Showing posts with label FIDEL@90. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FIDEL@90. Show all posts
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Fidel at home
“Treat
me like one of your own” Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro once told Cuban
journalists, on another occasion writing that being among them felt like being
among family
Author: Tubal
Páez | internet@granma.cu
GRANMA, August 12,
2016 17:08:30
Fidel
in the linotype workshop with then editor of Granma Jorge Enrique Mendoza, June
10, 1970. Photo: Valiente, Jorge
“Treat me
like one of your own” Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro once told Cuban
journalists, on another occasion writing that being among them felt like being
among family. Such statements, made by someone who has always professed an
unwavering respect for the truth, and profound distain for demagogy, express a
genuine sincerity, especially when we remember that communication and the press
were an intrinsic part of Fidel’s political activity, which began at an early
age.
This family
continued to grow around the revolutionary leader starting with the comrades
that worked alongside him on radio broadcasts in his days at Radio Rebelde in
the Sierra Maestra, to the revolutionary press which developed after the
triumph of the Revolution on January 1, 1959, spreading to other latitudes with
Operation Truth that same year; it also included colleagues who worked in
television; strengthened and expanded by the efforts of all to combat U.S.
imperialism and the corporative media in Cuba, opposed to the social measures being
implemented.
At
transcendental moments during Cuba’s revolutionary process, it was however at
Granma where Fidel simultaneously conveyed his directives – in the form of
editorials, articles and news reports – to the leadership of mass
organizations, state institutions, and the people. A former colleague, Juan
Marrero vividly recalls one of these moments, which saw him take on a leading
role in an intense nationwide mobilization led by Fidel from Granma, in
solidarity with the sister people of Peru, victims of a devastating earthquake
in 1970.
Fidel
entitled one of the two editorials he wrote regarding the tragedy, “Blood
needed to help Peruvians.” In the other article published 10 days later, he
reported that Cubans had made 104,594 voluntary blood donations. The country’s
political leadership also turned to Granma to address other exceptional
situations, for example following the events which occurred as a result of the
incident at the Peruvian Embassy in Havana in May 1980, which sparked mass protests
by the revolutionary Cuban people and ended with the government authorizing
citizens to leave the island from Mariel bay.
The Granma
family learned many valuable lessons in ethics, history, politics and
journalism from the Comandante en Jefe. For me, perhaps the most important of
all, given its drama and impact on the nation, and the fact that it constitutes
a prime example of Fidel’s strength of character, was when he officially
announced that the 10 million ton sugar harvest of 1970 had not been met.
Fidel
arrived at the paper at midnight and typed the word “Defeat” in red ink on the
back of a press dispatch. This was the headline he proposed for the next
edition. Those of us present didn’t share the same view of the day’s top story,
having witnessed his colossal personal effort and that of the national campaign
involving millions of Cubans who, despite failing to reach the goal, produced
the largest sugar harvest in the country’s history.
We
disagreed citing various reasons, but he was decided. He argued, with brutal
honesty, that the previous day, following the rescue of a group of fishermen
kidnapped by a terrorist faction, the almost half-a-page headline on Cuba’s
main newspaper had read “Victory.” We hadn’t been able to convince him by the
time he left the editing room.
Later that
May morning of 1970, Fidel returned and said: “We’re going to change the
headline.” The front page of the May 20th edition was informative, bold and
fair. The article was appropriately self-critical and defiant: “We will not
reach 10 million tons.” “We have worked so hard for this; we have devoted our
last atom of energy, thought, and feeling to this endeavor, and the only thing
I have left to say to any Cuban, to he or she who feels deeply hurt by this
news, is that this pain is the same pain we all feel, and the same pain felt by
all our comrades.”
”More
courage and bravery than ever!” He concluded with a thought that would guide
future actions: “We must have the revolutionary integrity to turn defeat into
victory.”
In those
years the Granma daily was composed of a larger team than the one we have
today, including typesetters, printers and distribution staff, responsibilities
which would later be assumed by other entities.
Many
members of staff knew Fidel from his former links with important media outlets
and presence in the printing press, where the young revolutionary would chose
the letter-sizing for the headlines of his articles.
