When I learned of the passing of Fidel
Castro on November 25th this year, as an expression of my
sense of loss I posted to my Facebook page an image along with my
personal message: “The world lost an amazing leader today, someone
I have always admired.”
While I anticipated that some of my
more conservative friends would not appreciate my perspective, I was
surprised when a fellow-Bernie Sanders supporter and good friend
responded with: “David, do you mean to say that my understanding of
him as a ruthlessly unwavering dictator who basically imprisoned his
own people for 57 years (and counting) is wrong and that there was a
GOOD side to this bitter tyrant?”
At first I thought that perhaps his
comment was tongue-in-cheek. I nevertheless responded briefly citing
what I understand are world-class advances made under the Cuban
revolution in the areas of agriculture, education, greater equality
among citizens, and healthcare. My friend responded again clarifying
that he was serious in his comments, further stating that “I simply
think that liberty, universally, is worth more than anything you
mentioned.”
This brief social media exchange
challenged me to further explore and deepen my own understanding and
stance concerning Fidel – the theme of this blog post.
I want to begin though with the
question of universal liberty. To speak about liberty – especially
as a citizen of the country that claims “liberty and justice for
all,” reflection concerning liberty (or the lack thereof) in any
other nation must be considered within the context of the reality of
liberty experienced in these United States. Sadly, contrary to our
national claim, one does not have to go far at all to discover that
the reality stands at a great distance from the ideal.
A current illustration would be the
recent stand-off on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North
Dakota. While our nation promises freedom of speech and liberty to
assemble peacefully and liberty to demonstrate peacefully, what we
saw playing out in North Dakota speaks a different reality – a
reality repeated frequently in this country. Peaceful demonstrators
have experienced various forms of repression and abuse at the hand of
local police and the National Guard – being water-cannoned in
sub-freezing temperatures, as well as beatings and jail time. This,
carried out against
citizens and in defense of corporate (i.e. capitalist) interests.
Another example would be the fact, as
reported in the Washington Post – not exactly a bastion of liberal
politics, that the United States incarcerates its citizens at a
higher rate than any other country! They state that “the United
States had the highest prison population rate in the world, at 716
per 100,000 people. [By comparison] More than half the 222 countries
and territories in the World Prison Population List . . . had rates
below 150 per 100,000.”
While the United States accounts for 5% of the world's population, it
has 25% of the world's prisoners. Furthermore, those in prison are
disproportionately people of color – according to the American
Friends Service Committee, 60%.
It has been my contention for decades
that “liberty” in the United States only exists to the extent
that one supports or in no way threatens the politico-economic powers
that are the actual deciders in this country. A person or movement
that becomes vocal and visible enough to be seen as an actual threat
to the desired status quo
will very soon experience their “freedom” curtailed. A
common tactic has been to imprison key movement leaders on trumped up
or minor charges. Leonard Peltier, a leader in the American Indian
Movement has been in prison since 1977 on charges of killing two FBI
agents, this despite considerable evidence indicating that the legal
basis for guilt are problematic at multiple levels. So, if the measure of “liberty” is
what takes place in the United States, one must be very careful in
being too quick to judge the lack of liberty in other places.
Fidel Castro and the Cuban
revolution:
Admittedly,
my admiration for Fidel Castro is not based on the
measure of
personal civil liberty experienced by the Cuban people. There is
significant and credible evidence that those who pose a challenge to
the political status quo
in Cuba experience various forms of intimidation and repression
including imprisonment.
In a 2011 assessment of the Cuban revolution, author Samuel Farber
notes that while the revolution may have enjoyed popular mobilization
and enthusiasm, what was eventually lacking were avenues for popular
democratic participation and control.
Cuban journalist, Carlos Manuel Álvarez, corroborates this lack but
highlights the intriguing fact that the revolution “cautivó
la imaginación de generaciones enteras que fueron beneficiadas por
una revolución que terminó hace mucho tiempo, pero que aún
sobrevive como marca política” (captivated the imagination of
entire generations who benefited from a revolution that long ago
ended but that survives as a political symbol). Again, I would
suggest that this lack of liberty while perhaps not the same in
quantity is essentially the same in quality as what takes place in
the U.S.
