FIDEL CASTRO’s defiance of American power made him a beacon of resistance not just in Latin America, but across the globe.
His bushy beard, long Cuban cigar and green fatigues, much like Che Guevara’s portrait by Alberto Korda, have became universal symbols of rebellion. It is not unusual to find young people wearing T-shirts bearing Che Guevara’s or Fidel’s image, as some form of expression of their anti-establishment protest and beliefs.
At a time when celebrity status was reserved for actors, musicians and other performers, Fidel Castro became so famous he could be identified by only one name. A mention of ‘Fidel’ left little doubt who was being talked about.
Fidel’s life story is not only an eye opener, but shows that greatness is at the reach of anyone, all that is needed is determination. At the tender age of 27, Castro was imprisoned after leading an unsuccessful rising against the Batista regime.
Castro decided to fight for the overthrow Fulgencio Batista’s military junta by founding a paramilitary organisation, ‘The Movement’. In July 1953, they launched a failed attack on the Moncada Barracks, during which many militants were killed and Castro was arrested.
Placed on trial, he defended his actions and provided his famous ‘History Will Absolve Me’ speech, before being sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment in the Model Prison on the Isla de Pinos. Renaming his group the ‘26th of July Movement’ (MR-26-7), Castro was pardoned by Batista’s Government, who no longer considered him a political threat in May 1955.
Restructuring the MR-26-7, he fled to Mexico with his brother Raul Castro, where he met with Argentine Marxist-Leninist Che Guevara, and together they organised a small revolutionary force intent on overthrowing Batista.
At age 30, Castro and Che Guevara began a guerilla war against the Government.
In November 1956, Castro and 81 revolutionaries sailed from Mexico aboard the Granma, crash-landing near Los Cayuelos.
Attacked by Batista’s forces, they fled to the Sierra Maestra mountain range, where the 19 survivors set up an encampment from which they waged guerilla warfare against the army.
Boosted by new recruits who increased the guerilla army’s numbers to 200, they co-ordinated their attacks with the actions of other revolutionaries across Cuba, and Castro became an international celebrity after being interviewed by The New York Times.
In 1958, Batista launched a counter-offensive, Operation Verano, but his army’s use of conventional warfare was overwhelmed by Castro’s guerilla tactics and the MR-26-7 eventually pushed out of the Sierra Maestra and took control of most of Oriente and Las Villas.
Recognising that he was losing the war, Batista fled to the Dominican Republic while military leader, Eulogio Cantillo took control of the country.
With revolutionary forces controlling most of Cuba, Castro ordered Cantillo’s arrest before establishing a provisional Government with Manuel Urrutia Lleóas as President and José Miró Cardona as Prime Minister, ensuring that they enacted laws to erode the power of the Batistanos.
To Cubans, it was a bearded 32-year-old Castro and a small band of rough-looking revolutionaries who overthrew an unpopular dictator in 1959, and rode their jeeps and tanks into Havana, the nation’s capital.
Two years later, at 34, he was fighting off the CIA-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion by Cuban exiles.
Fidel Castro lived his life to the fullest and touched the lives of many cross the globe. Africa has lost a close friend and a hero. Cuba has been a friend of the liberation movements that fought against colonialism.
Castro’s commitment to Africa continued in post-liberation Africa. Cuba was on hand to not only ideologically stand with Africa, but provide human resources such as doctors and nurses at a time most African states were still vulnerable.
Cuba has been Africa’s ally, thanks to Castro’s vision for equality and development.
Cuba still trains African doctors, and continues to send doctors to the continent. When Ebola ravaged Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, Cuba led international aid efforts when other world powers fretted.
It is a relationship likely to continue long after Castro’s death.