Latin American Network Information Center - LANIC

-DATE-
19851009
-YEAR-
1985
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
SPEECH
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
KAUNDA VISITS ISLE OF YOUTH-ADDRESSES STUDENTS
-PLACE-
HENRY WHITBOY SCHOOL-ISLE OF YOUTH
-SOURCE-
HAVANA TV SERVICE
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19851009
-TEXT-
Castro Addresses Students

FL091528 Havana Television Service in Spanish 1213 GMT 9 Oct 85

[Speech by President Fidel Castro at Henry Whitboy school during visit to
Isle of Youth with President Mugabe of Zimbabwe; date not given --
recorded]

[Text] [Crowd shouts: Viva!] Dear Comrade Mugabe, dear comrade students. It
has become customary to have a little speech during each visit. We can say
or conclude that t]is island is a privileged place for many reasons. You
can see that in only 7 days, two distinguished personalities, two of the
most prestigious men from Africa and the Third World have visited this
island, this school.

It has been only 4 months since UN Secretary General Javier de Cuellar
visited here. I do not know if you remember what he said. He said he had
hope that Namibia would be elected number -- what was the number he gave
you? -- [voices in background indistinct] 100? 50? No, no, I do not
remember exactly what number he gave but you should remember. (voices in
background indistinct] What? Ah! That he hoped that Namibia would be the
160th state of the United Nations. I thought that it does not matter if it
is 160, 161, 162, or 163, but that it will be a member of the united
Nations sooner or later and we will be able to say sooner than later.
[applause] This cannot be avoided by all the crimes they have committed or
will commit.

Do you remember that monstrous act that occurred that morning when forces
were transported by air and disembarked near (Casinda) and they carried out
that incredible crime? They assassinated approximately 1,000 people, the
majority of which were women and children. You will also remember that the
U.S. press was here during Perez de Cuellar's visit. The Yankee press did
not say a word about the killings in (Casinda). I said when one white, two
whites die, it seems that the world comes to an end: there is an enormous
scandal. When approximately 1,000 people were savagely assassinated, the
majority of which were children, more than 300 children and almost 300
women, the Yankee press did not say even one word. They are still not aware
of what has happened in (Casinda), but Africa knows. The Third World
countries know. The friends, the progressive and revolutionary forces of
the world know and like yourselves, they will not forget. They thought
those crimes would impede independence, that they would terrorize the
Namibian people. What it did was multiply the patriotic spirit, the
revolutionary spirit of the Namibian people. For each patriot that falls
fighting, 100 patriots emerge, 1,000 patriots emerge, dozens of millions of
patriots emerge.

We know from our own experience. At the beginning we were very few, a
fistful, but finally we were an entire people struggling for the
revolution. In its desperation South Africa attacks all countries,
threatens all South African countries, trains, arms, directs, and supports
the mercenary bands that carry out the dirty war against Angola. When the
puppets are very worried, they send their troops and their aviation to try
and save them. South Africa arms, organizes, and directs the mercenary
bands that carry out the dirty war in Mozambique. South Africa carries out
destabilizing and subversive acts against all front-line countries. South
Africa illegally occupies Namibia. It oppresses the Namibian people without
any reason or justification and against global public opinion.

During these years the Namibian people have not weakened. They have grown,
multiplied. Now there are thousands and thousands of combatants from
Namibia and more than 1,000 youth prepare themselves in our country or
elsewhere for Namibia's future so that they can serve their country in any
area, anywhere. Namibia's future is being constructed now. From the time
you are studying now, preparing yourselves, you are constructing the new
Namibia.

Racism will not be able to sustain itself even in South Africa. Because of
racism and fascism, South Africa is experiencing the worst crisis in all
its history as a result of the heroic and growing struggle of the South
African people.

