THESE 6 POSTS FROM CUBA SHOULD BE READ IN REVERSE ORDER TO FOLLOW THE FLOW OF THIS TRIP. INTERNET CONNECTIONS WERE UNAVAILABLE IN CUBA SO THESE HAVE BEEN DELAYED, TO BE POSTED ALL AT ONCE FROM MEXICO...)
It seemed
like Cubans weren’t sure what to do the day after Castro died. But that quickly
changed with all the symbols that a national hero had passed. Flags were
dropped to half mast, or displayed on balconies, trucks, and bicycles. Video
screens looped scenes of Fidel from rebel through commandante to world icon.
Also footage of him playing basketball, volleyball, and his beloved baseball
(he was a pitcher!). Our hosts honoured us by attaching the official armband of
mourning --- red for the blood of rebellion, black for death. Hasta la Victoria Siempre!
The most
moving thing we saw was the masses of Cubans lined up to sign books of
condolences. Adults waited for hours in the nightlines, school kids poured in
by the tens of thousands in the day. This is happening across the country and
is a badge of honour that people will remember. But we feel goosebumps being in
Fidel’s hometown, in sight of the blue balcony where he made his first speech
of liberation in 1959. Lineups would last for days so we managed to add our
names at an overflow side street table.
Since my
boyhood, Queen Elizabeth II has been the only British monarch and similarly Fidel Castro
has been the only President of Cuba. So this is a huge moment in history for
me, a symbolic end of an era at a time when so much else is changing. I think
on balance Castro was good for Cuba, by ending abysmal corruption on one side
and ensuring universal health care and education on the other. Regardless of
how the outside world views what happened, I admire his passion for his people
and the undeniable charisma of his leadership. What pipsqueaks the rest of us
have today.
We left
Santiago de Cuba just as hordes were arriving for the official internment on
Dec. 4, in the historic hometown cemetery next to the other revered Cuban
liberator Jose Marti. The procession carrying the ashes is weaving its way
from Havana, a 400-mile flatbed truck route so Cubans everywhere can salute. It
has been a historic thrill to be here.
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