The Cuban Himalayas
The son of a wealthy landowner, Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born on August 13, 1926. A towering figure during the Cuban revolution, Castro was praised as a champion of socialism and the soldier-politician by his supporters, who had given Cuba back to the people. Having ousted the dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959, he governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008. He was loved also by the people of the third world and seen as a symbol of resistance against western imperialism.
For more than 50 years, he defied the world's foremost superpower, the United States of America. During this time, his government had to face numerous challenges that may have made a weaker leader wilt to the enormous pressure that was put on Castro and Cuba in general. Financial restrictions in the form of sanctions and embargoes against Cuba, accompanied with attempts to overthrow his government through various means and the constant demonisation of its leader — Fidel Castro — meant that Cuba could only survive with a strong leader at the helm.
And that is exactly what he was, a strong leader, willing to face even the most insurmountable odds possible, as long as the people were willing to stand beside him. And the Cubans did stand beside him. For as long as he lived.
The great man's resilience, as evident as it was from his lifelong defiance to the US, first attracted the limelight when he led his rebel army to an improbable victory against the dictator Batista. It was, perhaps, this victory of his, which made him believe so deeply in the underdog, as long as the cause was right.
In 1971, during his visit to Chile where President Salvador Allende had been elected head of state only a year ago, he warned the newly elected Chilean President against right-wing elements within the army that could potentially overthrow him through a military coup. Backed by his long-time rival, the US, his prophecy came true only two years later when the army did overthrow President Allende in a coup and established a brutal military junta led by Augusto Pinochet.
In September 1973, during the Fourth Summit of the Non-Alignment Movement, he publicly broke off relations with Israel for its close ties with the US and for its mistreatment of Palestinians. When the Yom Kippur War broke out in October 1973 between Israel and an Arab coalition led by Egypt and Syria, he even sent 4,000 Cuban troops to defend the Syrian territory from Israeli incursions.
During the Angolan Civil War, Castro came to the aid of Angolan people by assisting its government with nearly 18,000 troops which played a major role in the South African retreat. When he later visited Somalia, Tanzania, Mozambique and Angola, he was greeted by crowds as a hero for Cuba's role in opposing apartheid South Africa.
In 1977 during the Ethio-Somali War, he sent troops under the command of General Arnaldo Ochoa to aid the overwhelmed Ethiopian army. When his allies, however, ordered the Ethiopians to suppress the Eritrean People's Liberation Front, Castro refused to support them, showing, once again, his willingness to defy even his allies when he believed the cause to be wrong.
Castro was one of the first leaders to recognise Bangladesh. He met Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Algiers during the Non-Alliance Movement Summit in 1974 and the two had a cordial relationship. In 2013, Bangladesh awarded Castro the 'Liberation War Honour' as one of the 'foreign friends' for his contributions to the country's struggle for freedom in 1971.
Despite his revolutionary zeal and field experience as a soldier, Castro had dreamt long and hard for peace. In 2010, during an interview with Canadian economist, author and professor of Economics at the University of Ottawa, Michel Chossudovsky, in response to a question about the possibility of nuclear war, Castro said, "I think nobody on Earth wishes the human species to disappear. And that is the reason why I am of the opinion that what should disappear are not just nuclear weapons, but also conventional weapons. We must provide a guarantee for peace to all peoples without distinction."
He further added "War is a crime and there is no need for any new law to describe it as such, because since Nuremberg, war has already been considered a crime, the biggest crime against humanity and peace, and the most horrible of all crimes." After many years of blockade, when the US finally opened up to Cuba, he wrote in response to some of the things that were said by US officials that "We do not need the empire to give us anything. Our efforts will be legal and peaceful, as this is our commitment to peace and fraternity among all human beings who live on this planet."
Indeed, he never needed the US to give him anything. Whatever he made of himself, he did through his own determination and effort. And his commitment to peace and fraternity among all human beings remained intact both when he condemned the Israeli government for its oppression of Palestinians and of the South African apartheid state. Even the great Nelson Mandela admitted his deep admiration for Castro and wrote, "We admire the sacrifices of the Cuban people in maintaining their independence and sovereignty in the face of a vicious, imperialist-orchestrated campaign," saying, that if it wasn't for Castro and his help, apartheid in South Africa may have never ended.
While many people strongly disliked the man, most Cubans genuinely loved him. The fact that his government survived for so long is a testament to that. As without the majority of Cubans on his side, that would undoubtedly have not been possible, especially with so many powerful enemies praying for his demise. May he find the peace he so bravely fought for and pursued, all throughout his life, in death. And may the Cuban people continue on their struggle for freedom, in remembrance of their great leader.
The writer is a member of the Editorial team at The Daily Star.
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