FIDEL has gone home and, in death, as he did in life, the bearded revolutionary who defied America for so long continues to divide opinion.
His admirers are legion but so are his detractors. And there are reasons for his mythic status:
— He wrote to US President FDR at the age of ten.
— He led the Moncada barracks assault in 1953 and delivered the famous “history will absolve me” speech.
— He and Cuba speeded the end of apartheid by the decisive intervention in Angola that weakened the SADF.
— He improved the access of the poor to health and education significantly.
Those are the reasons why Barack Obama, Justin Trudeau, Kofi Annan, Enrique Penenieto and indeed many Cubans are celebrating FIDEL and his leadership.
But there is another side to his story.
He recklessly took the world to the brink of nuclear war in 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis.
And he has deprived millions of Cubans of their lives and liberties. And they have voted against him loud and clear, with their feet. They have been fleeing Cuba in droves, throughout his rule. That is why, in the little Havana section of Miami, they were honking horns and clicking glasses in celebration of Mr. Castro’s death. They were joined by US President-elect Trump in denouncing Mr. Castro’s life and legacy. The celebrations in Miami remind me of similar celebrations in Abidjan in 1984, following the death of Sekou Toure of Guinea. Guinean exiles were ecstatic about Toure’s death.
Now, how do we reconcile the praise of these respected leaders with the condemnation of those who were most affected by Fidel’s rule?
Are his admirers not aware of his human rights abuses? How can President Obama condemn “strong men” in Africa and celebrate Fidel Castro, who was the strongest of strong men?
How can Kofi Annan be a forceful advocate of democracy and an equally strong admirer of the undemocratic Castro?
It would seem that despite Mr. Castro’s assertion that “history will absolve me”, it will be some time before we know the verdict of history. In the fullness of time, we will know whether elites praising Fidel or the Cubans damning him are right. I am with the Cuban people. No good leader needs nearly six decades to make his mark.
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