Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro (1926-2016) died on this day, 25 November. He was a crucial figure in the international struggle against Western imperialism.
An internationalist by word and deed, Castro’s contribution to the anti-imperialist fight went beyond the shores of his beloved home, for which he led a revolution that succeeded on 1 January 1959.
He dispatched Cuban troops to pro-independence movements in Africa, with about 36,000 deployed in the mid-1970s to help the newly independent state of Angola fight US-backed rebels and South African apartheid forces. This not only consolidated Angola’s independence but also ultimately contributed to the collapse of the apartheid regime in South Africa.
Away from the battlefields, Castro also sent doctors, technicians, teachers and other essential workers to many African countries and other Global South countries that faced shortages of skilled workers.
On several occasions, such as in this clip, he hailed the contributions of Africa’s people to the world. Here, he spoke about the four centuries of immense sacrifice that the people of the Global South—and Africa, in particular—have had to make.
Sources:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/democraciaabierta/do-you-remember-cuba-dedication-to-angola/