Sixty-two years of building “heresy”
Exactly five years, five months and five days after the actions of July 26, 1953, the Revolution finally came to power
Published: Thursday 07 January 2021 | 08:06:05 pm.
Author:
Elier Ramírez Cañedo | digital@juventudrebelde.cu
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
A cry for freedom that inaugurated a new stage of the struggle for independence in our country. Author: Alejandro Azcuy Published: 07/01/2021 | 07:06 pm
Exactly five years, five months and five days after the actions of July 26, 1953, a cry for freedom that inaugurated a new stage of the struggle for independence in our country, the Revolution finally came to power. This time the Mambises did enter Santiago de Cuba. The victory on this occasion, unlike what happened in 1898, could not be usurped, as the passage to the conspiracies and external interferences through the mobilization of the people was closed.
The road had been hard, difficult and full of obstacles. The heroic bearded men led by Fidel had not only faced a bloody tyranny, well-armed and supported by American imperialism, but also the pessimism, defeatism, prejudices and dogmas of the time, which subjectively hindered the revolutionary thrust.
Faith in Fidel’s victory ended up radiating to a whole nation. Pride in being Cuban was recovered, as well as confidence that it was possible to build a collective destiny in a sovereign and independent way, that Cuba could aspire to be something more than a cork island in the concert of nations of the world.
Thus, the historically impossible was transformed into an infinite possibility. Those who had been labeled as crazy dreamers turned out to be the sanest representatives of the people’s interests. The supposed historical and geographical fatalism, the geopolitical theories that pointed out the impossibility of a true Revolution in Cuba, were buried.
But on that dawn of January 1, 1959, not only were the ideals of justice and emancipation of a generation consummated, but also those of those heroes and martyrs who had been fighting and dying in unequal competition in the face of colonialist and imperialist oppression since the 19th century. Four and a half centuries of domination were coming to an end from that moment. The construction of a new heresy was being undertaken.
“The homeland that was in the texts,” wrote Cintio Vitier, “in the glimpses of the poets, in the passion of the founders, suddenly incarnated with a terrible, overwhelming beauty on January 1, 1959. We had it before our eyes, alive in immediate and incredible men who had realized in the mountains and plains what was prophesied, what was a dream of so many heroes, the obsession of so many lonely people”.
The triumph of the Cuban Revolution had, in turn, a profound impact beyond its borders. It marked an important turning point in the scenario of international relations and the history of Latin America and the Caribbean. By the same geographical point where the United States had begun to successfully build its imperialist domination in the Western Hemisphere since the late 19th century -consolidated after the end of World War II-, a significant counterhegemonic gap was opening up. Its example inspired and still inspires other peoples of the continent eager to shake off the yoke of the American Rome.
A small country would then personify in real life the well-known story of the biblical texts of little David defeating the giant Goliath with his sling. Never did the Goliath of the north imagine such a challenge at the very gates of his empire, much less that it would survive for a long time the onslaught of his power.
Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr. Again and again they have bitten the dust of defeat. Yes, they have caused harm, death and pain, but they have not been able to break the unity and will to struggle of the Cuban people, which is rooted in a deep cultural root of resistance and emancipation.
Fidel’s words on that January 8, 1959, when he spoke to the people from the former barracks of Columbia, today’s Ciudad Libertad, served as a warning, when he said: “The tyranny has been overthrown, the joy is immense and yet there is still much to be done. Let us not deceive ourselves into believing that from now on everything will be easy, perhaps from now on everything will be more difficult”.
The Revolution would not move in calm waters, but in turbulent waters against the tide of powerful winds and overcoming all kinds of obstacles. And so it will be while imperialism exists, let us strive to build a world different and superior to the existing one and to repair any injustice, otherwise, we would have to stop using the word Revolution.
The year that has ended will be remembered as one of the most difficult in Cuba’s recent history. We have had to face at the same time the terrible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic together with the consequences of another pandemic – in this case on the political level. Sixty 60 years ago it sought to create hunger and despair among the Cuban people and with it the overthrow of the Revolution. I am referring to the criminal economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba, the strengthening of which has reached unsuspected limits, wrapped up in a whole propaganda machine of manipulation, hatred and perversity. Without a doubt, we are witnessing the last throats of the Trumpist Movement and the anti-Cuban lobby, in their desperation to destroy the Cuban project. The exasperation and stridency that we see in our enemies is a reflection of their deep frustrations in the face of the record of accumulated failures.
Those who wished for the so-called biological solution, that after Fidel’s physical departure the Revolution would succumb, have proven in practice their deep ignorance of the Cuban reality. The Revolution is still on. Fidel is multiplying in a people willing to continue making history in defense of the most cherished ideals of justice, for Cuba and the world. We are led by our beloved Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, the most loyal of all Cubans. As an excellent helmsman, Raúl continues to take us to a safe port, along with the genuine, creative and brilliant continuity, that which carries the people’s heartbeat in its chest, and which we see represented in our President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.
For those who insistently seek a generational fracture in our country, destiny will continue to reserve a space in the ranks of those who have made mistakes when reading the essences of this nation. It is true that all generations belong to a historical time, but there are indestructible spiritual links that unite all generations in a single generation.
The young revolutionaries of today feel indissolubly linked to the generations of Martí, Gómez, Maceo, Villena, Pablo, Mella, Guiteras, José Antonio, Abel, Frank, Almeida, Vilma, Melba, Haydée, Ramiro, Fidel, Raúl and so many others who have given their lives to the cause of freedom and social justice. This is the generation of historical creation and to which also belong the young people who write the revolutionary epic of this time. They sustain this country on all fronts and make us proud with their continuous achievements.
This 2021 will be a year full of challenges and challenges, but also of new learnings and triumphs for our people. It will also be the year in which we will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Literacy Campaign, of the declaration of the socialist character of the Revolution, of the victory of Playa Girón and of the historic words of Fidel to the intellectuals, as well as the 95th birthday of the Commander in Chief. And there will be an event of special significance such as the 8th Congress of our Cuban Communist Party.
The epic of this rebellious, humanist and anti-imperialist Island will continue to be written day after day, featuring truly glorious pages, so that Cuba may live.
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