LILONGWE (Maravi Post)—Speaking on Arise TV( Watch him on this you tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEjKrLxYMho), London based Africa Affairs Analyst James Woods said the fallen former Cuban leader Fidel Castro is viewed as a hero in Africa.
Said Woods:
“The late Fidel Castro once said “Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me.” — Oct. 16, 1953. History can be rather fickle, and not always that forthcoming with praise. Castro is probably the most divisive and controversial figure of the 20th Century. There are those who saw him as a ruthless dictator and those who saw him as a messiah who fought for the rights of the oppressed, for equality and solidarity.
Woods further said that “the view that one takes as to whether he was a villain due to his dictatorship and repressive government or a revolutionary hero, a liberator who fought for the independence and freedoms of others from the chains of oppression and brought world-class standards of health and education to Cuba is all matter of political ideology. This is my opinion. With this political ideology in mind, I spoke on how Africa has viewed the legacy of Castro, ” wrote Woods.
Woods observed that Fidel Castro’s Foreign Policy benefited Africa as follows:
“Castro’s foreign policy to Africa was borne out of two convictions: (1) The revolution that ousted Batista in 1959 was made possible by the Afro-Cubans whose ancestors were slaves from West and Central Africa (2) The culture and way of life in Cuba has been influenced to some extent by the Afro-Cubans. Note: As of present race issues are a main topic despite the emphasis on equality. With the two points in mind Castro may have had a soft spot for Africa.
Castro and Che Guevara visited or sent teams of Cubans to numerous African countries from the 1960s to understand their struggle, offer technical assistance, medical doctors and fight side by side to win their independence from the colonial masters. Fidel sent troops to Algeria in their fight against the French which saw them gain independence in 1962; troops were sent to Angola and fought against the Portuguese and apartheid soldiers funded by the USA – victory was gained with independence in 1975. The Carnation Revolution in 1974 Portugal saw the decline of its hold in Africa. The Angolan war was the first time the White army of the colonial master had lost thus dealt an embarrassing blow. Cuba sent troops, trained locals, provided doctors, intelligence etc helped other countries too such as Zaire now DRC, Tanzania, Mozambique to name a few. Leaders such as Sam Nujoma (Namibia); Patrice Lumumba (DRC); Julius Nyerere (Tanzania); Cabral (Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde); Agostinho Neto (Angola); Samora Machel (Mozambique); Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana); Nelson Mandela (South Africa) were all inspired by the acts of Fidel Castro.
Fidel made a point of Cuba being present in Africa to fight the colonial masters to end apartheid and other forms of oppression. Probably the most significant battle that truly weakened apartheid was the 1988 battle in Angola at Cuito Cuanavale where the Cuban army and ruling party MPLA defeated the apartheid army backed by the British and Americans. The apartheid army was trying to overthrow the ruling party but failed due to the support of the Cubans. This battle dealt a fatal blow to the White apartheid army and precipitated the decline of apartheid. As a consequence Namibia gained independence, later #Mandela was freed – and for those who recall, one of his first trips was to go and meet Castro. Mandela mentioned that if it were not for the involvement of Cuba in Africa the demise of colonialism would have taken much longer.
Cuba served as a safe haven for African revolutionaries; they trained them, offered fully funded scholarships to many African civilians and still do; provided medical doctors and still do. Recently they sent over 400 doctors to West Africa to combat Ebola (the largest number of medical help sent by any country in the world during the epidemic).
Africa has and continues to view Fidel as one their own. A foreign country that came into Africa to help defeat oppression and in the process lost over 10, 000 Cuban soldiers. A foreign country that did not come to plunder resources, all it asked was to repatriate the bodies of their fallen comrades for a burial in Cuba – This is unheard of. A foreign land that offered free of charge to reach and train Africans in literacy, higher education, medicine, engineering etc.
For Africa in majority, Fidel Castro will continue to be seen as a hero bar Somalians due to the Ogaden War (won’t touch on this). As for the USA he will continue to be the villain and much of the world will be split.
I do not condone the repressive tendencies and violations of human rights but as said earlier, his legacy is one of political ideology. For me he is definitely without doubt a villain to many and a hero to many.”