-DATE-
19720507
-YEAR-
1972
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
SPEECH
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
INAUGURATION OF THE NATL CTR-REVOLUTIONARY DEMOC
-PLACE-
SANOYAH, CONAKRY, REPUBLIC OF BUINEA
-SOURCE-
CONAKRY PRELA
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19720509
-TEXT-
Sanoyah Address

Conakry PRELA [PRENSA LATINA] in Spanish to PRELA Havana 2031 GMT 7 May 72
C--FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

[Speech by Maj Fidel Castro Ruz, first secretary of the Cuban Communist
Party and prime minister of the Revolutionary Government, at the
inauguration of the National Center of the Revolutionary Democratic Youth
of Africa in Sanoyah, Conakry, Republic of Guinea, on 6 May 1972]

[Text] Comrade Sekou Toure, comrade party and youth leaders, comrade youth
of Guinea and of Cuba:

Allow us to say a few words at this ceremony. First I want to point out
that this building has great merit. Its merit does not reside in its
construction. Its merit is in having been built with the cooperation of the
youth of our two countries. It was built with very little money and in
record time. These are important things: The cooperation of our youth
working with little money, because our two countries are not rich, and
working fast, because our people have to take advantage of time.

Some day there will be other schools with different architecture, different
material, but what really matters is the human quality (applause) the moral
quality, the revolutionary quality of the men who are going to work here!
What is important is the idea. What matters are the results, the fruits.
This training center for the revolutionary democratic youth of Africa,
which operates in cooperation with Cuban youth, is very important at this
time. Why? Because Guinea is a symbol in Africa. (applause) Guinea has been
blockaded for many years by imperialism, Guinea has been surrounded by
hostility. The imperialist wanted to destroy the Guinean example. They
cannot accept a revolutionary country which has endangered the
neocolonialist domination throughout Africa.

The imperialists have managed to impose their will in many countries, they
have managed to impose new kinds of slavery in many countries, but the
imperialists, could not impose that type of slavery in Guinea. (applause)

No job--especially a thorough, revolutionary, historical work aimed at
influencing the future of the entire continent and the world--is a day's
work, a year, 10 years, it is a labor of scores of years! That is why among
the many revolutionary ideas of comrade Sekou Toure--among the many
brilliant ideas--there is one of great value. It is his idea of the role of
the youth.

He spoke of how men come and go and how the people are eternal. (applause)
That belief is deeply linked to his idea of life and the continuity of the
life of the peoples, and that is why he has always devoted so much
attention to youth. The youth in this country has a great role to play, a
big part. It is involved in many basics of the Guinean revolutionary
process, and that is why one of comrade Sekou Toure's basic functions is to
oversee the education of youth for its great historical task, for its great
future on this continent.

Comrade Sekou Toure founded the party, he planned independence, unity,
forged the state, and at the same time he has been the people's teacher,
youth's teacher. When he devotes himself so enthusiastically to youth it is
because he believes that youth will continue that task. (applause) Youth
must prepare for that job, and the job it has ahead is no doubt a tough
one, a long one, a difficult one. That is why youth with mettle are needed,
well trained, determined fearless youth. Youth who will not become
discouraged in face of obstacles. (applause)

Our young people, the young Cubans and the young Guineans, must be trained
in all areas, primarily in the area of revolutionary ideals, of awareness,
of organization, in the work area, in the technical and combat fields. In
other words, they must be trained to create, work and fight. One cannot
imagine a future for this continent without thinking of the need to
struggle, to work. Youth must be trained and prepared to fight. (applause)

That is why in this training school for youth, built in cooperation between
our two countries, study is merged with work, and political studies are
merged with the training of youth in the defense field. We have a belief in
our country; All youth must be ready to lead the country, all youth must be
prepared to defend the fatherland. All youth, as its foremost duty, must
learn to read and write, all must acquire a revolutionary awareness.
(applause) All must learn to use weapons.

There are recent incidents in Cuba and Guinea of imperialists plots and
mercenary attacks. Just imagine the gall, the lack of consideration for the
Guinean people, of the attack on 22 November. What a mistake! What happened
in Guinea on 22 November, happened in Cuba on 17 April 1961. The
mercenaries thought everything was so easy, so simple. They thought the
citizens would be afraid. When the citizens heard the first shots, with
their president in the lead, they took up their weapons and went to where
the fighting was and the mercenaries were completely destroyed. (applause)

If the mercenaries could not even take over a dock in Conakry, who could
defeat the well prepared Guinean people, properly led, well armed? How were
they going to occupy this country, how were they going to occupy the
250,000 square kms of this country, with its people, its mountains, its
forests, its topography? All of the mercenaries in the world could not
occupy Guinea! (applause)

The Guinean people would not be alone. They would have support of the rest
of the revolutionary peoples. They would have the total and absolute
support of our people, of our youth, (applause) of our fathers.

