Fidel, an essential man of history

by María Josefina Arce

Fidel Castro is an indispensable figure in the history not only of Cuba, but also of the world and especially of our America. His thought and example guide Cubans and countless people who fight for a more just and inclusive society.

His constant struggle in favor of the dispossessed of the earth was constant. His voice was raised loud and clear in various international tribunals to defend the right of peoples to live in peace and to essential prerogatives such as health and education.

His first speech at the UN in September 1960 is memorable. His words were a condemnation of the inequality and poverty on the planet that threatened human dignity.

But Fidel went much further, imbuing the Cuban Revolution with the humanism and solidarity so necessary in an increasingly selfish world.

Under his leadership, Cuba has made a great contribution to providing access to health care and education for numerous peoples in different latitudes.

Among the countless examples of his humanism is his initiative to create, in 2005, the Henry Reeve International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Situations of Disaster and Serious Epidemics, which has left its mark in many corners of the world's geography.

In almost two decades, the Contingent has written beautiful pages of solidarity. It helped the victims of the floods in Guatemala and the earthquake in Pakistan in 2005. In 2014, it was in West Africa during the Ebola epidemic.

During the COVID pandemic, 19 brigades of the Henry Reeve helped in numerous nations in the fight against the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

To the commitment of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution with the humblest, we also owe the creation in 1999 of the Latin American School of Medicine, which has trained as health professionals humble young people from various countries of the world, including the United States.

Fidel always put people first. He was distinguished by his constant concern for the welfare and progress of Cubans, but also for the citizens of other countries, and for this reason he lives on in his people and in the hearts and memories of many other peoples, as the late President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, said: "Fidel belongs not only to Cuba, he belongs to this world of ours, to this America of ours.