For more photographs:
Che Guevara had liberated Santa Clara city in Cuban during revolution. With just 300 hundred guerrillas, he had disarmed more than 3000 Batista army and looted train full of arms.I was fortunate to visit Santa Clara, Santiago de Cuba and Havana in December 2011. One of the grandest monument to any revolutionary is built in Santa Clara in memory of Che Guevara, here are photographs of Che and his monuments in Cuba!
http://en.wikipedia.org/
Introduction to Che's Selected Writings
Che Guevara Reader: Writings on politics
and revolution, Edited by David Deutschmann, LeftWord with Ocean, New Delhi,
Ist Indian ed. 2004, reprint 2004, pages 437,, Price Rs. 450/
In this selection,
some major writings of Che Guevara from different books or articles have been
put together. Book includes, apart from Introduction by the editor, sketch of
Che, Choronolgy of his life, Glossary of events and persons, Index and a
listing of Che Guevara’s all writings and speeches as Bibliography and notes as
well. It is very well annotated edition of Che’s major writings, which shows
him to be a very mature thinker, even on economic matters. Che Guevara’s
theoretical writings have been so important that Fidel Castro realised after
the fall of Soviet Union in 1989, that to save Cuban society from falling into
the trap of western consumer culture, the revival of Che Guevara’s purity of
revolutionary thought and practice is essential, that is how Che Guevara’s
major writings, apart from His Bolivian Diary published earlier were published
in Cuba and abroad in other languages. In this book, Che’s writings have been
included in four parts. Part ! are selections from Reminiscences of Cuban
Revolutionary War as The Cuban revolutionary war. Part 2 titled as ‘The Cuba
Years-1959-65 includes 12 of Che’s speeches and writings. Part 3 as
‘International Solidarity’ includes 8 of his speeches and writings and part 4
includes 21 of his most touching letters with personal touch. In a way this one
volume offers glimpse of Che Guevara’s personality in almost totality, as
person and thinker.
Editor David
in his introduction has mentioned that the book was published for first time in
1997 to mark the 30th anniversary of Che’s martyrdom. Editor also
wishes to dispel the somewhat narrow image of Che as ‘heroic’ or ‘adventurer’,
which has been promoted by media more, his contribution to Marxist theory
remained unknown partly as English editions were not available of Che’s writings.
Part I of the book is covered under Reminiscences,
Part Ii The Cuban years include the following essays:
1. Social ideals of the Rebel
Army-29th January 1959-dream of Jose MartiAll the Cuban people must
become guerrilla army
2. Political Sovereignty and
Economic Independenc-30th March 1960
First in television series-‘people’s University’-2nd
world war took 40 million lives, perhaps more. Tradition of Cuban struggles
before January 1959 victory—July 26th 1953, 12th August
1933, 24th February 1895 or 10th October 1868. Latin
American struggles further-Upper Peru-25th May 189,, Buenos Aires 25th
May 1810. 10th March 1952-Batista seizing power.. Marti saying-‘A
radical is nothing less than that-one who goes to the roots’..This revolution
is determined to eliminate injustice at the roots, as Fidel has said
paraphrasing Jose Marti’ (Page 103).
‘Revolutions can’t be exported, Cuba does not export revolutions.
Revolutions take place when there are a series of insurmountable contradictions
within a country.’(109)
3. Speech to medical students
and health workers-20th August 1960) covered in another book
4. Notes for the study of the
ideology of the Cuban Revolution-October 1960)
One can point to certain mistakes of marx as
thinker and an investigator of the social doctrines and of the capitalist
system in which he lived. We Latin Americans, for example. Cannot agree with
his interpretation of Bolivar, or with his and Engels’s analysis of the
Mexicans, which accepted certain theories of race or nationality that are unacceptable
today.......We recognize the essential truths of Marxism as part of humanity’s
body of cultural and scientific knowledge. We accept it with the naturalness of
something that requires no further arguments.’ (Page 122)
‘The laws
of Marxism are present in the events of the Cuban revolution, independently of
whether its leaders profess or fully know these laws from a theoretical point
of view.’ (Page 123)
28th
May 1957, milestone for victory in El Uvero.-a territory gained now.
5. Cuba: Historical exception or
vanguard in the ant colonial struggle?-April 1961
‘What is exceptional about Fidel Castro’s
personality...Fidel is person of such tremendous personality that he would gain
leadership in whatever movement he participated....his personal gifts of audacity,,
strength, courage, extraordinary determination always to discern the will of
the people-... his ability to assimilate knowledge and experience in order to
understand a situation in its entirety without losing sight of the details, his
unbounded faith in the future and breadth of vision...’(page 131)
January 1959, first social revolution in the
Caribbean and the most profound of the Latin American revolutions dawned-132
page
Lumumba savagely assassinated, in the greatness of
his martyrdom showed the mistakes that cannot be committed. Once the anti
imperialist struggle begins, we must constantly strike hard, where it hurts the
most, never retreating....stronger action of the masses.-Page 142
6. A new culture of Work-21st
August 1962-Speech to Trade unions
New factories to be built, national trade
unions-the revolutionary nuclei (of the party), the entire government and the
workers.-Page 148
Sacrifice is part of building a new society. -Same-
Enthusiasm, discipline, self sacrifice and
necessary technical knowledge...P.150
We have reached socialism and we continue forward!
