The 65th anniversary of the victory at Playa Girón was commemorated in Windhoek at a solidarity event attended by officers of the Namibian Defence Force, members of the Namibia-Cuba Friendship Association (NAMCUFA), and collaborators serving in this African nation.
At the commemoration, which was attended by Air Marshal Martin Pinehas, Chief of the Namibian Defence Force; Helmut Angula, President of the Organizing Committee of the “Namibians in Solidarity with the People of Cuba” Campaign; and Cecilia Muzile, Secretary General of NAMCUFA, the ambassador recalled the historic feat that constituted the first major defeat of U.S. imperialism in Latin America.
“For Cuba, Girón is proof that sovereignty is not negotiable,” he said. “For the world, the defeat inflicted on the Yankees meant that Girón ceased to be a mere dot on the map and became one of the most powerful symbols of the 20th century’s anti-imperialist epic”.
This April 19th also marked the 10th anniversary of the speech delivered by the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution at the closing of the VII Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, the last time he addressed the people live through the media. He expressed his confidence in the nation’s future and conveyed his conviction that the Cuban people will always prevail.
Regarding this assertion by the Commander, the Cuban diplomat commented that a historical parallel is unfolding in our homeland today. “As then, the country faces a possible imperialist aggression that it does not desire, but if it occur, we will confront it with the unwavering conviction that the war against the invader belongs to the entire people”, he declared.
Through audiovisual material, participants learned details of the role of the people who, organized in the National Revolutionary Militias, managed to quickly eliminate the invaders at Playa Girón; and of the other great architect, Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, who admirably led the battle.
The ambassador recalled that on the same date, April 19, SWAPO was founded, a visionary idea of San Nujoma and Cde Andimba Toivo Ya Toivo that brought together the independence ideals of Namibians in an organization and led the brave warriors of this sister nation in the fight for independence and in representing those ideals at the United Nations for the adoption of Resolution 435.
The ambassador thanked SWAPO and the beloved Namibian brothers and sisters for their unwavering support of Cuba and for joining the call made by President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez on April 16th in Havana, commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Proclamation of the Socialist Character of the Revolution. In his address, President Díaz-Canel called for a national and international movement to carry the truth about Cuba to every corner of the planet.
The diplomat affirmed that, in the centennial year of the Commander-in-Chief, the mercenary defeat at Playa Girón belongs not only to the memory of one nation, but is also part of the anti-imperialist struggles worldwide.
“Cuba is historical proof that independence is not negotiable. The spirit of Girón will continue to be the moral and political compass for all time”, he concluded.
