After reading this article, I found myself very emotional, asking myself so many questions. How did manage to betray the course of struggle that much? why are we where we are now? why & how we have forgotten the essence of struggle so very easy? indeed is very disturbing that our revolutionary alliance & the ruling party after having rubbed shoulders with these martyrs, after having inspired by their selfless contribution to revolution around the world especially in Africa, can find ourselves becoming victims of the tricks of imperialists & capitalists.
Instead of embarking on a genuine revolutionary course we find ourselves engulfed by neo-liberal policy framework [as govrnmment policy] claiming to be on course to liberating our people. I believe we need to pause & take deep breath, ask ourselves a multi-million dollar question what went wrong?. I believe again the answer would be that we did not take the warning by cde Amilcar Cabral of what is likely to be the trap for us after political freedom, we have thrown his advice in to the see. We need to wake-up from our sleep, stop relying on voices of reasons from the pavilion aiming at scoring points of being labelled as voices of intellect which have done little in assisting our NDR. Phase of dishonest politics have engulfed our shores, like the former President has said the centre can't hold anymore. It is time to breakway from many of the formerly neo-liberal gogmas of the recent past, we don't need reform, we should not be fooled. Lets go out, educate & mobilise the proletariat to take lead of this vehicle of revolution[ the Alliance]. lets challenge ourselves to build strong Vanguard not tomorrow but as of yesterday. This is the only way to continue the legacies of the fallen revolutionaries Che Guevara, Dreke,Hani to mention few. "Fidel will die, I will die, we [revolutionaries] will all eventually die, but cuba will never go back to capitalism. 'Victor Dreke Cruz' On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 11:39 PM, James Tweedie <[email protected]>wrote: > [image: independentLondon] > > *Victor Dreke Cruz: Cuba's history man still talks of revolution* > > One of Che Guevara's 'pillars' is in London for the 50th anniversary of the > Bay of Pigs. Nina Lakhani meets Victor Dreke Cruz > > *The Independent (London) Sunday April 17 2011* > > The curiosity and romanticism surrounding Cuba's revolutionary hero Che > Guevara has refused to abate, even slightly, in the 43 years since his > death. Victor Dreke Cruz, who served as Che's number two in Africa, is one > of the very few who can lay claim to a special personal relationship with > the man. Dreke, 74, a former rebel fighter and army commander, is in London > to mark the 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion, the disastrous > attempt by CIA-backed Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro's communist > government, that severely embarrassed President Kennedy. > > But Dreke is more than a Che memory bank; he is living Cuban history. His > belief in the socialist system remains resolute; his disdain for the US > unchanged; his pride for what he, Che, the Castro brothers and the > revolution achieved intact. To some, he is a revolutionary hero in his own > right. > > Dreke was born in March 1937 in Sagua la Grande, a town on the northern > coast of central Cuba, the youngest of nine children in a poor family > descended from African slaves. His father eked out a living from several > jobs – carpenter, fishmonger and musician – his mother was a housewife. > Unlike most pre-revolutionary black Cubans, Dreke attended school. He grew > up wanting to be a fireman until becoming politicised as a student. > > "My revolutionary struggle started on my 15th birthday when we went out to > protest against Batista's coup d'état on 10 March 1952. "I didn't know who > Batista was but we'd heard that he was cruel, so many students went to the > streets to protest. The police came and beat us, and one of them said: 'Who > has ever seen a black revolutionary? Black people are only chicken thieves.' > " > > If the young Dreke needed any encouragement, that casual racist remark, > commonplace in pre-revolutionary Cuba, did the trick. > > After that he joined and led various rebel groups and underground militia > across Cuba, living a precarious life, always "looking for trouble". He > narrowly escaped capture and almost certain death at the age of 20, after > one member of his group was captured, tortured and gave away his hiding > place. Dreke managed to escape hidden in a wardrobe. > > Dreke first met Che just weeks before the revolution. "It was 21 or 22 > October 1958. I was with a guerrilla group, recovering from gunshot wounds > after being attacked by police a few days earlier. Che arrived with his > fighters, wearing ragged, torn clothes, exhausted after walking for miles > from the east in the pouring rain – it was hurricane season. But someone > told him there was an injured man, and so he came immediately to check on my > wounds: he was a doctor and a tender man." > > The two men fought together in the coming weeks as their units carried out > joint operations, most notably taking the city of Santa Clara on 31 December > 1958. It was this victory that caused Cuba's President, General Batista, to > flee to the Dominican Republic on 1 January 1959. Communist Cuba was born. > > Dreke describes Che as a "great leader" who led by example. "He was always > looking for the most dangerous places, he was very demanding of himself. He > suffered from asthma and had very bad attacks, but still he would go on > walking, doing everything that we did – in fact, he did more. Good leaders > can't be separate from their men and he was always with us." > > Two years later – and 50 years ago today – Dreke, by this time an army > captain, sped towards the coastal town of Giron upon hearing the country was > under attack as the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion began. > > He led two units, about 150 men, who clashed with invaders in the narrow > roads around Giron. After three days of fighting and just hours before > victory, Dreke was wounded and briefly captured by mercenaries. Shot in the > arm and leg, his life was saved by his driver, who remains a friend, by > shielding him from further fire. > > The abortive invasion forced the resignation of the CIA's director, Allen > Dulles, and deeply embarrassed the new US President, John F Kennedy. > American discomfort was compounded by the support the raid generated for > Castro's government. As Che said in a note to JFK five months later: "Thanks > for Playa Giron. Before the invasion, the revolution was weak. Now it is > stronger than ever." > > Dreke