STATEMENT BY ANAYANSI RODRÍGUEZ CAMEJO, CUBAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS, IN A SOLIDARITY ACT TO PAY TRIBUTE TO COMMANDER IN CHIEF, FIDEL CASTRO RUZ. NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 4TH, 2017.
Dear friends from New York, from Harlem, from Latin America and other parts of the world and from Cuba.
On behalf of our Permanent Mission to the United Nations, I would like to sincerely thank you for having invited us to this event to pay tribute to the Commander in Chief Fidel, which takes place precisely here, in a place that is a symbol for the Harlem community, for this city and for this country. For the Cuban people, this is an emblematic place for the same reasons it is for you as well, and also for what it meant to Fidel his relationship with Leader Malcolm X, who gave his life in this place. We are also here to pay tribute to his memory.
It is particularly difficult to put into short words the sense we are filled with when we speak about someone who we see as a father and who is by far a revolutionary leader of worldwide renown.
Allow me simply to refer to moments of his life that connected him to this city and to its people. Just like Cuba’s National Hero José Martí did while preparing the Necessary War to free Cuba from Spain, little more than 60 years later Fidel also arrived in New York in October, 1955 with the same purpose: to unite the wills of patriotic and honorable Cubans and Americans for reorganizing the revolutionary movement and raising funds for the fight. It was New Jersey the place where Fidel organized the first out of six revolutionary clubs founded in the United States.
However, it was precisely here in Manhattan on October 10, 1955, in an event that involved the presence of nearly 800 people, when he made that historic commitment: “In 1956 we will be free or we will be martyrs”. The promise was fulfilled and in 1956 the Granma yacht set sail from Mexico on a journey to History.
Let us recall now his first trip to New York after the Triumph of the Revolution. He came in September, 1960 to attend the United Nations General Assembly, but this time as the victorious Head of Government of the rebel island.
Let us then go through the scenario of that new encounter with New York City: only one year after the triumph of 1959, the hostility of the United States government against Cuba was growing exponentially. The Central Intelligence Agency was practically ready for the mercenary aggression that would take place in the spring of the following year. And here, in the United States, the Cuban delegation was received by the authorities with deep hostility. Additionally, the civil rights movement here was filled with such effervescence, and its main component was the fight against racial discrimination.
So, within this context, the delegation of “barbudos” (bearded men) led by the Commander in Chief Fidel arrived in New York.
Even though he had many things to speak before the United Nations General Assembly –and he did it- to spread all over the world the truth about the young Cuban Revolution and to express his view on the serious international problems of the time, he did not forget to mention the helping hand provided to him by the people of New York. In that speech at UN, Fidel said, and I quote: “When we were forced to leave one of the hotels in this city, and came to the United Nations Headquarters while efforts were being made to find accommodation for us, a hotel, a humble hotel of this city, a Negro hotel in Harlem, offered to rent us rooms.”
In this community, a welcome committee had been created. One of its members was Malcolm X, the extraordinary African-American leader, with whom Fidel had a meeting at his hotel room.
This is how, thanks to the solidarity of this people, Fidel arrived at the Hotel “Theresa”, in the heart of Harlem. Fidel also left his heart here.
Nearly 20 years later, in 1979, he came back to this city to make a speech at UN in his capacity as President of the Non-Aligned Movement, and then in the years 1995 and 2000. In these two last occasions, he could feel once again the warm sense of solidarity and friendship of this people in the emotional meetings organized here. Fidel always returned that affection with sincerity and love.
Just to recall, among many examples, the strong friendship he felt for Reverend Lucius Walker, founder of the Movement Pastors for Peace. Lucius and Fidel felt deep respect for each other. Fidel and the people of Cuba were able to appreciate from the first moments the force of his character, the faithfulness to the principles he defended even putting his own life at risk, his courage and his strong faith. Cuban people will never forget those images transmitted worldwide showing Pastors for Peace activists, led by Lucius, confronting heavily armed troops in the border with Mexico seeking to take to Cuba that precious solidarity cargo. Just like Fidel, Lucius was a soldier of ideas. His ashes now rest in Havana obeying his last will. His ideas, just like Fidel’s ideas, are here with us in our hearts.
No reference can be made as to demonstrations of solidarity from the United States to Cuba without mentioning those precursors who, defying the threats of a government against everything that implied solidarity with Cuba, formed the Venceremos Brigade at the end of the turbulent 1960’s and were the leaders of pages of heroism that we will never forget. Nor must we forget hero Carlos Muñiz Varela, member of the Brigade, who was killed by the enemies of the Cuban Revolution. They were seeking to prevent a normal relation to be built between our peoples. The Venceremos Brigade always held a special place in Fidel’s thinking. I would like to recall fragments of his words dedicated to the Brigade in a speech he gave on July 26, 1970. Referring to them and to the people of the United States, Fidel said: “We are the pioneers of this revolutionary path (…) but not the only ones! One day, sooner or later, we will become the peoples of Latin America (…) not to confront a powerful imperialism, but to live in unity with a great people (…) the United States people. We are not the enemies of those people (…) Therefore, we can say to the U.S. people and to those youths who came here (…) to help us, who have sent us such a moving and expressive message: Yes, all of us together! (…) together with the American people, we will win, we will win!”
As you well know, those demonstrations of friendship and solidarity of Fidel towards this people were also extended to the youths. Based on his idea to provide them with the opportunity to study medicine in Cuba, a group of humble boys and girls from different areas of the United States, several of them from New York and from this very same neighborhood of Harlem, have been able to become doctors and work in poor and African-American communities. We do not regard this as something extraordinary. Just like Fidel showed us, this has been a way to repay a debt of gratitude, solidarity and friendship that looks beyond the economic dimension or any other type of consideration.
Thus, in many ways, Fidel expressed his friendship for this people. And with the passing of years, despite hostile attitudes, despite the blockade that is still causing us hardships, his feelings towards you remained unchanged. And in his everyday contact with our people, this was the perception he conveyed to us.
This was and this is Fidel, because he is still alive in each one of us, because nobody will ever be able to speak in the past about Fidel. It was undoubtedly a real privilege –for us, and I am certain that for all of you as well- to have joined him during these years of struggle.
From him, we Cubans learned that for a socialist Revolution to be true, it should maintain firmness on principles. There must be no doubt that, whatever the scenario might be, we will continue to uphold these principles today and in the future.
His entire lifework, dedicated to build that better world we believe possible, multiplies in yourselves, in your unwavering solidarity towards Cuba and reaffirms our commitment to be faithful to Fidel’s legacy.
We will never forget the strong support that we have always received from the sons of Harlem and from all the honorable sons of this country. These are the same who, in an increasingly growing number, wish the lifting of the blockade and the establishment of normal and civilized relations between both countries without any conditions.
Because -just like Martin Luther King- Malcolm X, Lucius Walker and Fidel had a dream, and we, the Cuban and American peoples, are the heirs of that dream. I am deeply convinced that we will continue to struggle so that this dream can come true!
Allow me to conclude with a short phrase by Fidel that expresses his feelings for this community and its people. He said it here during that visit in 1960, when the delegation had to decide where to stay after being expelled from the hotel where they had been lodged originally. The invitation for him to stay at the hotel Theresa had been made already and the reaction of the authorities of the time was to try to prevent it by offering free accommodation to the delegation of Cuba. Fidel was asked what his decision was and he replied without hesitation:
“I am going to Harlem…I am going to Harlem because there is where my best friends are!”
¡Viva Fidel! (Long live Fidel!)
Long live the friendship and solidarity between the peoples!
¡Hasta siempre, Comandante!
Thank you very much.