Larger than life Castro will live on

THE death of Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro on the weekend brings back memories of his legendary status throughout South Africa while we were growing up.

He was a figure who was truly larger than life. From 1959, when he took power, until 2008 when he handed over to his brother Raul, he is thought to have survived 638 assassination attempts.

He outlasted 10 consecutive United States presidents in that time and during his five decades as Cuba’s leader, Castro proved to be the proverbial thorn in the side of the world’s most proclaimed democracy.

One of Castro’s most impressive traits was his ability to chart his own course and that of his country, while maintaining the same sort of passion he first possessed as a young revolutionary.

Indeed, Castro had a clear vision for his country and he held fast to that vision despite the efforts of the mighty US to impose its own version of governance over Cuba.

That most certainly demanded a rare kind of dedication and perseverance – something sadly lacking in our own country.

Castro was not a capitalist; rather, he was an avowed communist – so much so that his country would remain communist even after the fall of the Soviet Union.

In fact, so dedicated was Castro to his revolutionary ideals that he backed them up by extending resources and men to Africa, to advance our own liberation struggle.

His exploits in Angola against the US and apartheid South Africasponsored Unita rebels would demonstrate his revolutionary passion against Western imperialism, not only in Cuba but internationally.

Accounts of the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale would reverberate throughout South Africa in the impressionable minds of young men and women who were just beginning to realise that freedom – or anything worthwhile having – is in fact never free.

There is no denying the cost incurred by the Cuban people because of Castro’s revolutionary ideals.

And there is no denying that Castro was not a democrat.

He was a dictator. His infamous repression of Cubans who held differing views cannot be ignored.

But then, who knows what kind of man Castro might have become or what sort of path Cuba might have followed had Castro not found himself operating in a world where the sovereignty of small countries receives little more than lip service from those with the power and resources to impose their way?

Imagine if things had been otherwise: if Cuba’s autonomy been upheld and if the US had understood that ideally, countries must be allowed to take their stand and work out their identity without being pressured.

Indeed, the successes of Cuba under Castro might have been amplified many times over had there not been an US-imposed trade embargo, which led to unnecessary suffering for Cubans. And yes, I did say successes. The education and health systems of Cuba remain the stuff of legend to this day. These services are the legacy of a revolutionary who simply would not back down.

“In politics, the winner can be the most unqualified person. There are all kinds of sentiments that can be called upon for anybody to win. That is what makes [democracy] dangerous – you find people who call upon these sentiments, even if they do not believe in them; they do so to win.”

These words, very apt for the time, were those of Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame in a recent media interview.

Incidentally Rwandans last year apparently voted to lift the two-term limit that would have seen Kagame’s presidency end next year.

With a change to the constitution Kagame could run for an additional seven-year term and then two fiveyear terms, which means he could possibly stay in power until 2034.

Kagame’s view is that democracy must fit the country where it is practised. This argument obviously has pros and cons, but we cannot ignore the fact that in a changing world democracies are continuously faced with new and very varied challenges.

We need to balance the “will of the people” aspect of democracy (not the will of the powerful) with the ability to see to office candidates who are dedicated, honest and possess the requisite characteristics of leadership.

Castro may not have been a democrat, but he did establish a government which provided some excellent services for Cubans.

He also provided strong leadership and was ready to stand in solidarity with the oppressed around the world. He will surely remain a man about whom stories will be told for many years to come.