Apartheid cannot be saved. History has condemned apartheid to die. Sooner
or later, apartheid will disappear. [applause] I am sure! ["Vivas" from
crowd] I am sure that the day is not far off when apartheid will disappear.
Because it is not enough for Namibia to be independent. It is not enough
that the mercenaries who serve South Africa be defeated and eradicated in
Angola and Mozambique. As long as apartheid exists in South Africa, it will
be a danger to all the peoples of southern Africa and for all the African
peoples. As long as racism and fascism exists -- although Namibia becomes
independent, as it will -- there will be no security for Namibia, Angola,
Mozambique, Botswana or any country in the front line, or for any country
in black Africa, as long as racism exists, as long as apartheid exists! For
this reason, we must not rest in our struggle, which is not only for the
consolidation of the independence of the revolution in Angola and in
Mozambique, and not only for the independence of Namibia, but rather for
the disappearance of apartheid in South Africa. [applause, shouts] As long
as apartheid exists, there will be no peace. History teaches us that the
peoples achieve victory sooner or later.

Here were having a living example, in Comrade Mugabe and in the delegation
from Zimbabwe. They struggled for a long time. On the way over to the Isle
of Youth, I said that the prison where we had been imprisoned for 2 years
was here. But Comrade Mugabe was imprisoned for 10 years, in the jails of
the racists of Zimbabwe, which they called Rhodesia in rememberance of a
conqueror, one of many that have invaded our countries. Ten years! He knows
what sacrifice is, he knows what jail is. Ten years! He struggled for 20
years for the independence of his country. Despite the 10 years in jail and
the 20 years of struggle, Zimbabwe is an independent, sovereign African
state today. Today, the Zimbabwean people are a free people! [applause]

When they began the struggle more than 25 years ago, many must have
thought, when will the day come? How many sacrifices, how many tens of
thousands of lives did the independence of Zimbabwe cost? But the
Zimbabwean people were strengthened in the struggle, their army was
developed in the struggle, its combatants became experienced, They became,
simply, invincible. And today, Zimbabwe is not only an independent,
sovereign country, it is one of the countries of greatest privilege in
Africa and the Third World.

It is really a privilege, as I said a few minutes ago, to have had two such
brilliant personalities visit you, two in 7 days. That is, one visit by
each of them. The visit of Nyerere whom we all love and admire and respect,
and now the visit of Robert Mugabe, a revolutionary fighter, a leader of
his people, whom he led to victory.

As you know, at the ministerial meeting in Luanda of the Nonaligned
Movement, the unanimous decision was taken to hold the eighth nonaligned
summit next year in Harare, capital of Zimbabwe. So, in the middle of this
struggle that is so transcendent, in the middle of this great battle of the
South African peoples against apartheid and against racism, more than 100
Third World states will meet in Zimbabwe -- the chiefs of government and
state of more than 100 countries -- and this will be a considerable
contribution that will provide extraordinary encouragement for the struggle
of the heroic people of Angola, for the struggle of the heroic people of
Mozambique, for the struggle of the heroic people of Namibia and of the
heroic people of South Africa against rascism, fascism, and apartheid. That
is, in the middle of this battle, this transcendent meeting will take place
next year in Zimbabwe, and our dear, respected, and admired friend Robert
Mugabe will be the president of the Nonaligned Movement in the near future.

If you analyze all these events, you students from Namibia and Angola and
Mozambique, the considerable number of heads of state who have visited the
island and had contact with you, symbolized by the presence and encouraging
words of the secretary general of the United Nations, if you analyze these
visits that have taken place in 1 week, the visits by Comrade Nyerere and
now Comrade Mugabe, and a few more that may come soon, this shows the
interest and the spirit of solidarity that exists toward the struggle of
the Namibian people, the struggle of the Angolan people, the Mozambique
people, towards the struggle of the peoples of southern African against
apratheid.

This demonstrates that your cause has a great liking and great support
throughout the world; and that someday, just like Jose Eduardo Dos Santos,
Zamora Machel, Nyerere, Mugabe have visited here [representing] countries
which not long ago were colonies, someday this island will be visited by
delegations representing independent Namibia. Someday the chiefs of state
and government of Namibia, as an independent country, will come to Cuba to
visit the Isle of Youth.

We cannot forget that among the representatives present here of students
from fraternal countries, who are here on the Isle of Youth, heroic
Nicaragua is also represented. They have participated here in these
activities. They are one more example that imperialism's attitude is the
same everywhere. It is the same in Mozambique, in Angola, in Nicaragua,
anywhere, dirty wars, unjust wars, criminal wars.

