Cuba honours "Che" Guevara

Reuters ^ | June 14, 2003 | Nelson Acosta

[ejdrapes]

Cuba honours "Che" Guevara

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cubans marched, held ceremonies, watched special television programmes and in other ways have paid tribute to legendary leftist guerrilla Ernesto "Che" Guevara on the 75th anniversary of his birth.

Guevara, born in Rosario, Argentina in 1928, attained almost mythical status after his death in the jungles of Bolivia in 1967. More than 30 years later his iconic image as a bearded revolutionary wearing a beret remains a symbol of protest around the world.

"Che" became one of President Fidel Castro's most important commanders during the cigar-chomping rebel's successful 1959 revolution against the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.

Guevara went on to hold key posts during the first year's of the Cuban revolution, before leaving to fight guerrilla wars in Africa and Latin America.

Around 100,000 people gathered in Santa Clara, the capital of central Villa Clara province, to honour his memory on Saturday.

Guevara's remains rest in a mausoleum in Santa Clara, the scene of some of his most famous combat exploits, along with those of other killed with him by the Bolivian army on October 9, 1967 as they attempted to spread the Cuban revolution to that country.

Che's remains were returned to Cuba in 1997.

Cuba's state-run media planned special programming on "Che" throughout the day, and a cultural spectacular was scheduled for Saturday evening, expected to be attended by Cuba's leadership, including Castro.

Cuba has promoted "Che" as a symbol of revolutionary virtues, sacrifice and internationalism inside and outside the country since his death.

Castro, during a recent visit two weeks ago to Argentina, called Guevara "an extraordinary human being of great intelligence and culture, with an enormous sense of solidarity."

Cuban Grammar school students, called "young pioneers", salute the flag every morning with the slogan "pioneers for communism, we will be like Che."

An international photo exhibit of Guevara, whose image is considered among the most distributed in the world, opened this week in Havana.

[ejdrapes]

I'm amazed at how many young people I see wearing t-shirts with Guevara's image on it. I just attended a cousins high school graduation party and and one of her best friends had a red t-shirt on with Guevara image on the front. Probably doesn't even know who the guy is - probably bought the shirt because he saw Guevara's picture on some rock band's CD cover or something.

[rovenstinez]

Che met Fidel here in Mexico. Toluca, at a house in Zinacatepec. Strange. Castro was more to blame than anyone for withdrawing the support he promised to export the revolution to ALL of Latin America. TRUE Che Guevara disciples thinks Fidel was a traitor for not giving him more military help. And now, Fidel celebrates, and makes him a hero!!!!

[martin_fierro]

FreeRepublic honors Che Quevara.