ANNIVERSARY OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTION

For fi ve decades the Cuban Revolution has epitomised classic courage, extraordinary heroism and selfless sacrifi ce in its internationalist quest for a better world for all. THABO MPAKANYANE salutes Cuba’s undying revolutionary fervour and wonders what motivates a small, isolated island nation to continue to weather US imperialist storms and expend international goodwill.

The Cuban Embassy in South Africa is refreshingly modest in size and quite unassuming measured by the usual pompous standards of many diplomatic residences. Stereotypes are all in order I suspect when one deals with Cuba. No country elicits more passion and symbolism than does Cuba and its inimitable ‘founding fathers’ - Fidel Castro and his merry band of liberators, ably assisted by the iconic Che Guevara.

Walking into the confi ned space serving as the reception area of the Embassy (after being let in by the gentleman at the gate, who I nearly addressed in Sesotho, but wisely refrained) would be quite disarming for its simplicity and Spartan furnishings had it not been for the imposing centre-piece commandeered by a modestly framed picture of El Comandante himself. I thought that there had been a change of leadership at the Cuban helm with the ‘retirement’ of Fidel Castro, and therefore I expected an offi cial picture of Raul Castro to adorn that space instead.

But I suppose it’s quite diffi cult to replace a fi gure as truly iconic as that of Fidel Castro in the minds of the millions of his loyal supporters as well as his equally passionate detractors. So this gushing article on the 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution will not be found wanting in as far as superlatives are concerned. For such a relatively light-hearted treatment of a colossal milestone in the history of resistance and revolutionary achievements, where does one start? And why should ordinary South Africans be so concerned about the fortunes or otherwise of a lonely Caribbean Island so far-off from the African mainland when we have more pressing problems of our own, I hear you say. Well, maybe that selfsame self-serving question should be asked of those thousands of ‘ordinary’ Cubans whose mortal remains litter the battlefi elds of Southern Africa, Algeria, Angola and Congo where they carried out their internationalist cause for the good of all of us.

So, where do I start? In my case, I suppose the end would be the best place to start, or is it the present? Anyhow, the historic background and the romantic past that led to this glorious revolution have been well documented. In spite of the incessant fulminations of some ten previous American administrations, the spectre of a successful Cuban resistance gloriously led by its original emancipator looms mockingly large still.

I regard Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Jose Marti, and countless other revolutionaries as the standard flag bearers of the classic revolution, where “resisting has been the de rigueur word and the key to all our victories” as Raul Castro observed at the 50th Anniversary of the Revolution during a speech at the former Santiago de Cuba City Hall where Fidel proclaimed the revolutionary triumph 50 years ago. This was indeed a mission accomplished.

As Fidel Castro noted all those many years ago in his speech on entering Havana on the 8th January 1959; “The dictatorship has been overthrown. The joy is immense. However, there is much to be done. We shouldn’t deceive ourselves by believing that in the future everything will be easy; maybe everything will be more difficult in the future”.

After introducing myself to His Excellency, Ambassador Angel Villa, I immediately launched into the interview, mindful of the busy schedules diplomats live up to, or do they?

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