Fidel Castro Has Multiplied into Millions

Elio Delgado Legon

HAVANA TIMES — Those who without knowing Fidel Castro or the Cuban people and their history of struggles, and have labeled him a dictator who oppressed his people, are very mistaken. The Cuban people have never accepted dictators or oppressors and have always fought and paid a high price for their freedom with the lives of the best children.

Fidel stopped breathing on November 25th at 10:29 PM and ever since people got wind of the news, they have revealed their sadness and shock. We have never seen such a healtfelt and mass display of grief.

Millions of Cubans went to sign the Concept of the Revolution oath which Fidel communicated on May 1st 2000, and paid tribute to him at places lined with the guerrilla fighter’s photo, mainly at Jose Marti Memorial Park, in Revolution Square, Havana, where a line of people stood there on November 28th from 9 AM until almost past midnight and on the 29th, until after midday.

On the 29th, a mass rally took place in Revolution Square which hundreds of thousands of people of all ages took part in, where Cuban youth were especially present and everyone was chanting: I am Fidel! I am Fidel! as a display of their alliance with his ideas.

Everybody, no matter what their age, revealed their pain and conviction that Fidel hasn’t died because his ideas live on and will continue to live on in the hearts and minds of the Cuban people.

A man who led a Revolution which has had and continues to have the great majority of people’s support cannot die. He gave Cuba education, healthcare, sports, culture, social equality; he fought all of his life against underdevelopment; he managed to get Cuba to make groundbreaking discoveries in science and medicine on the same level even as developed countries, as well as contributing to improving the situation in other Latin American countries and in other parts of the world with his solidarity and aid.

A man who displayed his exceptional human values, courage and bravery to confront difficulties, unwavering morale, loyalty to the Revolution’s principles cannot die: who sacrificed his life which he could have lived quite comfortably, as he didn’t come from a poor family and was also an excellent lawyer, but he chose to sacrifice himself for the poor. For this reason and for so many others which don’t fit into this article, nearly eight million people have shown that they won’t let him die.

Moving his ashes from Havana to Santiago de Cuba was an unprecedented display of public grief and you could hear the slogan “I am Fidel!” everywhere. And “Fidel, friend of the people is with you!”

At the mass rally that took place in Antonio Maceo Square, in Santiago de Cuba, General/President Raul Castro told us of Fidel’s dying wish. He, who was always an enemy of personality cults, forbade putting up busts or statues of him by law, or giving his name to streets or institutions.

Those who knew him on a more intimate level agree on the fact that Fidel was a simple, austere, delicate, sensitive gentleman who was concerned about the most poor, in Cuba and in other parts of the country, and was extremely hard-working. His working day always ended well into the morning hours, until dawn a lot of the time.

Fidel was a giant in every aspect, but small people can’t understand the work of giants.

During the official mourning and afterwards, millions of Cubans, especially young people, have communicated that they aren’t willing to let his ideas die, and that’s why we can claim, without fear of being wrong, that Fidel hasn’t died, he multiplied into the millions.