Text and photos: Enrique Moreno Gimeranez
Namibia was going through difficult days, in full national mourning that month of February 2024, after the death of the third President of the Republic, Dr. Hage G. Geingob. The entire country was saying goodbye to one of its most illustrious sons. Windhoek brought together numerous personalities from the African nation and international leaders who accompanied the Namibian people in those moments of posthumous homage to the deceased president.
Cuba was also there, a sister nation geographically more than 11,000 kilometers away; but close in the history of solidarity, represented on that occasion at the State Funeral by the member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Party Esteban Lazo Hernández, president of the National Assembly of the People's Power and the Council of State.
That is why, on that afternoon of February 25, 2024, with profound respect, amidst the pain of those days, Esteban Lazo arrived at Sam Nujoma's house in the Namibian capital to personally convey his most heartfelt condolences on behalf of the Cuban Party, State, Government and people for the unfortunate event. The African leader, Founding Father of the Namibian Nation and First President of the Republic, received a good friend that afternoon. They held a long conversation, a symbol of the everlasting brotherhood forged, over several decades, between both peoples in the shared struggle for the freedom of Namibia and other nations on the continent.
Despite the sadness of those moments, Nujoma was happy to receive a "comrade", as he called Esteban Lazo in perfect Spanish; a son of the land of his dear friends Fidel and Raúl. That afternoon, he once again thanked Cuba for its contribution to the independence of his country and its permanent solidarity with its people; and he ratified his admiration for the historic leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro. He also dedicated words of praise and gratitude to the Cuban internationalist fighters "who shared trenches with us and whose blood was shed for our freedom in the lands of southern Africa against the repressive apartheid regime".
Cuba's heroic role in the defeat of apartheid is one of the most memorable and historic acts of internationalism witnessed in recent history, he said that day, visibly moved. He then invited Esteban Lazo to tour his office and with great pleasure he carefully showed the distinctions, recognitions and photos of memorable moments of his life, treasured in a large room. To everyone's delight, several of these snapshots included Cuban personalities. "My photo with Commander in Chief Fidel Castro in Havana," he pointed to a photograph placed in a special place in that room; and those present noticed that there were also photos of Commander Ernesto Che Guevara; Army General Raúl Castro Ruz and the Five Heroes.
Nujoma walked happily, with a smile on his face, as he shared anecdotes from those moments captured in those photographs. Suddenly, to our surprise, he began to sing typical songs from his town.
At the end of the tour, he went to the door to say goodbye to Esteban Lazo with a hug. In full view of everyone, he raised his voice to say a memorable: Until victory always! We will win!, with his fists raised high. This was Sam Nujoma's last meeting with a Cuban leader, and perhaps one of the last he had with international leaders while alive; like a premonition of that phrase by José Martí that says: "Death is not true when the work of life has been well accomplished".
