In
June 2005 three Republican Socialists joined up
with the Irish Cuba Support group to travel to Cuba.
They were volunteering to undertake to do some work
over there to help their economy and to show their
solidarity with the Cuban cause. There were ten
people all together in the group from different
parts of Ireland, both men and women and each with
a different idea of what Cuba would be really like.
This is part one, the second part will be forthcoming.
We
all met for the first time at 7.00am in Dublin airport
and although some of us had been up most of the
night we were all filled with enthusiasm for the
trip. Dublin, Paris and then Havana were to be our
route, so we knew that we had a long haul in front
of us. Some of us had brought materials to help
the Cuban people, with the Republican Socialist
group bringing medical supplies, T-shirts and writing
materials. Shops and individuals from the local
community donated these materials. After checking
in all our bags we all settled down to wait for
our flight and to get to know each other. As usual
all long flights are much the same, with some films
to watch, meals, a cat nap or two and a bit of reading
to get the time in, so our flight was not any different.
After the approximately ten hours of travelling
we touched down in Havana and with great enthusiasm
we headed for the arrival terminal. Cubans have
their own security measures and their own way of
exercising them so it took a bit of time to process
everyone, although this did not dampen our enthusiasm
in any way. After eventually getting through, we
were picked up by a bus to be taken to the Camp,
which was based at a little village called Caimito
de Guayabal at about an hour and a half drive away
in the Havana Province.
We
arrived at the Camp at about 11.30pm and the place
was almost in darkness. After being shown to our
sleeping quarters some of the group decided to go
straight to bed as the long journey had taken its
toll, while others took the opportunity to have
a look around, even though the place was in semi-darkness.
The Camp was an ex army camp so the different quarters
and wash areas were spread over a substantial area.
I was one of the explorers, as the jet lag had not
yet set in. The place looked very desolate at that
time of night as a lot of the other groups had still
not arrived yet but the shop and the small bar were
still open. We sat down and had a few drinks together
with some of the locals who made available some
food to welcome us with. One of our group was at
the camp the previous year so he was already familiar
with some of the local volunteers. We did not stay
long before heading back to the eight -man room
with its four bunk beds, eight lockers and two shelves
on the back wall. This room may seem spartan to
the imagination but it served the purpose, because
due to the heat, everything that was there, was
adequate. Usually everyone slept with the one sheet
over them and the heavy metal door was never closed,
as the heat was so stifling.
Next
morning was the first day of actual activity. This
consisted of an official welcoming activity, which
meant that all the groups met in the conference
room and the itinerary was explained and queries
answered. The first official activity was for everyone
to attend a wreath laying ceremony at the monument
to Julio Antonio Mella who was a founding figure
in the Socialist movement in Cuba. Each group got
their photo taken and it was a chance for people
to get together and get to know each other. After
lunch, several buses took us to Havana city for
a free day to explore the city and see the Plaza
de la Revolucion where one of the most famous drawings
of Che is situated. Unfortunately when we arrived,
the heavens opened. None of us had ever experienced
rain like it. It was running like a river down the
streets. We head d for the nearest shelter and stayed
there until the buses returned. Our first experience
of Havana was not very appealing. That night there
was a Salsa dancing class after dinner, where again
it was another opportunity for the different groups,
or Brigades as we were called, to get together.
The
next couple of days were followed in roughly the
same vein with meetings in the morning on topics
such as "U. S. economic and financial blockade
against Cuba", "The Challenges facing
the Cuban Economy" and on one morning there
was a Friendship race from the camp to the local
village and back, approx 5 kms. Incidentally a member
of the Irish Brigade came third. Then after lunch
there was some tours were we met representatives
of local government, a tour of the caves where Che
and his comrades hid out during the time of the
revolution and also different valleys and countryside
of national importance to the Cuban people. There
was also time for the younger and fitter members
of the Brigades to play football and explore the
surrounding countryside. They were also able to
spend some time swimming in a local picturesque
waterfall and pool during their free time. Then,
in the evenings after dinner there was a Cuban night,
a Cuban dance class and general associating.
After
these couple of relaxing days, it was time for everyone
to start the work detail. Work was scheduled for
7.30am but the alarm call came at 6.30 am. Sleeping
in was not an option as the sound of a Cockerel
crowing followed by the national anthem played repeatedly
made sleeping very difficult! Everyone gathered
at the main stage area and the local work co-ordinator
designated different Brigades from different countries
to separate areas to commence their day's work.
Everyone was dressed in clothes suitable for working
and the majority had headgear to be protected from
the sun, so to some looking on we must have looked
like a motley bunch. This work could mean anything
to cutting grass with machetes in a field, pruning
orange trees with secretors in an orange grove to
doing manual labour in a disused school. It was
a sight to behold marching along a mile and a half
route to the different work places, taking turns
carrying milk churns filled with water, with three
to four hundred people from so many different countries,
all filled with enthusiasm with what they were going
to do to help Cuba. In fairness the work only lasted
to 11.30 am and physically it was not very demanding
but it was the solidarity issue that was the main
point.