Years
later, as President, he continued to visit this important which no longer
exists due to modern technology; where he would greet old acquaintances and ask
them about their working conditions and health, speaking with them at length,
just like old friends. I remember Silvio Rayón who came from Alerta, a daily
that published important works by Fidel; and also the editorial staff, who were
his colleagues at Radio Rebelde, such as Jorge Enrique Mendoza, editor of the
paper, Ricardo Martínez and Orestes Valera. Other witnesses to those nights and
early mornings, such as copy editors, photographers, cartoonists, correctors,
designers, managers, secretaries and archive staff have special stories,
anecdotes and memories of their encounters with this exceptional man, leader of
the people and one of the greatest revolutionaries in history, who on his 90th
birthday remains faithful to his principles, ideas and an example of someone
committed to working for the benefit of others.
Tribute to Fidel Castro on His 90th Birthday
By DAN
KOVALIK
AUGUST 12, 2016
On Saturday, August 13, the world will celebrate the 90th
birthday of Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro Ruz, the only individual
ever to be acknowledged by the UN as a “World Hero
of Solidarity.” It is very hard to think of a more important world leader
than Fidel. The contribution he has made to the world socialist movement, to
the Third World liberation struggle and to social justice has been monumental –
especially when one considers that he has been the leader of a tiny country
with roughly the same population as New York City.
At the current
time, the Colombian government and leftist FARC guerillas are engaged in
a peace process in Havana, and are very near to reaching a final peace
accord, in large part due to Fidel’s efforts.
As Nelson
Mandela himself has acknowledged, South Africa is free from apartheid in
no small measure due to Fidel’s leadership in militarily aiding the liberation
struggles in Southern Africa, especially in Angola and Namibia, against the
South African military which was then being supported by the United States.
In addition, The Latin American Medical School (ELAM) in Cuba,
which trains doctors from all around the world, but particularly from poor
countries, was Fidel’s brainchild. Today, 70 countries from around the world
benefit from Cuba’s medical internationalism, including Haiti where Cuban
doctors have been, according to The New York Times, at the
forefront of the fight against cholera.
As we speak,
Cuba has hundreds of doctors working in the slums of Caracas, Venezuela where
Venezuelan doctors fear to tread. There are Cuban-trained doctors in remote
parts of Honduras which are otherwise not served by the Honduran government.
Patients from 26 Latin American & Caribbean countries have traveled to Cuba
to have their eyesight restored by Cuban doctors. Among this list is Mario
Teran, the Bolivian soldier who shot and killed Che Guevara. The Cubans not
only forgave Mario, but also returned his eyesight to him. Cuba even
offered to send 1,500 doctors to minister to the victims of the Hurricane Katrina,
though this kind offer was rejected by the United States
As Piero Gleijeses, a professor at John Hopkins University,
wrote in his book Conflicting Missions about
Cuba’s outreach to Algeria shortly after the Cuban Revolution:
It was an unusual gesture: an underdeveloped country tendering
free aid to another in even more dire straits. It was offered at a time when
the exodus of doctors from Cuba following the revolution had forced the
government to stretch its resources while launching its domestic programs to
increase mass access to health care. ‘It was like a beggar offering his help, but we knew the Algerian
people needed it even more than we did and that they deserved it,’ [Cuban
Minister of Public Health] Machado Ventura remarked. It was an act of
solidarity that brought no tangible benefit and came at real material cost.
These words are
just as true today as they were then, as this act of solidarity is repeated by
Cuba over and over again throughout the world. And, it has been done even as
Cuba has struggled to survive in the face of a 55-year embargo by the United
States which has cost it billions of dollars in potential revenue, and even as
it has endured numerous acts of terrorism by the United States and
U.S.-supported mercenaries over the years.
Just recently,
I was reminded of the fact that, for the past 25 years, Cuba has been treating
26,000 Ukrainian citizens affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident at its
Tarara international medical center in Havana. Cuba has continued to do so, it
must be emphasized, though even the potential for any help for this effort from
the Soviet Union passed long ago.
According to
Hugo Chavez, when he came to power in Venezuela in 1999, “the only light on the
house at that time was Cuba,” meaning that Cuba was the only country in the
region free of U.S. imperial domination. Thanks to the perseverance of Fidel
and the Cuban people, now much of Latin America has been freed from the bonds
of the U.S. Empire.
That Cuba not
only stands 25 years after the collapse of the USSR, but indeed prospers and
remains as a beacon to other countries, is a testament to Fidel’s revolutionary
fervor and fortitude. Indeed, Fidel’s very life at this point – one that the
U.S. has tried to extinguish on literally hundreds of occasions – itself
constitutes an act of brave deviance against wealth, power and imperialist
aggression. Incredibly, Fidel has survived 12 U.S. Presidents, a full quarter
of all the U.S. Presidents since the founding of our nation.
