Pretoria, August 13, 2020.- This year 2020 marks the 94th Birth anniversary of our late Comandante Fidel. And so we must take this moment to celebrate and remember the life of our revered leader and father.
Fidel Castro’s servitude to humanity has been inspirational to millions of people world over, in Latin America, in Africa; in fact I cannot imagine that the influence and contributions of Fidel has not touched any Continent. We know and will always be indebted to the Cubans for our own liberation through the Cuban intervention in Cuito Cuanavale and subsequent negotiations that was led by Fidel himself. And yet, he knowingly until his death accepted the price he had to bear, for being amongst the truest Revolutionary we will see, that he remained Enemy number 1 by the bourgeois and Imperialists.
Fidel regardless, stood unwavering in his conviction that there must be an end to world domination by Capitalism and Imperialism. He showed us by example that we must at all times stand unified towards International Solidarity and supports the struggles of all people’s of the world. Fidel taught us that we need to understand and interpret how our struggles within South Africa is connected to global struggles be it the Capitalist system of exploitation, racism, or the fight for Gender equality in this patriarchal society we live in.
The month of August in South Africa is dedicated to Women every year. Comrade Fidel Castro said that women’s liberation was key to the success of the Cuban Revolution. Fidel was always very clear on the Women question; he said that “When our revolution is judged in the years to come, one of the questions that will be asked is how our society and our country resolved the problems of women”
We reaffirm with certainty that the legacy of Fidel Castro lives on today and in will continue through centuries to come. We know this because even today after death the Cuban example continues in Africa and the world.
During this time as the entire World is battling against the Coronavirus it is the small Island if Cuba that has sent the largest contingents of health specialists to help save lives around the world. These doctors and specialist are showing the world that this is not a time for betrayal of International solidarity; this is a time to emulate the life of Fidel. Cuba still today offers its support wherever it’s needed.
The Friends of Cuba Society: South Africa supports the calls for the nomination of the Cuban international medical brigade specialists in disasters and serious epidemics, “Henry Reeve” for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The interventions of these Cuban medical brigades in the many countries they have been deployed to, has seen a massive decline in the number of Covid related fatalities and of those infected by the pandemic.
In conclusion, during the life and in death the Imperialists especially inside the USA accused Fidel Castro of being a Dictator. It boggles the mind how millions in Cuba and the World over have loved and revered Fidel then and now. How could a dictator remind us that the Imperialists “doesn’t understand that our country is not just Cuba, our country is humanity”
Happy 94th Birthday Comandante Fidel!
Yo Soy Fidel!
Chris Matlhako
GS FOCUS
South Africa