So
what is it that I admire about Fidel? First is the fact that he not
only unseated the U.S. imposed dictator, Fulgencio Batista,
but that the Cuban Revolution has for fifty years survived in
defiance to and in spite of the indefatigable pressure of U.S. imperialism. It stands as an alternative social-political-economic
model to global capitalism. In the words of Salvadoran writer, Élmer
L. Menjívar: “Lloré a Fidel porque murió una esperanza que fue,
porque murió una imperfecta posibilidad de que el mundo podía ser
distinto, acaso mejor, menos desigual, menos material” (Cry for
Fidel, because (with him) dies a hope that was, the imperfect
possibility of a different world, perhaps better, less unequal, less
materialistic).
So
what are the achievements of Fidel's Cuba that I so value?
First is the tremendous advances in education. In 1958 the
illiteracy rate in Cuba stood at 23%. In just one year, with the
mobilization of 280,000 volunteers teaching approximately 100,000
students, illiteracy in the country was virtually eliminated. A
resident of the city of Santiago de Cuba is quoted in a 2009 Miami
Herald article as acknowledging that while "It's true we have
problems and we don't eat exactly what we want every day, this town
was 70 percent illiterate before the revolution. Now it's filled with
people who read, write, think and analyze." Another advance in
education – still not achieved in the United States - is that not
long after the revolution free education was established at all
levels, from pre-school to a PhD. Today Cuba has more teachers per
capita than any other country in the world.
Another significant achievement is in the area of healthcare. Cuba is
recognized worldwide for some of its advances in medicine and it is
renowned for sending medical personnel to places in need in Africa
and Latin America. Prior to 1959, except for the very wealthy, most
Cubans had very little or no access to healthcare. The revolution
established that health care is a basic right of all Cuban citizens.
It established a
new ethic in health care
— not
for profit, but for service to the people.
According to the World Health Organization, life expectancy in Cuba is
now 78 years — 76 years for men and 80 years for women. In
comparison, the US life expectancy at birth is 75 and 80 years for
males and females respectively. In 1959, average life expectancy in
Cuba was just 58 years. In 2008, infant mortality in Cuba was 5.9
deaths per 1000 live births. Infant mortality in the US is 7 deaths
per 1000 live births. According to the WHO, Cuba has nearly twice as
many physicians per capita as the US — 5.91 doctors per 1000 people
compared to 2.56 doctors per 1000. In fact today Cuba has more
doctors per capita than any other country in the world.
While
the numbers in this regard are more disputed, there is indication
that Cuba has made significant advances in addressing issues of
racism, sexism, and homophobia as well. Cuba is also recognized for
advances in agriculture and dairy production, in organic farming,
urban food production and in the development of renewable energy
sources. Cuba has the world's best environmental record, and since
1959 they have increased the forest coverage on the island by 50%.
They are the only country in the world designated by the World
Wildlife Fund as developing environmental sustainability.
While
the story line in the United States is that Cuba is a nation
characterized primarily by poverty and the lack of freedom, according
to the United Nation's Human Development Index quality of life in
Cuba is on par with that of Brazil, parts of Europe, Russia, China,
Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica among others.
In
conclusion then, I acknowledge that it is a mixed story. However I
value that Fidel Castro believed in and gave his entire life –
flaws and all – to the vision of creating a better, more just and
equitable world. To quote again the article by Owen Richards: “The
importance to humanity of [the] social gains in 50 years of the Cuban
Revolution cannot be overstated. Cuba shows what is possible — even
in a blockaded Third World country that had inherited deep poverty
and an economy distorted by colonialism and imperialist exploitation.
Perhaps
the greatest achievement of [all] is that it demonstrates that it
is possible to build a society that is motivated principally by human
solidarity rather than personal greed.”
Look for my next post on "liberty or quality of life and the common good."