Venceremos-We will win-P.152
7. The cadre: Backbone of the
Revolution-September 1962
8. To be a young Communist-20th
October 1962
The Union of Young Communists(UJC) evolved from
Association of Young Rebels
Must be
the vanguard of all movements
‘we are a flaming torch, that just as we are all
individually a model for the people for Cuba, we are also model for the peoples
of Latin America and the oppressed peoples of the world, fighting for freedom-P.166
9. A party of the working
class-1963
‘A Marxist must be the best, the fullest, the most
complete of human beings-but above all, a human being.’ Page 176
10.
Against
Bureaucratism-February 1963
Bureaucratism is like a ball and and chain
weighing down the type of official...healthy self criticism, we must never
forget that the revolution’s economic management is responsible for the
majority of bureaucratic ills..Page 180
‘War on bueaucratism. Streamline the state
apparatus. Production without restraints, and responsibility for Production.’
Page 183
11.
On the budgetary finance system-February
1964-published in journal of Economics
‘The socialist state uses the law of value,
exercising-through the financial and credit system-control over production and
distribution of the social product’ Page 200
12.
Socialism and man in Cuba-1965 letter to Carlos
Quijano, editor Marcha weekly from Uruguay.
Part 3- International Solidarity
Includes 8
speeches and writings
1. Speech to the First Latin
American Youth Congress-28th July 1960-
Jacob Arnez, deposed democratically elected
President or Guatemala in 1954 by CIA, given special welcome.Puerto Rico
patriot Albizu Campos extended special greetings. Batista’s man killed Cuban
patriot in Venezuela’
2. The OAS conference at Punta del
Este-August 8 1961.
Che greeted by thousands of Uruguayan youth on
arrival at airport. Che exposed US in presence aof its delegation with proposal
of ‘Alliance for Progress’
‘The Cuban revolution is invincible, because it
has a people and because it has a leader like one leading Cuba.’(Page 274)
3. The Cuban Revolution’s
influence in Latin America-May 18, 1962-speech to security at Cubaa, not
published till Che’s death.
Revolutions have this characteristics, they expand
ideologically They do not remain limited to a single country, they expand to
other areas..Page 276
Ultra leftists-or sometimes, provocateurs-try to
implant the Cuban experience without thinking particularly about whether or
not, this would be right place to do so...Page 278
Peru has iron-copper-other metals, Chile has
copper, Argentina has uranium, Venezuela has oil, Mexico has sulphur, Congo has
uranium, copper, diamonds.
Our great virtue is that we have never engaged in
torture or other similarly terrible behaviour..Page 290
Opportunism
is the enemy of the revolution and flourishes where people do not have
control.-291
4. Tactics and Strategy of the
Latin American Revolution- Oct.-Nov.-1962-published after Che’s death-in 1968
The blood of the people is our most sacred
treasure, but it must be used in order to save more blood in future-page 298
5. The philosophy of plunder
must cease-25th March 1964-Speech on UN conference on Trade in
Geneva-
Unfavourable trade balance
6. At the United Nations-1st
December 1964-speech at 19th General assembly of UNO.
Exposed US imperialism, greeted liberation
struggles, spoke in support of china, condemned NATO, demanded Guantenamo
territory of Cuba to be returned illegal occupation by US.
7. At the Afro-Asian conference
in Algeria-24th February,1965-speech delivered at Economic seminar
of Afro-Asian solidarity.
8. Create two, three, many Vietnams-Message
to Tricontinental-April 1967, published
on 16th April,when Che was in Bolivia
Part
4- Letters
This section contains 23 of many letters of Cuban
revolutionary war.
One letters
to Editor Revolucian Carlos Franqui-snubbed him for unnecessary eulogisation.
In another letter was born in Argentina, I fought
in Cuba and I began to be a revolutionary in Guatemala.-page370
The first thing a revolutionary who writes
history, has to do is to stick to the truth like a finger inside a glove.-374
Advice to a father, let his son, go through that.
Letter to Maria Rosario Guevara I don’t think you
and I are very related, but if you are capable of trembling with indignation
each time that injustice is committed in the world, we are comrades, and that
is more important-a revolutionary greetings Page376
31st August 1964 letter to President
University Extension, University of Havana-while declining the offer to deliver
lecture for the audience, Che snubbed him for offering remuneration for the
lecture.
In a 1965 letter to childreHildita,
Aleidita,Camilo, Celia and Ernesto
Che advises them to grow good revolutionary and
study hard.
1965 letter to parents big hug to mother from
‘obstinate and prodigal son’
15th February 1966 letter to eldest
daughter Hildita-advisesto be best in school, obey mother, good conduct,
seriousness and love for the revolution...
1965 letter to Fidel Castro at leaving for
Bolivia, read by Castro much later. Ends with’I embrace you with all my
revolutionary fervour.
Last leeter
to children fro Bolivia in 1966..
If imperialism still exists, we will set out to
fight it. If it is finished, you, Camilo and I will take ‘vacation on the
moon’.
Margin..To Hildita, another elephant sized kiss
and tell her i will writ soon, but now I do’nt have time....
In bibliography—1. In Articles and books-35,
including two books, 5 prefaces, 33 episodes of Revolutionary war, 25 articles
with Pseudoname- ‘sharpshooter’
In part 2-Speeches and Interviews, there are two
interviews in 1958, thrn 51 in 1959, 35 in 1960, 39 in 1961, 32 in 1962, in
1933, there are 33, in 1964, there are 43, in 1965-12 total 245 tv shows. There
are 71 letters are listed here.
The book is very important and includes
various facets of Che’s personalities. Many letters are very touching. Che
loved children that are sure.
