Fortieth Anniversary of the Death of Ché
Guevara Commemorated
On the
occasion of the fortieth anniversary of his death, a capacity audience of 100
people gathered in Winnipeg on October 12 to pay tribute to the memory of Ché Guevara, the hero of the Cuban Revolution. They also
discussed the Cuban Five and other current struggles Cuba is facing. The
evening was organized by the Manitoba-Cuba Solidarity Committee.
The first
speaker was a Cuban now living in Winnipeg whose entire family was involved in
the revolution and who had the honour, as a young soldier, of meeting Ché personally. He spoke eloquently of the place Ché holds in the hearts of Cubans and why he is considered
a model for all Cuban youth. The next speaker, who was originally from South
Africa, spoke about Ché’s internationalism and the
high regard in which he is held throughout the world.
A member of
the Manitoba-Cuba Solidarity Committee then spoke about the case of the Cuban
Five, -- ‘los cinco’
-- who are also heroes in Cuba. They have been held in U.S. prisons since
September 12, 1998, charged, tried and falsely convicted of conspiracy,
espionage and murder. In fact, all they did was monitor and report on the
activities of notorious terrorist groups based in Miami that have been
responsible for a multitude of attacks against Cuba and more than 3000 deaths.
The speaker gave a succinct outline of the case and called on participants to
attend a conference being held in Toronto on November 9-10. Called
Breaking the Silence: Solidarity Conference for the Cuban Five, the conference
has been organized jointly by the solidarity networks in Canada, Quebec and the
U.S.
The keynote
speaker of the evening was the Cuban Ambassador to Canada, Ernesto Sentí, who paid tribute to Ché by
talking about his legacy in the character of the Cuban Revolution, the Cuban
people and in Cuba’s achievements since the revolution. He described the
effects of the U.S. blockade on Cuba and pointed out that Cuba’s biggest crime
in the eyes of successive American governments has been that of upholding its
dignity and independence, of refusing to bow down to imperialism. He called on
people to support the ideals of peaceful coexistence and to support Cuba and
all nations in their desire to make their own decisions and set their own
course in this world.
Musicians
and singers from the Chilean community, Grupo Amistad, and
others, sang songs dedicated to Ché, explaining that
it is a labour of love to participate in such a commemoration of a great hero.
Those present also contributed generously to a fund to assist Aboriginal youth
from Manitoba to participate in next summer’s Ché
Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade, which will undertake its sixteenth trip to Cuba
next August.