By Graciela Ramírez on July 26, 2018
Santiago did not sleep waiting for the 26th. Beginning at 3 a.m. thousands of people of all ages walked through the streets near the Moncada Barracks to get to the event, aware that they represented all the people of Cuba. Many proudly wore the medals they had won – with guns on their shoulders – in internationalist campaigns where so many did not return or were left with profound consequences. They did this in support of the independence of other peoples; in Angola, Namibia, Nicaragua and other sister lands. Others wore medals that were awarded for hard work, machetes in hand, as heroes and heroines of labor.
With the humility that characterizes the Cuban people, the young university students in red and black bracelets greeted and directed the more than 10,000 attendees where each one would be seated.
At 5:12 a.m. sharp – still night – at the exact same time that the assault on the Moncada Barracks began 65 years ago, the event started with the presence of Raúl Castro, President Miguel Díaz-Canel, the First Secretary and member of the Central Committee Lázaro Expósito, leaders of the Party, the government, the Political Bureau and mass organizations.
It was moving to see the faces full of emotion and pride as they arrived undefeated, 65 years later, to celebrate this date that for all Cubans symbolizes the continuity of the struggle for independence and full freedom that began with the Mambises.
At only 13 years of age, Laikén Rodríguez Hernández, a 7th grade student at Roberto Rodríguez Basic Secondary School, opened and expressed with firm eloquence, “For us Cuban pioneers and youth, July 26 marks the continuation of the struggles for liberation and independence. Today, 65 years after Moncada, the pioneers “honor the memory of our eternal and generous friend Fidel.”
Fidel and Martí are inextricably linked to this date. Fidel as the actual leader of the attack for liberation and Martí, as the intellectual author and source of inspiration of the young Moncadistas. Special mention should be made of Abel Santamaría, a stalwart of the revolutionary organization who was murdered during the attack while being horrendously tortured by Batista’s henchmen. Until his last breath he refused to expose Fidel as the leader of the revolutionary action. Haydee Santamaría and Melba Hernández, heroines from Moncada, were also imprisoned for their participation and revolutionary courage. It was Haydee, Abel’s sister, who was interrogated while being shown the eyeballs of her brother to reveal who the leader of the attack was, and who replied, “If Abel’s eyes were ripped out and he didn’t tell you, how can you expect me to do it?”
It was this heroic revolutionary lineage beginning with Marti that led to the Moncada, and which made Fidel the main antagonist against a bloody, dictatorial and servile regime of US imperialism. The prophetic words of Fidel’s self-defense, who refused to be defended by a lawyer other than himself, is forever embedded in Cuban revolutionary thought, “Condemn me, it doesn’t matter, history will absolve me”. His brilliant and devastating plea against Batista’s tyranny went all around the island, hand in hand, word of mouth, in absolute secrecy, turning the setback into victory.
History not only absolved Fidel, but as the Argentine poet Juan Gelman said in his poem Gotan, “it opened the doors for the giant to enter and remain forever in the collective memory of his people and all of other peoples as well.”
“We will not let the ideals of the Apostle die, as the youth of the Centennial did not let them die,” said Arianni Rodríguez González, professor of Pedagogy and Psychology at the University of Oriente, “Our greatest challenge is to fulfill the call of the Fatherland,” ratifying the people’s commitment to the Revolution. He brought to the present those who, on a day like today, but in 1953, “decided to take action in search of utopia, hope and a better future”.
Lazaro Expósito, First Secretary of the Party in Santiago de Cuba, very much loved and admired by the people for his great work capacity, after summarizing the works carried out in service of the people, expressed with great emotion: “The Nation was born in this land…The Revolution will continue to be invincible in Santiago”.
The joy of all the people was enormous, followed by a standing ovation, when it was announced that Army General Raúl Castro would be the key note speaker of the event. Raul praised the efforts and work of the people of Santiago and encouraged them to continue working efficiently to achieve greater performance in all areas of the economy and services. With regard to relations with the United States, he pointed out that “since August 2017, under the pretext of alleged acoustic attacks, which no one has been able to verify, diplomatic ties have suffered”.
He reaffirmed, “We have endured undefeated for 60 years. For us, as for Venezuela and Nicaragua, it is very clear that the siege is narrowing and we have to prepare ourselves to respond to every challenge and threat.”
Paying tribute to the young martyrs of the first days of the revolution, Raul said, “Since July 26, 1953, we Cuban revolutionaries have forged ourselves in an incessant battle, how can we fail to remember the young people that on a day like today, 65 years ago, were savagely tortured?”
On this July 26, the Day of National Rebellion, Raúl, with great affection and respect, ratified that “no matter how difficult the circumstances, no matter how great the challenges, our people will always defend their Socialist Revolution”. He explained the political significance of the reform of the Constitution that will be put under popular consultation and review before it is adopted.
In his profound speech he also gave an account of the economic situation of the country and the voraciousness of the blockade. He explained the importance of the battle of ideas by recalling Fidel’s words 45 years ago in Santiago de Cuba: “The Moncada taught us to turn setbacks into victories,” and that is the spirit that resonates in Cubans.”
Finally, he made the announcement that on January 1, 2019, “we will meet again in Santiago de Cuba, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the triumph of the Revolution”, making the first city of the Revolution proud.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano, translated by Resumen Latinoamericano North America bureau