Reflecting on Cuba’s 65th anniversary of the triumph of the Revolution, on the eve of the caravan arriving in Havana on that historic day of January 8, 1959, what captivated us most of all was the liberating example that it represented and still represents, for the struggling peoples of the world, especially those in our region desperate to throw off the yoke of oppression that dehumanizes their day to day existence.
The response of the US empire was typical of a school-yard bully who was upended by the unassuming student(Cuba), which triggered a vile campaign of diplomatic isolation and subterfuge and included assassination attempts, biological warfare, counter revolution and mercenary invasion, were all part of the destabilizing arsenal that was thrown at the nascent peoples revolution; with an unprecedented bribery of a so-called Alliance for Progress, an outgrowth of the United States Agency for International Development(USAID) costing USD 20 billion, thrown in for good measure within the Latin American and Caribbean region(LAC), designed to wean them away from the ‘corrosive’ Cuban example and Influence.
A disruptive influence which threatened the very foundation of the status quo in the so-called ‘backyard’ of the most powerful economic and military empire in the history of mankind.
It’s within this context that the illegal, financial commercial and criminal blockade of over 61 years should be seen, where the majority of humanity’s 8 billion representatives within the 193-member United Nations General Assembly, have consistently condemned for 31 consecutive years while calling for its unconditional removal, with the only regular dissenting voices, being those of apartheid Israel and its complicit genocidal partner, the USA.
To add insult to injury of this brutal and cruel and inhumane blockade, is our sister country placed on a arbitrary and spurious list of being a State Sponsor of Terrorism, that has added another layer of extreme economic and financial challenges to the courageous Cuban people, in a situation where 80% of its population have known no other existence.
Despite the unprecedented challenges that Cuba faces, the homeland of Marti, Fidel, Raul and Diaz Canel, continue to write indelible chapters in the history of mankind interaction with each other and shows by the ‘force of example’ that another world is indeed possible. Whether its in the liberation struggles against the evil system of apartheid in South Africa, fighting Ebola Virus on the African continent, Henry Reeves Brigade deployment where natural disaster occurs and more recently during the Covid-19 pandemic to 40 countries across the globe, eradication of illiteracy in developing countries, medical, education and other technical collaboration teams also to developing states and the provision of much-needed educational scholarship to build human capital.
I close with these words from the historic leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel:
“The revolution has awakened consciences, has taught us to see and above all to see the great injustices and to see the great lies. The revolution has been like a light that is turned on in the middle of the night, the revolution is like the sun, whose rays illuminate a dawn for the country. The revolution has taught us what we have not learned in the many years we have lived. The Revolution has taught us to understand each other, to love each other.
Long live the Cuban Revolution.