Fidel Resurrects Himself Again

Rosa Martinez

HAVANA TIMES — Comments on the death of Fidel Castro (Cuba’s undisputed leader – loved by millions, hated by thousands) had already started circulating on the Internet for several days. But when Hugo Chavez was re-elected and the Comandante didn’t make a public appearance to congratulate him, the speculation mushroomed.

Dissidents and opponents of the government were already celebrating the death of someone who has more lives than 10 cats added together. Notwithstanding, they have killed him (in the press at least) more than a 100 times, though he’s still here alive and kicking.

Fidel has been killed in each of the hundreds of failed attempts by the anti-Cuban mafia, which has tried to poison his cigars and clothing, and has even planned terrorist attacks against him in the middle of Havana’s Revolution Square.

This is the desire of many of those who believe that his death will solve the problems of the 11 million Cubans or bring capitalism back to the island

Everyone knows for sure that the death of the historical leader of the revolution will not end the half-century long conflict between the US and Cuba, nor will it be what magically restores the Cuban economy and increase the pitifully low salaries of the workers here.

Neither his death, nor Raul’s or that of any other leader will allow us to achieve our dreams for our beloved country, nor will it make the dreams come true of those opponents here or the ones on the other side of the Florida Straits. Nevertheless, some continue desiring this.

Once again Fidel has died, this time in Twitter messages as well as through word of mouth. I heard that here in Guantanamo a group of dissidents took to the streets, though I don’t know if they did it to raise the same demands as always (freedom of expression and movement, multiparty elections, better wages and living conditions, and so on).

Maybe this time they were also celebrating the death of the person who — according to them — is to blame for all our misfortunes.

I’m fully aware of the many mistakes made Fidel in leading our country for nearly 50 years, just as you readers are aware of them. I also think it’s very easy to blame only him for the misfortune of all the “non-conformists” who were sent to UMAP work camps, the failed harvest of 10 million tons of sugar, the world coming close to nuclear war, the balseros (rafters) who never made it, our low wages and meat not reaching our tables.

He, like the other leaders around him, like all Cubans, like you and me, is partly to blame for every misfortune that has struck our country – he as the leader, just as we followers of his ideology, and even the opposition.

But they shouldn’t waste their time killing him, since those above have shown they don’t want him, from all those times they have tried to send him. Let him die in peace. I think that at this point everyone should have realized — as he did with many things in his life — that he too will die when his time comes.