I join the
world in honoring Fidel Castro Ruz on his birthday, and hope that he continues
to live and to lead for some time to come.
Daniel Kovalik lives in
Pittsburgh and teaches International Human Rights Law at the University of
Pittsburgh School of Law.
Fidel, History Absolves You
By R Arun Kumar
People’s
Democracy, August 07, 2016
THIS 13th August, we
will be celebrating the 90th birthday of one of the living legends of our times
– Fidel Castro Ruz. Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926 in a relatively
well-to-do family and studied in various religious schools for the wealthy,
before graduating in law from the University of Havana. For many, this would
have provided the perfect platform to pursue conservative politics. But not for
Fidel, as he is fondly called. He chose a different path, to become one of the
greatest and finest revolutionaries. He not only challenged the imperialist
hegemon, the US, from what it considered was its 'backyard', but stood up to it
without flinching. All the attempts of the US to bring down Cuba to its knees
have spectacularly failed. Instead of Cuba getting isolated in the region and
the world, it is the US, which is getting increasingly alienated from the
people of the world. And Fidel Castro had a major role to play in all these
developments.
Fidel took an interest
in student activism while studying law and was attracted to Left,
anti-imperialist politics. He was a voracious reader, a trait we observe in
many of the leading revolutionaries. Though he was aware of the writings of
Marx and Lenin, having read them, it was Marti who had a tremendous influence
on him, whom he read and re-read extensively. Taking inspiration from Marti, he
joined the rebellions against right-wing governments in Dominican Republic and
Colombia, apart from protesting the dictatorial rule in his own country. During
his early days of activism, he joined the Party of the Cuban People (Partido
Ortodoxo) led by Eduardo Chibas, attracted by its slogans for social justice,
honest government and political freedom. It is during this time he started
publishing a clandestine newspaper El Acusador (The Accuser), exposing the corrupt and
anti-people Batista regime. It is during this time, that he started mobilising
people against the Batista government. As a part of these efforts, Fidel and
his group planned to attack the Moncada garrison on July 26, 1953. Though this
attack failed and many of the participants, including Fidel were captured, it
marked a significant turning point in the history of Cuban revolution.
In a speech he gave
enthusing the participants in the attack on Moncada garrison, he stated: “In a
few hours you will be victorious or defeated, but regardless of the outcome –
listen well, friends – this Movement will triumph...If we fail, our action will
nevertheless set an example for the Cuban people, and from the people will
arise fresh new men willing to die for Cuba”. These words are indeed prophetic,
because Moncada attack had failed, but the 'Movement' lived. People began
organising under the banner of 26 July Movement, which played an important role
in the overthrow of Batista government and success of the Cuban Revolution. The
speech Fidel gave in defence of his activities, during his trial in the court,
'History will absolve me',
became very famous and was considered as an exposition of the ideals for which
the fight should be carried on.
After being released
from imprisonment due to popular pressure, Fidel once again plunged into
mobilising people against the Batista government. Announcing that he was
“leaving Cuba because all doors of peaceful struggle have been closed...I
believe the hour has come to take our rights and not beg for them, to fight
instead of pleading for them”, he left for Mexico, where he organised a group
of revolutionaries. It is here that he had met Che Guevara, who joined the
Castro brothers – both Fidel and Raul – along with other Cuban revolutionaries
in the famous Granma expedition. They started with 82 people on board but many
lost their lives immediately in the attack that followed on their way towards
the Sierra Maestra mountains. According to Fidel, the fight resumed “with seven
armed men, who managed to reunite on December 18”. After the addition of some
more members of Granma yacht who joined the group, “A small force of no more
than 18 expedition members and a number of young campesinos from the Sierra
achieved the first victories on January 17 and 22, 1957”. It is because of this
heroism and never-say-die attitude even in the face of fierce repression that
Fidel Castro became famous.
The barbudos, the bearded
guerillas, as they were called, were supported by the Cuban people, both in the
urban and rural areas. The local leaders of the July 26 Movement were active in
the cities and rural areas, supplementing the armed struggle of the guerillas
in the mountains. Unable to withstand the increasing popular anger against the
regime and having failed to defeat the guerillas led by Fidel, Batista was
forced to flee from the country on January 1, 1959. The Revolution triumphed,
with a victorious Fidel, accompanied by Che, Raul and Camillo marching into
Havana. Fidel served as the prime minster of the country from 1959 to 1976 and
then as the president from 1976 to 2008.
The US began its
efforts to subvert Cuban revolution, immediately after the decrees passed by
the revolutionary government undermined its economic interests in the island.
