-DATE-
19720506
-YEAR-
1972
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
SPEECH
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
KANKAN SPEECH
-PLACE-
KANKAN, REPUBLIC OF CHINA
-SOURCE-
CONAKRY PRELA
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19720509
-TEXT-
Kankan Speech

Conakry PRELA [PRENSA LATINA] in Spanish to PRELA Havana 1015 GMT 6 May 72
C--FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

[Speech by Maj Fidel Castro, first secretary of Cuban Communist Party and
prime minister of the Revolutionary Government, at the town of Kankan,
Republic of Guinea, on 4 May 1972]

[Text] Dear Comrade Sekou Toure, comrade leaders of the Kankan PDG
[Democratic Party of Guinea], comrades of Kankan: Between the two of us--he
(referring to the interpreter) and I--we are going to make a short speech.
We hope you will understand us. Better still, we hope that we will make
ourselves understood.

As we are approaching Kankan today from the air, we were looking at the
villages, but we could not see anyone. Where were the people of Kankan? We
later discovered that all the people of Kankan were here in the city street
awaiting President Sekou Toure and the Cuban delegation. (applause)

I remarked to the president: No one has remained at home and this is true.

We are very grateful for the fraternal reception we have received today.
But there is still something more important; We are much impressed by the
strength, unity, discipline (applause) and enthusiasm we have witnessed in
this town of Kankan, Besides joy, it is a town full of music, a town full
of happiness, and above all a town full of revolutionary awareness.
(applause) We witness here the teachings of President Sekou Toure.
(applause) We see here the results of his 25 years of fighting for the
people of Guinea, (applause) as leader and a teacher. (applause)

And you, the people of this region, reflect the proud history of the people
of Guinea, which has had (?great) leaders during its history. There was the
great chief Samory Toure, (applause) who fought against the colonialist
conquerors for 20 years, (applause) who said "no" to the conquerors, and he
did this with weapons in hand.

His victory was not easy--it was tough, bloody. The people resisted,
suffered losses, but did not surrender. (applause)

And after a few years another great leader rises who organizes the people,
leads them intelligently and also says "no" to colonialism. And the people
of Samory Toure, the People of Sekou Toure, who are the same, said "no" to
the conquerors, "no" to colonialism, "no" to neocolonialism. And when the
imperialists tried to destroy Guinea's example, tried to destroy the
revolution, the people of Guinea with their weapons in hand on 22 November
again said "no" to the mercenaries (applause), "no" to the colonialists,
"no" to the imperialists.

Why does Guinea remain independent? Why does the revolution progress?
Because it has a revolutionary party, a revolutionary doctrine, a
revolutionary education, a revolutionary moral, a revolutionary
leadership--and at the head of this leadership is comrade Sekou Toure.
(applause)

That is why the imperialists, resorting to the most evil methods, tried to
eliminate comrade Sekou Toure, but they failed. Comrade Sekou Toure cannot
be overthrown. (applause) Comrade Sekou Toure is defended by the people.

But if one day they should succeed in their intentions of physically
destroying Comrade Toure, they will not be completely successful, because
morally, spiritually and ideologically Comrade Sekou Toure cannot be
destroyed.

We have seen parading here youths, students, workers, the militia,
soldiers. We have witnesses their enthusiasm, their determination, their
strength, and we believe they are the future of Guinea and the future of
Africa.

These youths who today study, struggle and work are Guinea's hopes for
Africa's future. (applause)

Accompanying our delegations are leaders of farmers, youths, students,
women, mass organizations, our party leaders, leaders of our revolutionary
armed forces who fought in the guerrilla warfare, who fought in the
mountains. They have been able to see with us what Guinea is today, what
its strength is, what its spirit is.

Our delegation has been able to see with its own eyes the works of Comrade
Sekou Toure, (applause) the great leader who united the people, led them
from victory to victory, to independence, who created the Guinean state,
develops the Guinean nation and has solidly, indestructibly united these
great people who today are Africa's vanguard. (applause)

We very much admire the phrase of Comrade Sekou Toure of Guinea where he
says he prefers poverty in freedom over wealth in slavery. (applause) We
can only add: No slave will ever rice; no free people will be eternally
poor. (applause)

The people of Guinea, as the people of Cuba, were poor because we were
robbed, plundered, enslaved; they exploited us. But now with freedom won,
the way is open for progress; the time comes for work; the time comes for
working for the future honestly and with dignity. That is what our people
are doing today: Working with dignity for the future. We are free today and
we shall work our resources with our own hands.

We thank the federation secretary for his eloquent and fraternal words. We
thank you for your reception, and we tell you from the bottom of our heart
that we shall never forget this beautiful day. (applause) We shall always
remember this meeting with the men and women of Kankan and we hope that the
links between our two peoples will be strengthened. (applause) We hope that
our two peoples will work each day for unity, friendship, for solidarity
and for the revolution.

Long live the people of Guinea ! (shouts of long live)

Long live Comrade Sekou Toure! (shouts of long live)

Long live the revolution! (shouts of long live)

Fatherland or death, we shall win! (lengthy applause)
-END-