Open Arms Launches New Mission to Cuba with Political VIPs and Spanish City Stops

Open Arms announced on Wednesday that its ship, the Astral, will set sail from Barcelona on May 10, heading toward Cuba. The mission, named "Course to Cuba," aims to deliver photovoltaic panels to the Juan Manuel Márquez Pediatric Hospital in Havana.

As reported by ElDiario.es, the journey will include stops in Valencia, Málaga, Cádiz, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria before crossing the Atlantic, with planned stages between May 13 and May 28. The entire mission is expected to last about a month.

What draws the most attention is not the cargo, but the passengers. Up to four individuals, including public figures, cultural icons, and influencers, will join the crew at various Spanish ports along the way.

The campaign was unveiled in March in front of the Spanish Congress in Madrid, featuring Open Arms director Óscar Camps and politicians from Sumar, Podemos, Bildu, and the Comunes, alongside journalist Teresa Aranguren. Notable supporters include Pablo Iglesias, Jeremy Corbyn, and Irish hip-hop group Kneecap.

Camps defended the initiative by highlighting the role of Cuban doctors in international emergencies. "It is time to reciprocate that practice with deeds and return some of that solidarity wherever we can contribute," he stated.

This mission is part of a series of similar efforts in recent months that have seen hundreds of international leftist activists travel to Cuba. In March, the "Nuestra América Convoy" brought between 500 and 650 activists from 33 countries aboard the Maguro, dubbed "Granma 2.0," as Cubans endured power outages lasting up to 20 hours daily.

The criticisms were swift. Journalist Yoani Sánchez was blunt: "We are not a theme park. Take ideological tourism elsewhere. We are suffering here." Cubans on social media echoed this sentiment, saying, "I see many mouths and little food," or "The people won't even see it pass."

In April, a second convoy called "Primero de Mayo" arrived with about 60 activists from Italy, France, the United States, and Mexico, coordinated by the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples. The XIX International Brigade Primero de Mayo added over 200 activists from 19 countries during the same period.

The pattern is clear: limited material aid contrasted with the deepening crisis, a strong political activism component, and international leftist figures used by the regime to project its narrative externally, while the Cuban people remain without power.

Besides Open Arms, the mission includes Ecologistas en Acción, the energy cooperative Ecooo Energía Ciudadana, and several associations and unions. A recent study links the embargo to rising infant mortality in Cuba, but the island's structural crisis stems from 67 years of dictatorial management, which no convoy has managed to reverse.