I remember the Cuban revolution and how much I loved Fidel and Che. I had pictures of them in my room.
Fidel was a great friend of Jamaica when Michael Manley came to power. He gave us many doctors who were so excellent.
Fidel attended Michael Manley’s funeral and I saw him there. He also came to Jamaica for a few days, and I saw him twice. He was one of the very few people who was larger than life. And when I met him, I stood there speechless, unable to do more than stare.
More recently, in this century, he sent us these energy saving light bulbs. Everyone got a free light bulb.
When he stepped down because of health, I suppose we should have been prepared.
Last night I woke up for no reason and put on the radio and heard that at 10:59 pm Fidel Castro had died.
I was very upset about it and cried some, then in the morning went to offer condolences to a Cuban friend of mine.
There are many people in America, primarily ‘Little Havana’ in Miami who cheered his death. But I know these people, I have seen them. I have met them.
Slavery existed in Cuba until 1886. It was abolished in Jamaica in 1834 and in America in 1863.
There were people alive in 1959 who had owned slaves or were the sons of slave owners. The treatment black people received in Cuba was very bad. This prejudice, this segregation and limitations on rights ended with the Cuban revolution.
Many ex-slave owners and their families who had lived off exploitation went up to America and were vehemently anti-Castro because they lost their privilege. They were no different from any other slave owner or child of slave owner who benefitted from the oppression of other people
Many of them opened sugar plantations in Florida and other parts of the American south and use labour imported as ‘farm workers’ from Jamaica.
Fidel was a true revolutionary and history will find him one of the most significant people of our era.
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WOW! I am amazed at your praise of this man and I have a totally different point of view. I was not impressed with his visionary leadership at all and didn't think he was all that extraordinary. That's not to say he did not do anything good FOR THE PEOPLE! He did some good thing. But on his report card for an overall grade he gets a “D” in my book. Yep. He just barely passed.
I will say one thing though. When it came to building a good relationship with Cuba, America dropped the ball. Kennedy and/or his foreign policy advisors or both missed a golden opportunity. The island of Cuba is a pearl in the Caribbean! We could have had a mutually beneficial relationship and I don't blame Castro that it did not work out. America was the bigger country and had a significant place on the world stage. America should have stepped up to the plate and came up with a way to make the relationship work!
Nevertheless, Obama tried to make a change for the better. Let's hope the President Elect follows through and does make things better. I went to school with Cubans and there is a lot the people and culture have to offer. I don't see any reason why the two countries can't get along. The USA screwed up 50 years ago. We should try again and get it right time time!
One of the things I always have to tell people is that I Don't Live in America. The propaganda that you get, I don't. Up until the revolution the Mafia ruled in Cuba. There was a lot of corruption. Only certain tiny segment benefited under Batista.
I have been to America and seen some of the Cubans there... many are racist because slavery was only abolished late in the 19th century so there were slaves and ex-slave owners when the revolution happened; and ex-slave even wrote a book.
For us, in Jamaica, Cuba is the greatest. They sent us fantastic doctors and dentists, free. They have helped us a lot ... free. They sent us the energy saving light bulbs... free. They come here and teach Spanish and other things. Their hurricane prepardness programme is 2nd to none. Their education system is superior.
Fidel is a great hero here.
As you brought out, if America had not behaved as it did under Eisenhower and the mistake carried forward into Kennedy's Administration, things would have been far different.
Yes. I was aware of the nastiness of Batista and his nasty bedfellows. The Cubans I came across in America were not so much racist as they were nationalistic. In other words, “Cuban and proud!” Many were not happy to have left their homeland and fiercely clung to their heritage. Their pride actually caused what can be described as “bad blood” and a strained relationship began to develop between not just Cubans and black Americans, but Cubans and white Americans as well.
I don't doubt any of the things you say Castro did for Jamaica and the Jamaican people. I don't doubt that he did a lot of good things. But it's not just because I'm an American that I say this about him. It's because now that he is gone, his life is his testament and his legacy. Based on his T & L, I personally would not call him a hero. But there are a lot of historical figures that I would not call heroes. In fact, 99.9% of many so-called great people who are revered by the multitude, I would not call them heroes. But that's just me and I'm certain that none of them give a crap about my opinion! :)
Hoping for good relations between Cuba and America in the future!
(P.S. Always enjoy talking with you. :) )
Many sugar plantations in America which send for ex-pat cane cutters are owned by the descendents of those Cubans who left in 1959/60. Some of them were slave owners. They treated Black Cubans as dirt. That is why you find so many white Cubans in America.
good article about cuban hero..
Thank you