If before the imperialists were able to go anywhere, arrive and conquer,
today they cannot do that, because everywhere they are finding resistance,
a patriotic consciousness, a revolutionary consciousness. When I see you in
the schools, when I see you participate in cultural events, the cultural
groups, when I see your energy, your intelligence, your revolutionary
spirit, I think that those days when the colonialists and imperialists were
invading your territories, were oppressing our peoples, were looting our
countries are far behind. Those days when tens of millions of Africans were
uprooted from their lands and transported to the other side of the ocean by
the exploiters to put them to work are gone. It was tens and tens of
millions of our fore-fathers who lived that tragedy.

That history will never again be repeated. I am fully convinced of that
when I see you, the representatives of Africa, of the Third World
countries, when I see the youths from Nicaragua. when I see the Cuban
youths, armed with revolutionary ideas, armed with patriotic ideas, armed
with anti-imperialist ideas, armed with internationalist ideas, armed with
progressive ideas, all those ideas called one thing or another, such as
Marxism-Leninism, scientific socialism, summing up revolutionary ideas. One
thing is common in all of you, the revolutionary spirit, revolutionary
ideas, the decision to struggle, faith in the future, confidence in
yourselves. The imperialists tremble when they see all this. They tremble.

I know that this example of the Isle of Youth is of great concern to them.
It makes them worry to know that the youths are studying, that the youths
from the Third World learn. Your revolutionary spirit makes them worry, and
they are right to worry. They should worry about what is going on
everywhere, because the peoples have gained awareness, the peoples have
rebelled, and the peoples have decided to die before being oppressed. They
have chosen death before slavery. That is why I see in these Isle of Youth
schools a symbol of the new times.

I explained to Comrade Mugabe that in these schools we teach, the Cuban
professors, teach physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, but their
country's history classes, the history of each of your countries, are
taught by professors from those countries. The political classes of each of
the schools are taught by professors from those countries. We are not the
ones who teach political classes. They are taught by the representatives
from your countries. The representatives of the parties from the countries
you come from are the ones who guide and teach your political and
ideological training. We supply the schools, buildings, laboratories, and
classrooms. We cooperate in everything we can, but the political training
is given by your own leaders from your countries.

In the same manner you maintain traditions and culture of the countries you
come from, you are given political training. So, imperialism is correct in
being worried by these schools on the Isle of Youth. They are a
demonstration...[leaves thought unfinished]. Not that Cuba is disseminating
or spreading subversive ideas, no. The ideas do not go from Cuba to
Africa, it is the other way around, they come from Africa to Cuba together
with you. When they reach Cuba, we find that our and your ideas are the
same, that our and your feelings are the same, that our and your
internationalist spirit are the same. Here you have had contact with many
youth from other countries who one day will have responsibilities in their
homeland. Here the ties that will some day help African unity are also
multiplied. Those are the things that we pursue. Ideas are everywhere.
Your presence here, your songs, your instructions, your words, demonstrate
that revolutionary ideas have spread everywhere, and that threatens
colonialism, neocolonialism, imperialism, and racism. [crows begins
chanting: "Down with imperialism! Viva Cuba! [words indistinct] Viva
Fidel!"]

When speaking of Cuba's internationalist spirit, we say it is the same
internationalist spirit belonging to you. When speaking of Cubans who have
struggled and are ready to struggle with the African peoples, that is nothing
extraordinary. We know that if the imperialists would one day decide to
invade Cuba, you would struggle here with our people in defense of this
bulwark of the revolution, which is the Isle of Youth and Cuba. [applause)
[indistinct shouts in background] Internationalism is true both ways, from
Cuba to Africa and Africa to Cuba. Despite any other considerations, we are
brothers in ideas and in blood. Do not forget that many of your ancestors
came to Cuba and are a part of our people and our blood. We are Africans
and Cubans, brothers in ideas and brothers in blood. [applause] Fatherland
or death, we shall win! [applause] [indistinet shouting in background)

Now that I am hearing the slogans being chanted by our Saharan brothers, I
want to express in the name of our people, our sympathy, our admiration for
their heroism, our faith in the victory of the heroic Saharan people, our
support, and our complete solidarity.

-END-


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