.

Hence our guiding, support and holding role is essential, especially today, that we are advocates of discourse and action against hegemony, in the face of an aggressive capitalist culture, which understands money and not people.

“We make it easier for our members to raise their voices and make complaints in this international setting. But, at the same time, we are a platform of unity for the left-wing Latin American student fighting for a better world.

The motto of the 19th Latin American and Caribbean Student Conference is as follows: “From resistance to revolution, another America is possible“. This is what Oakley means. Transform reality and find another Latin American, something that can be achieved through the unity of the student sector in the whole of Latin America and the Caribbean.”