Fidel Castro, Hero of the Disinherited

Abstract

IntroductionA controversial figure in the West where he is strongly criticised, Fidel Castro is however revered by the peoples of Latin America and the Third World. They consider him a symbol of resistance to oppression and a defender of the aspirations of the countries of the south that struggle for independence, sovereignty and self-determination. A legendary rebel during his own lifetime, he has entered the pantheon of the great liberators of the Americas. The prestige of the former guerrilla of the Sierra Maestra has overflown the continental borders of Cuba to become the archetype of twentieth century anti-imperialism and a vector of a universal message of empowerment.What is it that explains this discrepancy between the negative Western media image of Fidel and the enthusiasm he generates in Latin America and the Third World? Is it not to be expected that his commitment to the poor and his fight for the preservation of Cuban and Latin American identity might be perceived by the peoples of the south as a universal struggle? Did his commitment to Latin American integration through the creation of ALBA in 2004 not reflect the efforts of Simon Bolivar and Jose Marti to unite a continent in solidarity in order to build the 'Patria Grande'?Three aspects characterise the figure of Fidel Castro. First of all, he is the architect of national sovereignty, the person who restored dignity to the people of the island by realising the dream of the Apostle and National Hero Jose Marti for an independent Cuba. Secondly, he is a social reformer who has taken up the cause of the humble and the humiliated. Finally, he is an internationalist who extends a generous hand to needy people everywhere and places solidarity and integration at the centre of Cuba's foreign policy.The Architect of National SovereigntyThe triumph of the Cuban Revolution on January 1, 1959, led to the most important social transformation in the history of Latin America. By overturning the existing order and the established structures, Fidel Castro challenged the power of the Batista oligarchy and the power of money. By dedicating national resources to the people, he placed human beings at the centre of the new social project.The principal conquest of the Cuban Revolution remains independence and sovereignty, something desired by the Cuban people since the nineteenth century and for which Marti had sacrificed his life in 1895. By ending more than six decades of US domination of the island, Fidel Castro has given back to Cubans the dignity they had lost during Washington's intervention in the Cuban war of independence in 1898 and the military occupation that had transformed the island into nothing more than a mere protectorate. President John F. Kennedy was not wrong when he said, 'Fidel Castro is part of Bolivar's legacy. We should offer a warm welcome to the fiery young rebel in his triumph.'1To grasp the symbolic importance of Fidel Castro in Cuba's history, it is necessary to go back to the early nineteenth century, when the island began to stir the lust for possession of its 'powerful and ambitious neighbor.'2 Cuba is, indeed, one of the oldest foreign policy obsessions of the United States. In 1805, Thomas Jefferson spoke of the importance of the island, noting that its 'possession [was] necessary for the defense of Louisiana and Florida because it [was] the key to the Gulf of Mexico. For the United States, conquest would be easy'.3 In 1823, John Quincy Adams, Secretary of State and future president of the United States, alluded to the subject of Cuban annexation, developing the famous 'ripe fruit' theory: 'Cuba, separated by force from its unnatural connection with Spain, and unable to stand by itself, will necessarily need to gravitate around the North American Union, and only around it.'4 Thus, during the nineteenth century, the United States tried to buy Cuba from Spain six times.During the first war of independence, from 1868 to 1878, Cuban insurgents, plagued by deep internal divisions, were defeated by the Spanish army. …