A TIME FOR APPLAUSE
TODAY marks a special occasion in the glorious modern revolutionary history of the Government and people of Cuba. It is the anniversary of what is recalled by Cuba and its friends and allies around the world as the ‘26th of July Movement’.
Brainchild of the aged phenomenal Cuban leader in retirement, Fidel Castro, the historic launch of the July 26 Movement had marked the first strike by a group of revolutionary fighters under his leadership against the notorious dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista that was to result on January 1, 1959 in what the world came to know as “the Cuban revolution”.
Sadly, having lived, often in agony, with the notorious Batista dictatorship for many years but realising that the Castro-led revolutionary Government in Havana had no appetite for footsy-type ‘Uncle Sam’ politics to weaken the zeal and spirit of the unfolding unique revolution, the USA’s then young and bright President, John F. Kennedy, surprisingly severed diplomatic ties with Cuba in 1962.
Worse, successive tenants of The White House in Washington and the U.S. congress were to unleash a series of the most punitive financial, trade and economic embargo measures against that small nation of our Caribbean Region.
The blockade was to last for more than 42 years before it became quite evident to the key players in all sectors of the mighty USA, the world’s sole superpower, that they had to put an end to this quite punishing weapon against the people of a small nation still unwilling to cry ‘Uncle Sam’.
By last year, while he was still engaged in his famous double-speak politics on maintaining political prisoners at Guntanamo Bay, President Barack Obama, to his credit — and thanks much also to the vision and wisdom of Pope Francis — the first Latin America-born pontiff, was ready to enter into a new and historic USA-Cuba relationship.
The rest is now part of the more inspiring features of the Obama Presidency whose Cuban burden Pope Francis had gladly and creatively enabled but certainly has no intention to sing about it.
The end result, as the world have come to appreciate, is that of this July month, in the year 2015, the world’s sole superpower, and little Cuba are once again — after some 53
years of broken, bitter relations, together again all fully diplomatically clothed.
Their respective national flag is fluttering in each other’s administrative capital as work continues to hasten the removal of lingering obstacles that remind us of the inhumane American embargo, now in its 53rd year against the small but quite proud revolutionary nation Cuba, a cherished friend of the Caribbean.
Both Presidents, Barack Obama and Raoul Castro, deserve the applause; and neither would forget the quiet role played by Pope Francis.