One
thing that surprised us from Ireland was that there
was no trip organised to visit Santa Clara, Che
Guevara's final resting place. Therefore the Irish
Brigade proposed that instead of a day trip to the
beach, a visit to Santa Clara would be a more informative
option. The Camp staff then asked would there be
much interest in this from the different Work Brigades.
The response was amazing with two single Decker
buses being filled with people from many different
countries. This was a trip that we looked forward
to immensely as it would be a topic of conversation
for many a year to come. We took a Starry Plough
flag with us to lay at the grave and along with
the rest of the Brigades we set off at 9.00am on
the Sunday morning for the two and a half hour drive
to Santa Clara, to realize a dream that we thought
we would never fulfil.
While
driving into Santa Clara the first thing that you
notice is the Statue of Che Guevara. It is such
an imposing sight that it is hard to take your eyes
of it. When we arrived at the statue it was even
more inspiring than first seen. It just was not
the statue there, but a whole series of memorials
carved out of stone. They were set on a plinth reached
by a series of stone steps with the statue of Che
standing majestically overlooking the surrounding
area. When I say all this looked impressive, I am
not doing it justice; it will be a sight that I
will never forget. The statue alone must have been
a hundred feet tall with some of the artistic work
in the carved stone memorials begging belief. After
examining the whole memorial and taking numerous
photos, we then went as a group to the museum and
burial place of Che and his comrades.
Before
we entered the museum and burial chamber everyone
was requested to leave their bags and belongings
at the office were they received a numbered ticket
to collect them on the way out. This came as a bit
of a let down to us as photographs of this memorable
place would be high on our priority list. Then my
two comrades and I were called to the side and informed
that because we were Republican Socialists and ex-prisoners,
a precedent was to be made. We were to be allowed
to bring The Starry Plough flag into the chamber
where an official photographer was to take our picture
in the very place where the mortal remains of Che
where buried. This was something that had not happened
in over seven years, no matter who the visitors
were. Before we entered the chamber our comrade
Tomas Gorman gave an interview in Spanish to the
local radio station outlining what Teach na Failte
was all about. We then entered the chamber and spent
a while looking at the thirty-seven faces etched
in the wall and imagined them lying in unmarked
graves for so long in a foreign land. Some of them
we recognised like Tanya who was a famous female
freedom fighter and of course Che whose face had
a single star shining above his head. The place
was dimly lit but had an eternal flame glowing in
the corner but it made the chamber that more dignified.
Even the guards were very surprised at the way we
were treated, so after laying the flag there we
left the chamber feeling very proud and privileged
to have been allowed to perform such an act.
The
museum was in a different part of the building,
just across the hall from the burial chamber, but
it was still impressive. There were many things
related to the Revolution with also a variety of
articles mainly connected to Che. There were clothes
and uniforms worn by him and his comrades, weapons
used by them and even the doctor's instruments that
he used. It was interesting to see his asthma inhaler
and how primitive it looked by today's standards.
Everything was all set out neatly and itemised in
glass cases so that everyone could see them clearly.
It was indeed an impressive place and one could
spend many hours browsing and imagining what things
were like back in 1959. As we left the building
to collect our belongings each of us knew that this
tour would leave a lasting memory in our minds.
With
a last look back at the monument our buses headed
the short distance to the train that Guevara and
his comrades derailed during the liberation of Santa
Clara. This was achieved with a small number of
men against a numerically stronger and a better-equipped
force of Batiste's solders. Some of the actual equipment
that was used is preserved and situated for the
public to view. The bulldozer and antiaircraft gun
are on show with some carriages of the train open
to view. Inside these carriages is the actual equipment
that was used such as Bren guns, Bazookas, short
arms and the bunks and wood stoves that the army
used while travelling on the train. Again there
was an impressive monument with an inscription there
and it was interesting to note how well that area
beside the railway line had been preserved. There
was no graffiti, no vandalism, although the artefacts
were all out in the open, so maybe we could all
learn a lesson from that country. What did strike
me was the absence of souvenir stalls.
Something
that some people would have exploited for gain over
in this country! There was a small shop that sold
some souvenir bits and pieces across the road but
that was the only place in the town that anything
related to the revolution could be bought. We then
walked the short distance to the internationally
famous university, where there was a fine statue
of Che with one of his young children in his arms.
This was another excellent piece of work and well
worth experiencing. Unfortunately this brought us
to the end of our visit to Santa Clara so we walked
back to the buses for our return journey back to
the camp. On the way home everyone agreed that the
trip was well worthwhile and is a must for anyone
visiting Cuba, as the experience will be forever
etched in ones mind. When the leader of the Irish
Brigade approached the Camp Staff about the feedback
from everyone they agreed that from then on Santa
Clara would be on the itinerary. A little victory
gained for the Irish Brigade!
