Mark Plimsoll

Havana Ball, North American Philanthropy in Culture Clash Mark Plimsoll

Mr. Plimsoll joins a North-American 'Christian' philanthropic caravan that converges upon San Diego to deliver used computers to Cuba. The two hundred 'Caravanistas' from North America each donated computers, or paid around $1,000 to go to Cuba, to help end the trade embargo, sanctions, and accusations about Cuba's Human Rights violations. The leadership advertises their showdown with the Feds in the name of Civil Disobedience. Of course the Feds win, and take away all the computers. The 'Caravanistas' hear words of encouragement- to sit it out in a hunger strike until they get the computers back. This doesn't sit well with everyone, especially not with the outspoken Mark Plimsoll. In this first-person account of Mark Plimsoll's BILINGUAL participation on the tour, he adroitly describes the comedic confrontations with police, the FBI, professional protesters, star-crossed lovers, and U. S. Customs agents- and in Cuba, the sexual magnetism between people with money, and people without.