Remembering Fidel Castro and the unfinished struggle for African solidarity
“The greatest tribute to history is not remembering those who fought for our freedom, but living by the principles for which they fought.”
Paul T. Shipale (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar)
“The greatest tribute to history is not remembering those who fought for our freedom, but living by the principles for which they fought.”
More than six decades after the great wave of African liberation movements began to dismantle colonial rule, a difficult but necessary question confronts the continent’s leaders, particularly those who continue to govern under the banner of liberation:
Have Africa’s liberation movements forgotten Fidel Castro not merely the man, but the ideals he brought to Africa?
This question is not about replacing African heroes with foreign figures. Africa’s freedom was won first and foremost by Africans whose courage, sacrifice, and determination cannot be diminished. Men and women from every corner of the continent carried the burden of liberation, often at the cost of their own lives.
Yet history also tells another story, one that is too often overlooked.
When African liberation movements faced some of the world’s most powerful military and political forces, one small Caribbean nation crossed an ocean to stand beside them.
Its leader was Fidel Castro.
The real question today is not whether Fidel Castro deserves recognition.
The real question is whether Africa has forgotten the meaning of the solidarity he demonstrated.
Liberation was never won alone
