Fidel Castro rests triumphantly

At a very early age, he saw and felt pained by life’s contradictions. As he grew older, these contradictions only seemed to pile up. A sense of fairness compelled him to learn about the source of these contradictions: why they are allowed to persist. The more he learnt the more he came to realise that some people benefit from injustices and that they build systems for them to thrive. And so, a political consciousness was awakened within him in relation to this state of things. This was a period of important shifts in global affairs. This was the early 1900s. All of Africa, except Liberia and Ethiopia, had succumbed to colonial rule. The British and French empires were wreaking havoc in the name of spreading civilisation to natives across the world. The United States of America was beginning to abandon the isolationist stance it had held since its Declaration of Independence in 1776. Like the British and the French with their civilising missions, the Americans were armed with an idealism of exceptionalism as the torch to light the world as its guise for spreading economic and political liberalism. Through exceptionalism, the Wilsonian (Woodrow) view held, America would make liberalism/neoliberalism an attractive form of governance for the peoples of the world who, in turn, would strive to shape their societies in the image of America. This would be America’s contribution to world civilisation. America would accept as a moral responsibility the burden of converting others to this form of government. It was the burden of the (American) empire. But responsibilities must be enforced. Consequently, America assumed the role of a global policeman. Where it promised to make liberalism attractive, it began to shove its exceptionalism inside everyone’s throat using its military might through armed intervention and regime change agenda. This is a common thread that began with America’s entry to the global stage that was solidified by the triumphalism of World War II and subsequent interventions in Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, etc. All were predicated on the desire to share this light of exceptionalism with the world. Cuba acquiesces and then defies Partly due to proximity, Cuba was the recipient of a heavy dose of American exceptionalism. It was not all bad. Under Fulgencio Batista Cuba thrived economically. It was a tourist destination for Americans looking to have a good time, to smoke a Cuban Cigar. Cuba was a de facto State of America; it had acquiesced to American exceptionalism. But the excesses of capitalism were on display: rampant corruption, obscene inequality, exclusion. In short, poverty amid plenty. As contradictions mounted, the old questions came back. A young man who had grown up admiring America and wanting to be part of the exceptionalism soon discovered that such claims were empty. This view was reinforced by America’s unwavering support of the corrupt dictatorship in power in Havana. It was, therefore, time to reclaim the dignity of the Cuban people from the paws of a vampire elite. And so, with a few young men and women, they began a path that would place them on a collision course with the American behemoth. His revolution took state control and for more than five decades defied America’s claim to exceptionalism. But in defying America he exposed himself and his county to enormous harm: he was the target of more than 600 assassination attempts, a sponsored armed invasion, and for half a century his country was placed under sanctions. He was forced to look inward for solutions. He turned to his people for legitimacy deploying state resources to ensuring every single one of them has access to free healthcare and education making his country among the healthiest and with the highest rates of adult literacy. He deployed doctors to every part of the Southern Hemisphere treating people free of charge. They treated people in Algeria, Angola, South Africa, and many of them remained behind to train doctors. In Africa’s liberation from colonial rule, Cuba’s sacrifice dwarfs even the remarkable contributions from Tanzania and Ghana. Indeed, without Cuba’s deployment of over 40,000 troops to Angola that country would possibly have fallen to South African Apartheid rule and delayed independence in the entire Southern Africa. Human rights record Critics say that he was a freedom fighter abroad but a dictator at home. They assert that he took away people’s freedoms. Yet, he gave his people free access to health and education, freedoms that many of these critics don’t enjoy at home. His real crime was the audacity to examine contradictions. One of these was America’s claim to exceptionalism which America thought gave it the basis to dictate to Cuba how to conduct its affairs. A young man dedicated his life to examining life’s contradictions. History happened to bring him into contact with America’s claim to exceptionalism that was side by side with suffering and injustice towards his people. He defied. In so doing, he placed his life in grave danger. But this would elevate his life into immortality as a global icon of justice and fairness. America enters a new age. It has lost any claims to the possession of any moral superiority over others and is coming to terms with the reality that it is no longer in a position to lecture anyone about how to conduct their business. It has given up the quest of being the benign empire. To its credit, in Donald Trump it has elected the right person who holds none of these pretentions. His work was done. And now he rests in triumph! Viva el Comandante, Viva Fidel Castro!

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Fidel Castro rests triumphantly