A moon which has been lighting the path of the Cuban people have been removed, but their is the prospect of even brighter moons replacing him. Fidel, you have done your bit, and for that, we thank you!
Fidel Castro, the former President of Cuba, one of the larger islands in the West Indies, is dead! Long Live Fidel Castro!
Cuba is an island with probably less than 12 million people, but, somewhat like its neighbour to the south, Jamaica, but only more so, Cuba has, amongst progressive countries and people, a great reputation, and is seen as more enlightened than its enormous neighbour to the north, the United Sates.
Fidel Castro is a legendary leader, having defeated the corrupt American-backed Batistas to gain power, and subsequently defeating several American attempts to overthrown him.
Of course, Cubans have been called upon to make great sacrifices during Fidel's revolutionary rule. Hundreds of Cubans have died and been injured in Cuba's intervention in different countries in different parts of the world. They have died in military campaigns in Angola's war of Independence, possibly in Mozambique's liberation war, and in South Africa's anti-Apartheid struggle.
Not only have Cubans had to pay for their country's involvement in revolutionary struggles in the Americas, in Africa, and other parts of the world, but they have also had to suffer great economic, social and personal hardship at home as well. This is reflected in the dire state of much of Cuba's inner-cities and infra-structure. It is also reflected in the 'hand-to-mouth' existence of apparently sizeable sections of the Cuban population. Of course, this poverty and tough lifestyle is also a feature of many countries in the West Indies, and is not unique to Cuba. Much of this could probably be attributed to the detrimental impact of American economic and political blockage and de facto war on Cuba.
In effect, the state of poverty and deprivation which many Cubans are suffering, is not the result of their government, or the absence of 'democracy and freedom', as the American Republicons and conservative Democrats would have the world believing. No, it is the result of America's Nazi-like trade embargo. The goal of which is to squeeze the Cuban people, yes, the ordinary people, so tight, that they are forced to rise up and attempt to overthrown their government. At which point the U.S. would intervene to support the dissents.
Yes, it is the case that ordinary Cubans have had to and continue to pay a high price for the advocacy of the Cuban government's economic-social and political model, and that thousands of Cubans are opposed to having to pay this price. To that extent, there are Cubans whose opposition to their government has led to them having to pay a heavy price in terms of loss of liberty and freedom, and, in some cases, loss of their lives.
These are likely to be the ones who, although opposing their government, have not opted over to Miami, to join the 'counter-revolutionary pool', from which the Republicons and myopic American governments recruit their anti-Cuba agents.
The various American administrations, including the incoming one of Donald Trump, like to refer to Fidel Castro and the Cuban government as a dictatorship. I am not sure about the extent to which American and Cuban governmental systems are qualitatively different. I should not be surprised if both systems are affected by corruption, probably endemic in one or both cases, as both the Cuban and the American regimes have been in power for decades.
There is, however, some indication that it is the American system which is more corrupt, as can be seen by American people's reaction to both Hiliary Clinton and Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Both Democrats and Republicons are rotten. There is evidence that Cuba and her government have been living upto the social justice principles which the government espouses, much more than the American governments, with probably less opulence between the rich and poor, the elites and the proletarian in Cuba.
People can talk about the number of Cuban soldiers who have died in military interventions by the Cuban government in different parts of the world, but so have American soldiers in different parts of the world. Most recently in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Viet Nam, et al.
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