Fidel Castro
Few people in the world are able to communicate with clarity and effectiveness as Fidel Castro. The Commander in Chief of the Cuban Revolution left for history majestic speeches, all filled with irrefutable arguments and detailed explanations of moments, situations and facts. It would be useful to share the arguments that the then Prime Minister of Cuba stated in his historic speech to the United Nations General Assembly (UNO) 56 years ago. The proposal is to analyze those fragments that Fidel masterfully expounded and as a work of art leads us to historical passages and milestones of our independence struggle.
Mirages of the independent Cuba before 1959
The Commander in Chief began his speech on September 26th, 1960, explaining the humiliations that the Cuban delegation had suffered in New York .
On the history of colonial and neocolonial Cuba, wars, manipulations and horror he said:
‘’The problem of Cuba (...) emerged during the past two years, is a new problem. The world had not had much reason to know that Cuba existed. It was something like an appendage of the United States. Even for many citizens of this country, Cuba was a US colony’’.
Cuba became a colony and not precisely because of its origins. Cuba has a very different ethnic and cultural root, and that root is entrenched for centuries. Cuba was the last country in the Americas to get rid of Spanish colonial rule, the Spanish colonial yoke, so it had to fight harder.
This young, standing on the podium of the General Assembly of the UN, could explain the colonial transition of the country. About Cuban independence struggles and the American role before 1898 he stated:
‘’Cubans fought alone for their Independence during thirty years. According to the opinion of a US president, John Adams, Cuba was a fruit, it was like an apple pending on the Spanish tree, ready to fall in US hands. But Spain had neither men nor economic resources to support the war in Cuba; Spain was defeated. The apple was apparently mature, and the US government spread his hands’’. But not only one apple fell in their hands but several: Puerto Rico, the Philippine Islands and several possessions more. Our country had sustained a tremendous struggle but the world's opinion was in favor of us. The record should be different.
Impertinent intrusion
The recolonization of our country began. The acquisition of the best farmland by US companies; concessions of its natural resources, its mines; concessions of public services for the operation of public services; trade concessions, concessions of all kinds made Cuba a North American colony.
Colonies do not speak, the colonies are not known in the world until they have the opportunity to express themselves. So the world did not know our colony and the world did not know the problems of our colony. In geography and books a flag appeared, but there was no an independent republic, there was a colony, where the US ambassador ruled. Fidel didn’t stop and continued, we are not ashamed to have to confess it, because today no embassy rules our people, our people governs the people!
Why weapons again?
The Cuban people did not fight in vain, our citizens did not fight for pleasure. Everything was done to achieve definitive independence and regain basic rights of which we had been robbed. This was illustrated by the Commander.
What did the Revolution find when it came to power in Cuba?. First it found that 600,000 Cuban workers with skills, were unemployed; three million people of a total population of just over 6 million, did not enjoy electricity or any of the benefits and conveniences of electricity; 3.5 million people from a total of just over 6 million lived in huts, barracks and slums, without the smallest living conditions. Both the electrical service as rents were the highest in the world. Thirty-seven and a half percent of our population was illiterate, could not read or write; 70% of our children's rural population had no teachers; 2% of our population was suffering from tuberculosis; 95% of our children's rural population suffered from parasitism; infant mortality was so high, the average life expectancy was very low. On the other hand, 85% of small farmers paid rent for the possession of their land, amounting to 30% of their gross income, while one-half of all landowners controlled 46% of the total area the nation.
The reasons for a revolution were enough, now the world knew and looked proudly at Cuba and the Cuban government of 1959. No one can blame us that Cuba had 600,000 unemployed, 37.5% of illiterate population, 2% of tuberculosis patients, 95% of parasitized. until that moment the destiny of our homeland was ruled by those who had served the interests of the monopolies. There, they could do their job and there we found the fruits of monopolies.
The speech went on and he touched many other topics of Cuban and world reality then. The speech made clear the position of Cuba and its new revolutionary government. For now we stop here, after enjoying a clear lesson of history offered by Fidel Castro, the man who lives for our FREE CUBA.