The Sunday Mail
Dr Lazarus Dokora —
An American singer and comic book writer once remarked, “Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary.” The same rings true of hero and revolutionary icon par excellence, Cde Fidel Castro.
As the world commemorates Cde Castro’s life following his departure on November 25, 2016, it is worth reflecting on a life well spent.
Following the news of his death, his brother and Cuban President, Raul Castro, announced in a televised statement, “I say to the people of Cuba, with profound pain I come here to inform our people, our friends. . .and the world, that today, 25 November, 2016, at 10:29 pm, the commander-in-chief of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, passed on.”
In Fidel’s hometown, people were calling and knocking on the door of his half-brother, Martin Castro. They wanted to know whether the hometown revolutionary was dead.
“They have been knocking and calling and asking if it is true,” said Angel Daniel Castro, Cde Castro’s nephew.
“Many people are crying. Some complain of high blood pressure.
“Fidel was a good man. For us, he was like a father.
“And Cuba sees him as a father. One woman just called crying and saying she had lost her father. Everyone feels it.”
These snippets capture the Cuban environment under the weight of loss.
Who was Fidel Castro?
Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926. He was the third of six children, including his two brothers, Raul and Ramon, and three sisters, Angela, Emma and Augustina. He was son to a wealthy sugar plantation owner, Angel Castro Argiz.
It was during his study of law at Havana University that he developed interest in Cuban nationalism, anti-imperialism and socialism. However, an important marker of Fidel’s political career occurred in 1953. He led an attack on Moncada Barracks and was imprisoned by the government of the day (an ally of the US government).
Following his release, he formed the “July 26th Movement”, which marked the day of the barrack attack. Owing to his revolutionary consciousness, exile did not dampen his spirit. Later, he was to lead a guerrilla band of some 82 members on the yacht, Granma.
In under two years in the mountain of Sierra Maestra, he defeated Fulgencia Batista’s army and made the Triumph of the Revolution in 1959 an emblem of the revolution, first as Prime Minister and later as President in 1976. He started an agrarian reform and a radicalisation of Cuban society.
As a result of sanctions imposed by the US government, he was determined to fight all forms of imperialism. The Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961 is one typical example where Castro showed his resolve to crush counter-revolutionaries packaged as liberators by the US.
Under his administration, Cuba emerged as a powerful and independent state that has excelled in the area of human resource development. His ideals resonated with the general populace, earning him great support among the Cubans.
It, therefore, does not come as a surprise that the nine days of mourning declared by the Cuban government are attracting huge crowds. Abroad, Cde Castro supported anti-imperialist revolutionary groups, backing the establishment of radical governments in Chile (Allende), Nicaragua (Daniel Ortega), Grenada and the greater part of Africa.
For this reason, Cde Castro will be sadly missed by peace-loving citizens of this world, particularly those who are conscious of their sovereignty, and Zimbabwe is not an exception.
Through his actions and writings, he has significantly influenced the politics of various individuals and groups across the world. He was a champion of socialism and an anti-imperialist whose revolutionary government secured Cuba’s place in world affairs.
Zimbabwe-Cuba relations
Cde Castro’s narrative is never complete without making reference to the vibrant Zimbabwe-Cuba relations. Notwithstanding the fact that the relationship between Zimbabwe and Cuba dates back to the days of our liberation struggle, Cuba-Zimbabwe’s technical cooperation programme started in 1986 after a very successful Non-Aligned Movement Conference.
It was refreshing recently to hear His Excellency, President Robert Mugabe, speak about the nature of our relations with Cuba and Cde Castro. The President said, “He was not just a man of words, he was a man of action.
“And in my country after he visited us during the Non-Aligned Movement Summit of 1986 and discussed with me how Cuba could assist, he agreed to establish on the Isle of Youth, a university to train our young men and women in science and mathematics.”
Key features of the cooperation were production of teachers. Almost 4 000 teachers were trained in Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Information Communication Technology and Physical Education.
Abiding legacies of the Cuba-Zimbabwe technical cooperation programme
As we bid farewell to Cde Fidel Castro, we will always cherish abiding legacies as a nation. Key among them are teacher orientation to national issues and training teachers who perform beyond the call of duty.
If one has to be fair to history, the majority of teachers who are a product of the Cuba-Zimbabwe technical cooperation programme are a cut above the rest. These teachers have distinguished themselves in the education fraternity, displaying attributes such as hard work, honesty and patriotism.
The bulk of these teachers have exceeded their initial qualifications and now operate with Master’s Degrees and PhDs in schools and universities in Zimbabwe and beyond. Cde Castro, the commandante, is remembered always.
He was a revolutionary, revolutionaries do not die. In the bank of ideas, it is always “hastala victoria siempre”. The Cubans and the whole world should find comfort in President Mugabe’s condolence message.
“Fidel was not your leader. He was our leader and the leader of the revolutionaries. “We followed him, listened to him and tried to emulate him.”
Dr Lazarus Dokora is the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, and was involved in the Cuba-Zimbabwe technical cooperation programme.
