The day has finally come that the CIA has been waiting for since the Bay of Pigs invasion – Fidel Castro is dead. Some know him as the evil dictator who oppressed the Cuban people for 47 years, and others know him as a father of Cuba, the revolutionary who overthrew Fulgencio Batista’s wicked regime. Let’s not forget that this same regime was once backed by the United States government, which is likely a reason Cubans originally welcomed Castro.
Since Castro’s death last week, media outlets and world leaders have been battling with praising the fallen leader or celebrating the end of his dictatorship. Western leaders like President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have been criticized for offering condolences to Cuba, and most countries are sending middle-level delegates to attend the funeral for them to avoid the appearance of being too much in support of a Communist dictator.
Fidel Castro killed many of his own people and caused thousands to flee from Cuba. This is indisputable. But Friday night, along with the people who were rejoicing, there were the tens of thousands who were crying, calling out for their father, el Comandante. Castro was a revolutionary who stood up against imperialist powers like the United States. That, in itself, was revolutionary.
Even Nelson Mandela, who is considered a hero globally, has praised Castro and refused to join America in isolating Cuba from the rest of the world. Mandela and other social and political rebels looked up to Castro for his work in the Cuban Revolution, and he continued to help fight for freedom for African countries throughout his presidency.
Part of his legacy was his universal healthcare and education standards for the people of Cuba, which is something mourners expressed their gratitude for after his death.
According to BBC.com, one mathematician told the Associated Press, “Fidel is everything to us, the soul of this country who gave everything, all his life.” And this is how many Cubans feel about him. Yes, he is criticized by the entire world for numerous and horrendous human rights abuses. This is never to be forgotten. The thousands of families who vowed never to come back to Cuba because of his socialist agenda are forever displaced from their homes.
But the Western world criticizes Fidel Castro without taking into account the tens of thousands of Cuban people who mourn for the loss of someone who felt like a father to them. He looked for help from the Soviet Union after America watched Cuba struggle and fail economically and only continued to exploit them for their land and business opportunities. This was after we intervened in the war between Spain and Cuba that we took credit for winning even though the Cubans had fought and died for years before we arrived.
We alienated them first.
Our imperialistic ways trampled upon the integrity of a nation and we were not even wise enough to understand the consequences. This is not a new thing for America; it was simply history repeating itself. But Castro made sure it never happened to his people again. Then, the CIA resorted to multiple attempts of assassination to remove him from power, but hypocritically supported the preceding regime of an authoritarian Batista, who manipulated and tortured his own people relentlessly.
We must not forget the circumstances that led Castro to be the pillar of hope for an entire country and was simultaneously antagonized by our own nation’s leaders. We drove the bad blood between our two countries and then villainized the opposing side for fighting back. Cuba was never all bad, nor was Castro. America tends to rewrite the story to incite empathy for ourselves, but this is not our story. This is Cuba’s. Cuba lost a leader and an icon. Through all his flaws, he started as a amateurish revolutionary with a goal of equality for the masses. Viva la Revolución.
Anjana Nair is an 18-year-old international studies sophomore from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.