FIDEL Castro Ruz, who led the Cuban revolution that on 1st January 1959 overthrew Fulgencio Batista and later ruled for 50 years, has died.  Fidel was a complex figure, whose leadership will continue to be reviewed, but doing so through simplistic lens will be a disservice to history.
Though Batista was considered a dictator by the Cuban masses, he was called friend of the United States (U.S.), who rejected his ousting. It should be said that violations of fundamental rights and freedoms have dogged the society, even unto today. Under communist ideology, where the society is considered closed, freedoms such as speech, access to information and religion taken for granted in other societies, are not prevalent there. Similarly, it has to be acknowledged that Fidel inherited a society where the masses were oppressed and made some advancement in areas of universal rights.

When he rose on the world scene, the Cold War was at its peak, the colonised around the world were fighting for their independence, and the African-American community was waging struggles for equality.

Fidel’s success in toppling what was seen as one of the world’s status quo made him a hero and ally of the oppressed and newly independent societies seeking to find their footing. Cuba forged partnerships with the developing world, lent support to those fighting various systems of political oppression, even as Fidel escaped assassination attempts, and presented a real threat to the U.S., being in what that country considers its backyard.

He inherited a country where the chasm between the haves and have-nots was vast. At age 32, he had the vision to move Cuba to a society where education, healthcare, agriculture, sports and culture were embraced and pursued in structured and vigilant manner, and were accessible to all. The Caribbean and other developing societies have had the benefits of these systems.

Cuba’s advancement in healthcare has not only been positively recognised by the World Health Organisation, but also within the U. S. Last year, New York (NY) Governor Andrew Cuomo led a trade mission to Cuba. During this mission the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo signed an agreement with Cuba’s Centre for Molecular Immunology (CIM) to develop a unique lung cancer vaccine with a clinical trial in the U.S. This vaccine, developed by CIM, has been in use to treat lung cancer in Cuba.

It is fair to say that under Fidel’s leadership, Cuba advanced its human potential to a level where it shared its expertise with other countries, of which Guyana remains a major beneficiary, since establishing diplomatic ties on 8th December, 1972.

The liberation struggles in Southern Africa got significant fillip from Cuba’s contribution.  Fidel provided financial and military assistance, a process in which Guyana played a collaborative role.  Cuban planes en-route to and from Southern Africa stopped over to refuel at Timehri airport. When internationally revered Nelson Mandela was questioned in the U.S. for calling Fidel a friend and comrade, his response was, in the time of need Cuba stood by the oppressed South Africans.

Though Fidel came to office through the barrel of the gun, he was not oblivious to the double standards that existed in world politics. Whereas his rise to power is questioned by the West, the West is not absolved from putting systems in place to brutalise and kill people, or remove governments around the world that they dislike, through violent and non-violent means.  Similarly, the West has supported and retained brutish governments that served their interests through said means.

Fidel was also conscious that the U.S. trade embargo (1962) was motivated not only by how he came to office, or the Bay of Pigs (1961) incident, but also by who it thinks should lead Cuba and the ideology the people must embrace.

When Barack Obama contested the presidency, it was Fidel’s view that it presented the possibility of normalising relations between the two countries, not that he has spared criticism of Obama’s presidency. In July 2015, the U.S. restored diplomatic relations which was severed in 1961. Since then, some restrictions on travel and trade have been removed, though it requires the U.S. Congress lifting the embargo.

It remains speculation what Cuba could have been were it not for the embargo.  According to Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, sanctions between April 2015 and March 2016 amounted to US $4.6 billion and US $125.9 billion (Reuters 26th October 2016) since its inception.

In 2006, Fidel was stricken by ill health and in 2008 ceded the presidency to his brother, Raul Castro Ruz and went into a quiet life, though he kept in touch with the public through his writings.  In April he addressed his communist party, told them he would die soon, but his revolutionary ideals would live on. He passed away on 25th November at age 90.