Return to Bandung Ep. 36 - Defending the Cuban Revolution
feat. special guest David Ramírez Álvarez!
Episode 36 of the Return to Bandung podcast is out now! Listen below, and read on for more information about my guest and today’s topic:
The Return to Bandung podcast, along with the writing that I publish on culture shock, is a political education project and a labor of love. To support this important work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today! Paid subscribers get access to the entire culture shock archive, as well as a typewritten physical newsletter in the mail each month :)
About this episode:
In this episode, I’m joined by David Ramírez Álvarez, Second Secretary and cultural attaché at the Embassy of Cuba to the United States in Washington, D.C., to talk about the history of Cuba’s socialist revolution and the ongoing fight to defend it in the face of escalating imperialist aggression from the United States. We discuss the history and effects of the blockade, the current situation on the ground in Cuba, and the successes and challenges of building a revolutionary society under siege, as well as the importance of international solidarity from those of us who are located in the belly of the beast.
About the show:
Return to Bandung is hosted by Pranay Somayajula, an Indian-American writer, researcher, and organizer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His work explores themes of diaspora, (inter)nationalism, anticolonial politics, and the many lives and afterlives of empire. You can learn more about Pranay and read his writing on his website, as well as on his Substack blog, culture shock.
Support Return to Bandung:
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a review or rating, and subscribe to the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! If you’re able, please also consider supporting my work—which encompasses both my writing and this podcast, as well as various other political education projects by signing up as a paid subscriber to my Substack or making a one-off contribution:
Sources and helpful links:
Mallory Memorandum (April 1960)
Anna Heikkinen — US sanctions, power cuts, climate crisis: why Cuba is betting on renewables (The Guardian, February 2026)
Nicole Acevedo, Carmen Sesin and Orlando Matos — Cuba’s president says ‘we would die’ to defend against U.S. invasion (NBC News, April 2026)
Cheyanne M. Daniels — Cuban military is ‘prepared’ for potential US aggression, deputy foreign minister says (Politico, March 2026)
Fidel Castro — speech to the Cultural Congress of Havana (January 1968)
Social links:
Return to Bandung:
Twitter: twitter.com/returntobandung
Instagram: instagram.com/returntobandung
Pranay Somayajula:
Twitter: twitter.com/p_somayajula
Instagram: instagram.com/pranay.somayajula
Website: pranaysomayajula.com
Substack: culture-shock.xyz
David Ramírez Álvarez:
Twitter: twitter.com/DvidTwit
Embassy of Cuba in the United States:
Twitter: twitter.com/EmbaCubaUS
Instagram: instagram.com/embacubaee.uu/