insists their victory was also important for other countries fighting > for independence. "We defeated the American imperialists for the first time > in Latin American history and showed that people could live independently > and with dignity." > > Having proven himself as a trustworthy leader, Dreke, a commander by this > point, was chosen by the Castro brothers to serve as Che's number two in the > country's first international military mission. They left Cuba secretly in > April 1965 for the Democratic Republic of Congo, to train independence > fighters struggling against the CIA-backed forces of General (later > President) Mobutu. > > The journey was an unforgiving one, first by sea and then trekking hundreds > of miles overland from Tanzania. "We didn't know Africa, the terrain was > completely different, and there were wild animals – lions, elephants, snakes > – and so many diseases. We lived in the forest, no houses, no tents and, at > first, no hammocks. We didn't speak the language; it was tough." > > He recalls how, en route from Tanzania, they had only one loaf of bread to > eat. "Che asked me to slice this one loaf of bread for 16 hungry, huge men. > It was only after everyone had eaten, he took the last slice, that's the > kind of man he was." > > During one ambush, Dreke feared Che was dead or kidnapped, only to discover > that he had gone ahead alone and was fighting on the front line. "He was > very audacious, very brave. He didn't go to Congo to hide or wait for time > to pass before he went to Bolivia or Argentina. He went to help." > > On their return to Cuba in November 1965, Che wrote of Dreke in his report > to Fidel: "He was ... one of the pillars on which I relied. The only reason > I am not recommending that he be promoted is that he already holds the > highest rank." > > Dreke led similar military missions in both Guinea-Bissau and Guinea, and > it was while serving in the former that he heard about Che's murder in > Bolivia. > > "This was a very difficult moment. There were rumours Che had been killed, > so I was asked to go to Conakry to see if it was true. I read the dispatches > and one mentioned there was a scar on the man's right hand. When I read that > I knew it was him. When Che smoked, the way he held his pipe meant you could > see the scar, and I had seen him do that many times. It was a very painful > moment... he was my boss, my comrade, my brother." > > For Dreke, the achievements of the revolution are enduring. Illiteracy was > wiped out in a year and ever since there has been universal, free education > and healthcare. Racial and sex discrimination, endemic pre-1959, were > outlawed almost immediately. He concedes that some things could have been > done differently, but sleeps easy at night, he insists. > > Dreke is adamant that there is no question of Cuba coming into the American > fold, or embracing capitalism, even when Fidel eventually dies. In fact, he > believes the global financial crisis is causing people across the world to > look for alternatives to capitalism, for governments that choose ordinary > people over bankers. > > "When Obama was elected many people were very happy because he was a black > man; they thought he would be different. To me, he is neither black nor > white, he is a capitalist; skin colour has nothing to do with who you are in > Cuba ... I'm not disappointed in Obama because I never had any great > expectations. The Cuban people now realise Obama is no different to all the > others." > > He insists that Cuba's socialist future is secure despite Fidel having > stood down in favour of Raul: "They are one and the same, united always." > Fidel is important for Cubans and for poor people around the world, he says, > but Raul is in charge now. > > Of Dreke's four university-educated children, only one, his eldest > daughter, a doctor, has chosen a military career. Dreke, meanwhile, retired > from active military service 20 years ago. He subsequently studied for two > degrees, and most recently served as ambassador to Equatorial Guinea. Doing > nothing isn't for him. > > He is serious and unwavering about the potential of revolution, but still > has a cool sparkle, inviting me to go dancing next time I'm in Havana. > > "Fidel will die, I will die, we [revolutionaries] will all eventually die, > but Cuba will never go back to capitalism. The young people didn't live it, > but they know how it was, they have values." > > *A life of action* > > *10 March 1937* Victor Dreke Cruz born in coastal town of Sagua la Grande, > youngest of seven boys and two girls. > > *1953-55* Works as a carpenter, studying business at night school, and > organising student and workers protests in his home town. > > *1957* Helps form the student-based rebel unit of Revolutionary > Directorate in Escambray mountains. > > *21 October 1958* Comes under the command of Che Ernesto Guevara. > > *19 April 1961* Two of his men die as their jeep is ambushed just hours > before victory at the Bay of Pigs. > > *1962* Promoted to commander – highest rank in Cuban army; leads the Lucha > Contra Bandidos (Fight against Bandits) – special units set up to "wipe-out" > CIA-backed anti-communist forces. > > *1 April 1965* Leaves Cuba for Democratic Republic of Congo as Che's > number two. > > *1972* Graduates with a politics degree from Maximo Gomez Military > Academy. > > *1973* Made chief of Youth Army of Labour, working on agricultural > projects. > > *1981* Graduates from University of Santiago de Cuba with a law degree. > > *1986-89* Heads the Cuban military mission in Guinea-Bissau. > > *1990* Retires from active military service. > > *2000* Made Illustrious Son of Sagua la Grande. > > *2002* Publishes From Escambray to the Congo. Tours the US. > > *2003-08* Serves as ambassador to Equatorial Guinea. > > *2011* Lives with wife in Havana, near his children. Officer of the > Cuba-Africa Friendship Association. > > *Victor Dreke Cruz was hosted by the Cuban Solidarity Campaign* > > * > http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/victor-dreke-cruz-cubas-history-man-still-talks-of-revolution-2269020.html > * > > -- > You are subscribed. This footer can help you. > Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to > this message. > You can visit the group WEB SITE at > http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery > options, pages, files and membership. > To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected]. > You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to > put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to > this address (repeat): [email protected] . > -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. 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