“(…) the charge that, as head of the revolutionary government, I am serving the interests of a specific political party, that’s something I cannot accept from anyone.” – Fidel Castro during the trial of Huber Matos.
Erasmo Calzadilla
HAVANA TIMES — I’ve been worked up these days. What got me into this rather unusual state isn’t the collapse of the Pekin stock market or the rising cost of living in Cuba. It’s the book How Night Fell (Como llego la noche).
If you’re Cuban and don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t be too shocked. They’ve made great efforts – and ultimately managed – to keep Huber Matos’ harrowing testimony from reaching our hands.
In 1958, a young teacher from Manzanillo joined Cuba’s rebels. In view of the courage and the intelligence he showed in combat, he was promoted up the ranks of the army and earned the reputation, not only of a good soldier, but also (and more importantly) of a just, honorable and noble man.
He and Fidel Castro had run-ins from the very beginning because of the disrespectful and humiliating manner in which the great leader treated his inferiors, and because of the impulsive madness with which he handled war-related issues (brining about loss of life and resources). Despite these constant and bitter tensions, the two tried to get along while the war was still raging.
During the war, Big Brother had insisted, through all means possible, that the aim of the struggle was to restore the rule of law and democracy, among other aspects of the social order. Once in power, however, the Castro brothers quickly went down the communist and dictatorial road.
Before the legendary year of 1959 had come to an end, Huber Matos was in a jail cell, convicted to 20 years in prison, accused of treason, conspiracy and sedition.
I don’t want to go into details about the book, but I would love to share a number of ideas that came to me while reading it.
Another “interesting” passage describes how, after the war is over, Matos asks Fidel Castro about the distribution of company profits among workers, which was one of the working class demands the Moncada manifesto had addressed. The commander in chief is said to have replied: “If we make it possible for workers to have economic independence, this will lead to political independence in practice.” We’ll never be able to prove whether this conversation actually took place or whether Matos made it up. The unquestionable fact of the matter is that the promise was never fulfilled.
Out of basic precaution, I won’t say that everything in this book is true. For me, it is a credible and coherent introduction to questions I knew little about and will continue to look into. Those interested in understanding Cuban history and a lesson in human dignity should definitely take a look. Read the book, you won’t regret it – but have your heart examined before you do.
I would like to end this post with two excerpts from the book. The first is part of a speech delivered by Huber Matos, condemning Batista’s coup. The second requires no introduction.
“We are a republic founded on blood and many sacrifices (…) As citizens, we are forever duty-bound to defend our liberties, to say “no” to all ambitious men who seek to become the nation’s masters, no matter what the cost!”
“In that diabolical ritual, where they tortured me to their heart’s content, believing I would never be able to tell this story, I wondered why they felt so happy carrying out the repulsive mission of heartlessly tormenting a dying man.”
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