With the same love with which our fighters have been ready to fight for
Cuba they are disposed to struggle in the support of any revolutionary
people, of any brother country. So, we shall be united in peace, we shall
be united in struggle, we shall be united in combat and we shall be united
under any circumstance.

Our people will continue to develop friendship, and cooperation on all
levels with Guinean people; our youth will continue to collaborate on all
levels with Guinean youth; and, to the extent of our strength, in the
measure of our resources, our youth will continue to cooperate with this
center, which is only now beginning but which doubtlessly will progress and
will play an important role in the unity of and the friendship between our
people and youth.

This center will doubtlessly produce well prepared cadres in all sectors,
firmly educated in the ideas of President Sekou Toure, (applause) and in
the revolutionary doctrines of President Sekou Toure will the youth of the
African revolutionary democratic youth be formed. Observe the name of
youth--the Guinean revolutionary democratic youth. But with a broad future
vision, with a vision of the role to be played by Guinean youth, comrade
Sekou Toure has chosen to call it the African revolutionary democratic
youth, (applause) Its field of struggle, its battlefield, its range of
solidarity, is the whole of Africa and the whole world.

This youth will doubtlessly be formed in the revolutionary doctrine, in the
ideas of President Sekou Toure, in loyalty to the people, in loyalty to the
party, in loyalty to the leadership of the party and, especially, in
absolute loyalty and fidelity to comrade Sekou Toure. (applause) Why?
Because he has won the loyalty of this people.

If we go back into history about 25 years we will see not today's Sekou
Toure but the comrade Sekou Toure of 25, 26 or 27 years ago, when he was
unknown, when he was but a humble revolutionary soldier, when he organized
his party and prepared the country for independence. When we envision that
revolutionary we see an outstanding virtue: his firmness, his loyalty,
(applause) his indomitable nature, and his incorruptible character.
(applause) The imperialists found in Sekou Toure exactly what they needed:
whose loyalty and dignity could not be bought with all the world's gold. In
comrade Sekou Toure they found a man who said "no" to bribes, (applause)
"no" to corruption, and "no" to treason. In other places, the imperialists
have found men and leaders who have yielded to corruption, bribery and
treason; but here they ran into unmovable rock! (applause) This explains
today's Guinea, the Guinean revolution, and Guinea's role. That was one of
his great examples: His loyalty to the people during 25 years, his complete
devotion to the people.

Comrade Sekou Toure does not talk about these things--which is
logical--because he is too modest, too humble. He talks about the people,
their greatness, their merits, their virtues. But we have the duty to
express our recognition of his role; his life as a leader, a teacher and
apostle; and his role as the creator of a revolutionary doctrine for this
continent. (applause) Comrade Sekou Toure has created a doctrine, has
formed a nation and has educated it and he is now working with youth so
that his revolutionary doctrine might some day be the doctrine of the
peoples who are still under neocolonialism and slavery.

Because of this, loyalty and fidelity to comrade Sekou Toure must be basic
elements in the formation and education of Guinean youth, not only as a
moral duty or as a matter of justice, but because it is a historical
necessity. (applause) Why? What did the mercenaries do? What was the first
thing they did? What was their first plan? To invade President Sekou
Toure's residence to assassinate him--attack President Sekou Toure, attack
the palace, to assassinate him, to publish in London the news of comrade
Sekou Toure's death. Why? Because the imperialists and the mercenaries are
well aware of comrade Sekou Toure's role in Guinea's revolution. The
imperialists and the mercenaries wanted to deprive the Guinean people of
their teacher, their leader and their symbol.

Why Because the imperialists have invested millions of pesos to bribe, to
find criminals to preach disloyalty to comrade Sekou Toure, to deprive the
people of their leader, their ruler, their teacher. If this was the most
important thing to the imperialists, it is not only a thing of justice, a
moral question, but a historic necessity; the first duty of youth and
people will always be one of fidelity and loyalty and of gratitude
regarding comrade Sekou Toure. (applause) Be ready to struggle side-by-side
with him, be ready to shed your last drop of blood to defend the ideals of
the Guinean revolution, to defend the Guinean fatherland.

Viva comrade Sekou Toure! (shouts of viva) Viva the Guinean revolution!
(shouts of viva) Viva the friendship of the peoples of Cuba and Guinea!
(shouts of viva) Fatherland or death, we shall win! (applause)
-END-