A message remembering President Fidel Castro Ruz on the 7th Anniversary of his physical disappearance by the President of the United National Independence Party (UNIP)The Rt. Rev’d. Dr. Musonda Trevor Selwyn Mwamba to Cuban Ambassador.
Cuba in President Fidel Castro Ruz produced a remarkable and extraordinary Latin American statesman.
On this the 7th Anniversary of his physical disappearance, as President of the United National Independence Party (UNIP), I am honoured to recall the close fraternal ties my Party under my illustrious predecessor President Kenneth Kaunda had with him.
Both were leaders of the liberation of Africa and Latin America. Both were pillars of the Non-Aligned Movement of nations. Both had a great mutual respect for each other.
I recall too our diplomatic relations dating back to 1964 which have grown in friendship and development.
In remembering President Fidel Castro Ruz, today, we remember a champion of socialism and anti-imperialism and colonialism.
We remember the official national motto of Cuba, Patria o Muerte, Venceremos adopted in 1960. The motto was from a speech by President Fidel Castro to commemorate the workers and soldiers who died in the La Coubre explosion on March 5, 1960 at the harbour in Havana.
The motto was originally written as Patria o Muerte ("Homeland or death"), with the word Venceremos ("we will prevail") added in July 1960 during the Congress of the National Federation of Barber and Hairdressing Workers.
We remember his leadership in advancing Cuba’s free education and healthcare, to high world levels of literacy and life expectancy which reached the poorest.
We remember the many medical practitioners Cuba sent to over 60 countries across the globe to provide aid and assistance.
We remember Cuba’s world class biotech industry that continues to save millions of lives through dispensing vaccines and drugs to needy countries at a fraction of the cost that large multinationals would charge.
We remember how this scientific advance, generosity and solidarity with the poor and disadvantaged is attributed to Castro's vision.
We remember politically how he inspired the Bolivian President Evo Morales and Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.
We remember his vital involvement in Africa particularly in southern Africa where Cuba's intervention in Angola in 1975 repelled an apartheid South African invasion.
We remember how he personally masterminded the strategy during the last major confrontation with the apartheid South African army at Cuito Cuanavale in 1988.
The battle was part of a chain reaction that led to talks between South Africa, Angola and Cuba on the Cuban withdrawal from Angola, the independence of Namibia and the dismantling of apartheid in South African.
We remember the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda remark that Castro broke the mould of Latin American politicians who promised much and delivered little.
We remember Castro as a politician with a very rare quality, for through all his long years in power he stayed true to his convictions to the end.
We remember President Fidel Castro Ruz, on the 7th Anniversary of his physical disappearance and commend his soul to God to rest in eternal peace.
We remember…