In January 2020, the Victoria club of the YCL held a public event featuring DJ Wale — a portmanteau combining the first names of comrade Walt Parsons of the Communist Party and his Honduran-born partner Alejandra — who provided musical entertainment for a night of dancing and drinks at the Victoria Event Centre. The purpose of the event was to raise funds for Cuba solidarity work, including sending YCL members on the annual Che Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade. As the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the scheduled brigade from taking place, funds were used instead to provide medical supplies to Cuba through a campaign coordinated by the Canadian Network on Cuba, of which the YCL is a member organization. The pandemic also prevented a reprise of the highly popular and successful Latin Night event — that is, until July 15, 2022, two and a half years later.
DJ Wale once again offered their services free of charge to the YCL, and much to the pleasure of all those in attendance, playing a range of popular Latin American music. The doors opened at 10 p.m., and the evening began with salsa, bachata, and other traditional styles before shifting to reggaeton and Latin club music around midnight. The venue, known as Sunset Labs, was lined not only with the national flags of Cuba, Venezuela, and other Latin American countries, but also with the flags of the YCL-LJC, the Communist Parties of Canada and Chile, the Wiphala, and the 26th of July Movement famously led by Commandante Fidel Castro.
As guests entered through the large flag-draped metal gates at the end of Herald St., the stars and moon reflected in the sea below. That night, amid the smell of Cuban cigars in the air outside, the ambience and the warm summer evening made the location the closest place to Cuba in Canada. Entering the venue, attendees would have first approached the YCL’s merchandise booth where many purchased buttons, drink tickets, and various items from Cuba, including banners largebearing the image of Che Guevara. Others picked out posters featuring famous revolutionaries such as Hugo Chavez, Frida Khalo, Vilma Espin, and others. Moving onward into the main hall, the darkness was illuminated by an array of coloured lights, flashing and changing at the direction of YCL Vancouver co-organizer Rylee, who had traveled to Victoria just for the occasion. At one end of the hall, patrons checked their coats and quenched their thirst with cervezas, margaritas, Cuba libres, and mojitos made with fresh mint — utilizing only genuine Cuban rum, of course.
While attendees included members of the YCL from Victoria, Vancouver, and Nanaimo, as well as from the Communist Party, a sound majority came from Victoria’s Latin American community, making Spanish the dominant language of the evening. Many Latin American–owned businesses had advertised the event, and invitations to local Latin dance and community groups further bolstered the crowd of about 100, in addition to guaranteeing a lively dance floor and the presence of many talented couples looking to show off their skills.
When all was said and done, the YCL had raised an impressive sum, and guests went home happy, many leaving their contact information in order to attend future YCL events. All of this was possible thanks to the collective efforts of the many YCL and Communist Party volunteers who went out postering and leafleting well in advance, helped with setup and takedown, worked the gate taking cover or at the merch booth, and filled out paperwork, and not least of all to local YCL organizer Camilo Valbuena, who managed the event with a watchful and responsible eye, ensuring the safety of all those present.