The nationalisation of US companies that were exploiting the Cuban people and
resources for many years, had further angered the US corporates and the
government. It is then that the US government had imposed its infamous trade
embargo, to squeeze and bleed Cuba to submission. The US, all the years hence,
instead of withdrawing the embargo, only further tightened its screws through
the imposition of Helms-Burton Act and Cuba Adjustment Act. It is undoubtedly
to the credit of Fidel Castro and the people of Cuba that they withstood this
inhuman blockade without compromising.
Fidel Castro became the
first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba in 1961, after the Revolution
declared its socialist characteristics and continued in this responsibility
till 2011. In 2002, socialism as an irrevocable characteristic of the Cuban
State was enshrined in the constitution. Eight million Cubans have signed the
petition for this change to be brought into the constitution, as a response to
the threat issued by Bush to 'change the socio-economic, political system in
Cuba, in the aftermath of 9/11 (2001). The reasons for people's belief in
socialism were not far to fathom, when one considers the transformation
achieved in Cuban society. The tremendous advancements made possible by the
Revolution, in the fields of education, health, social equality and employment,
in spite of the blockade, inspired people to stay true to the cause of
socialism. This was also made possible because, Fidel and the Communist Party
took the people into confidence in all the decisions that were taken and also
admitted frankly before them the mistakes that were committed in the process of
socialist construction.
Fidel Castro says: “For
a pretty long time, there's been a tendency here to assume that criticism,
denunciations of things not done right, play into the hands of the enemy, aid
the enemy, aid the counter-revolution. Sometimes there's a fear of reporting on
something because people think it might be helpful to the enemy...And we've
encouraged a critical spirit. I have been stimulating (that critical spirit) to
the maximum, because it's fundamental to perfecting our system. Of course we
know that there are drawbacks, but we want responsible criticism. And despite
the possible consequences, anything is better than the absence of criticism”.
And further, “In this battle against vices there will be no quarter given
anyone, we're going to call a spade a spade, and we are going to appeal to the
honour of each sector...And a revolutionary's first duty is to be extremely
harsh with himself. We are going to fight this battle, and use the highest
calibre weapons we have”. It is this brutal honesty with the people that Fidel
employed in his communication with them, that had won their trust.
Fidel has enormous
confidence in the people. This is reflected in his response to the US efforts
to project socialist system as a failed and outmoded concept. He invited the
then president of the US, George Bush to come to Cuba and debate with the
people. He promised to mobilise people, filling up the Plaza de la Revolucion
and also setting up loudspeakers all over the country so that their arguments
can be heard by all the people. Fidel confidently states, “the vast majority of
the people of Cuba support the Revolution unwaveringly” and that socialism is
“not a question of living by dogmas, it is a question of defending what you
think on the basis of arguments, reasoning”.
Fidel, is one of the
finest orators who is heard in rapt attention, even when he speaks for hours
together. He is considered a workaholic, whose day ends at two or three in the
early morning. He barely sleeps for more than four hours and he continued to
work at this pace till he relieved himself of all his responsibilities. He saw
the US governed by ten presidents spend millions of dollars to subvert
socialist Cuba. He survived nearly 600 assassination attempts on his life. On
another plane, many eminent intellectuals, statesmen, artists, sports
personalities expressed their admiration for him. People thronged to see him
and hear him speak, not only in Cuba and in Latin America, but in other parts
of the world as well.
In spite of all this
adulation, he modestly assesses himself as: “I like actions; I am not
interested in glory. I'm also witness to the fact that throughout the years,
influence, power, rather than gradually making me conceited, vain and all that
– every day, I think, I am less conceited, less pretentious, less
self-satisfied. It's a struggle against your instincts, you know. I believe
that it's education, or sincere and tenacious self-education, that turns a
small animal into a man. One thing I see quite often: when men have a little
power, they get all puffed up and want to use it; sometimes it's almost like a
drug. You see all those things, and it's a constant struggle. And I know that
as the years pass, it's possible to have not less enthusiasm, but more; not
less energy, but more – energy stems from conviction...I never lose spirit, and
I believe in people; I have never had any sense of ingratitude”.
It is his conviction in
socialism, equality, social justice, freedom, liberty and belief in people that
earned him the admiration of the oppressed people all over the world. Love him
or hate him, Fidel is someone, who cannot be ignored.
On his 90th birthday,
let us learn from his life and rededicate ourselves to the struggle for a world
free of exploitation and discrimination. Hasta la victoria siempre! (Until the eternal victory)
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