Che Guevara’s Legacy Remains Alive 57 Years After His Assassination
Mural in honor of Che Guevara in San Giovanni a Teduccio, Napoli, Italy, 2024. X/ @ElNecio_Cuba
October 8, 2024 Hour: 1:12 pm
Despite the passage of time, he has become the most iconic figure in the fight against all forms of oppression.
On Tuesday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel honored the enduring relevance of Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s revolutionary ideology as his country recalls the 57th anniversary of his capture in Bolivia on October 8, 1967.
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“When Che Guevara fell in Bolivia, he was 39 years old and possessed an infinite resolve to fight for human emancipation. Fifty-seven years later, he remains a permanent inspiration for all those who struggle,” said Diaz-Canel.
To Cubans, Che Guevara left behind a legacy of commitment to fight for the well-being of all, no matter the cost. Fueled by a Marxist vision, his anti-imperialist political thought is regarded as a guiding force in the Cuban Revolution’s resistance to the hostility of U.S. governments for more than six decades.
Che Guevara entered world history in 1956 when he met Fidel Castro and the other revolutionaries who would board the yacht Granma, heading for Cuba to combat the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.
After the triumph of the Cuban Revolution on January 1, 1959, he became Cuba’s Minister of Industries and President of the National Bank, earning the love and trust of the people. Rather than settling for a comfortable life, Che Guevara continued the revolutionary fight, organizing a guerrilla war in Bolivia, where he was captured by the Andean country’s army and assassinated under orders from the CIA.
His body was desecrated, but Che Guevara’s remains were located and returned to Cuba 30 years later. Today, his body rests alongside other guerrilla heroes at the Che Guevara Mausoleum, a memorial in Santa Clara, the province that provided the setting for his guerrilla exploits.
Despite the passage of time, Che Guevara has solidified his place as the most iconic figure in the fight against all forms of oppression and as a symbol of the internationalist spirit of an Argentine doctor who left behind his profession to join the liberation of Latin American peoples.
“If we need a model to follow to achieve lofty goals, that example is Che. Let men and women imitate him, be like him, and think like him,” President Diaz-Canel said.
teleSUR/ JF Sources: PL – teleSUR