There
was another day that held great interest for us,
the meeting of the families of the Miami five. These
are five Cuban men who were jailed in the U.S.A.
for trying to find out who were planting the bombs
and committing terrorist acts on Cuban soil. They
were arrested and sentenced to long periods in prison
for spying. They were tried in Miami, which was
not an impartial state and then sent to different
corners of the country, something that makes visiting
very difficult for the families. The ironic thing
is that some of the actual terrorists, who carried
out the bombings, are actually living openly in
the United States. The meeting opened with a film
called Mission of Terror outlining what the Miami
five campaign was all about and what position they
were in now. At the meeting the families gave a
brief history of their plight and then it was open
for a question and answering session. The Dutch
and the United Kingdom brigades gave brief statements
on their solidarity before Republican Socialist
Willie Gallagher gave a statement on his and his
comrades' experiences that were similar to the Miami
five. His statement was greeted with a standing
ovation from all around the hall accompanied by
a tumultuous round of applause. It is at this point
that it has to be remembered that there were representatives
of at least twenty tree different countries present.
Tomas Gorman then read a statement from the Irish
Republican Socialist Party outlining their support
for the Miami five and requesting all the Brigades
to have a collection to help support their cause.
The Irish Brigade was the first to contribute to
this collection. After the meeting Willie Gallagher
and I conducted an interview with a journalist who
was PRO for the Miami five campaign. In this interview
we outlined the similarities with her own cause
and with what Irish people and especially Republican
Socialists suffered at the hands of Imperialism.
Again the interviews came across well and they were
to be broadcast on the radio station as part of
the campaign, because everywhere we went we seen
posters and messages of support for the Miami five.
Even now that we are home the journalist and campaigners
still keep in touch with us to update everybody
on how things are progressing. At the time of writing
the five men are still incarcerated in American
prisons!
On
another day a different but just as interesting
question and answering session took place in the
conference room. This time the guests were two ex-combatants
who fought alongside Che Guevara, Fidel Castro and
his brother Rual. Both men were in their early eighties
and were retired Lieutenant Colonels in the Cuban
army and had fought overseas and at home in Cuba
itself. They were able to enlighten us as to how
the Cuban government help the ex-combatant organisation,
financially and what progress it has made since
its formation. Unlike the situation that we are
in over here the Cuban government are very proud
of their ex-combatants and make a concentrated effort
to help them in any way they can.
As
usual the questions from the assembled audience
swung heavily to the topic of Che and what was their
relationship with him. Both men knew him intimately,
having fought alongside him in the mountains, ate
and slept with him and shared their innermost thoughts
with him. To them Che was not just a comrade in
arms but also a friend and confidant. They recounted
some of their experiences such as sleeping rough
in the mountains for days at a time where Che was
their calming influence because of the boredom that
was unsettling everyone. They told of when they
encountered a problem of any sort, speaking to Che
always reassured them. Che Guevara, they explained
was just like 'one of the boys' and he never asked
anyone to do anything that he wouldn't do himself.
To them, their memories of Che are as fresh today
as they were nearly fifty years ago. When they spoke
one could actually hear the admiration of the man
in their voices and the way they recounted their
experiences left one imagining almost being in those
lonely camps in the Cuban mountains. As they were
leaving Willie and I were introduced to them both
and they were told who we were and what we represented,
a nice touch from the interpreter as he knew they
were people that we respected. After they left there
were many people commenting on the effect the two
ex-combatants had on them, because, I am sure to
some of them, this was the first time they had experience
of someone who had actually taken part in a Revolution.
The
next day was scheduled for another trip to Havana
where people could acquire some presents and generally
explore the two parts of the city, old and new Havana.
This was welcome news to my comrades and I as we
had planned to lay a Starry Plough flag at the Hunger
Strike memorial in the city. When we alighted from
the bus our guide offered to show us the way to
the memorial, an offer we could not refuse, so we
pressed on eagerly. We were not the only ones who
had the same idea as the rest of the Irish brigade
decided to go as well. It is always encouraging
to see people from the four corners of Ireland remembering
the Hunger Strikers. Thankfully we did not have
too far to walk to get to the park where the memorial
was situated. The memorial was made of stone with
one marble plaque inserted with the Hunger Strikers
names inscribed on it. The other plaque had a section
of the speech that Fidel Castro gave in 1981 about
the human rights of the Hunger Strikers. It was
a well sculptured memorial and when standing back
from a it, the plaques where placed in such a way
that a H could be seen on it, so overall it was
good to see the Hunger Strikers remembered as far
away as Havana. Our next stop was the National Hotel,
which was situated just a short distance away. The
American gangsters holidaying there during Batiste's
reign made this place famous. One could see why
they favoured such a place, as it looked very elaborate
from the outside with the reception area very plush
and elegant. We decided to have something to eat
there, as it would give us a chance to look around.
There were plenty of photos of celebrity's hanging
on the walls and of course with the customary pictures
of Che and Fidel plus the food was very good as
well. The local market was our next stop, as we
needed to get our presents all sorted out. The taxi
took us along the seafront, which is called the
Malecon, a five-kilome- tre stretch of promenade
where you can see, a great deal of impressive statues
adorned with beautiful scenery. The market it self
was just a few rows of stalls selling leather goods,
oil paintings, local trinkets and clothing. Luckily
for us we got everything sorted out there as there
was not a large selection of shops anywhere else.
We then proceeded to the main Cuban support headquarters
where there was some music to finish the night and
for everyone to meet before getting the return bus
home.
