A look at the great Cuban revolutionary on the anniversary of his birth.
By Katherin Hormigó Rubio, translated from the Spanish
Camilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán, "The Hero of Yaguajay", was a true revolutionary, a man of the people and an architect of this Cuban revolution that he fought to make a reality and to which he dedicated his life until the moment when his tragic disappearance and death occurred on October 28, 1959.
He was the youngest of the three children of Ramón Cienfuegos and Emilia Gorriarán and was born on February 6, 1932. He completed his primary studies at the Félix Ernesto Alpízar Public School number 105, in the Lawton neighborhood.
In 1944 he began studying at the High School number 13 in La Víbora, in Havana. He attended the seventh and eighth grades there. Later he took exams to enter as a free student at the Institute of Secondary Education in Havana.
And in 1949 he enrolled in the San Alejandro Academy specializing in sculpture, but soon after he had to leave his studies to work due to the economic situation of the family.
On April 1, 1950, Camilo Cienfuegos began working at the El Arte tailor shop, located on Reina Street between Ángeles and Amistad, in Havana. Camilo worked there for three years.
In April 1953, Camilo Cienfuegos, together with his friend Rafael Sierra, left Havana for the United States with the aim of trying to find a better paying job there.
In the two years he was in the United States, he saw how those who, like him, of Latin American origin, who had to work in there faced the danger of being deported.
In April 1955 Camilo was found by the immigration authorities in the city of San Francisco. He is detained for more than 30 days. Finally he was transferred to the border with Mexico and later managed to return to Cuba. He returned to work as a clerk in the El Art store
The end of that year and the beginning of the following one shows his commitment to the revolutionary cause as he actively participates in demonstrations taking place in Havana. On December 7, 1955, Camilo was injured when the forces of the dictatorship violently assaulted the participants in a demonstration in tribute to Antonio Maceo.
On January 28, 1956, he participated again in another demonstration in homage to José Martí. Again he was beaten and even arrested and booked by the Bureau for the Repression of Communist Activities, and although he was later released, he was subject to a judicial case.
On March 25, 1956, Camilo Cienfuegos left Cuba for the United States of America, where he tried to contact the members of the 26th of July Movement, many of whom, including Fidel, were already in Mexico. On September 19, 1956, he moved from the United States to Mexico. And it was thanks to the efforts made by Reinaldo Benítez that he was accepted to participate in the training that the future of Granma expedition members were carrying out.
In November 1956, Camilo Cienfuegos was part of the group of 82 expedition members led by Fidel Castro who left the Mexican port of Tuxpan aboard the Granma for Cuba. On December 2, he disembarked in Cuban territory through Los Cayuelos, an area near Las Coloradas Beach, in the southern part of the province of Oriente. Three days later he received his baptism of fire in Alegría de Pío when the rebel fighters were attacked unexpectedly by forces of the Batista dictatorship.
Camilo was one of the few expedition members who in the following days managed to evade the pursuit of the soldiers and continue his advance towards the Sierra Maestra. On December 21, the small group led by Juan Almeida, of which Camilo was a member, met Fidel again in the eastern mountains.
From the initial stage of the revolutionary struggle in the Sierra Maestra, "the one with the broad smile and the brimmed hat", began to stand out for his actions as a brave fighter. Already in April 1958, Fidel granted Camilo the rank of Commander, who received that promotion with a commitment to serve the revolutionary cause even more.
Later he participated in the defense against the great offensive of the forces of the tyranny. After the dictatorship's offensive was defeated in August, Fidel considered carrying out a major rebel counteroffensive.
As part of this strategy to develop the revolutionary struggle throughout Cuban territory, he developed a strategy that two rebel columns leave the Sierra Maestra towards the provinces of Las Villas and Pinar del Río, respectively. For the fulfillment of such singularly important missions, Fidel chose the Commanders Ernesto Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos.
On August 21, Camilo began the Antonio Maceo Column Two offensive. After advancing in exhausting marches, as well as suffering hunger, thirst and attacks from the soldiers of the dictatorship, Camilo arrived in the territory of the province of Las Villas, where he remained on Fidel's instructions and carried out a great military and political campaign, successfully winning the battle of Yaguajay.
After the popular victory in January 1959, Camilo Cienfuegos continued to contribute to the development of the Revolution. In addition to fully carrying out the responsibilities entrusted to him within the Rebel Army, he participated as a leader of the Revolution in multiple events and with the strength of his vibrant teachings contributed to the political education of the members of the armed forces and the people in general.
On October 26, he spoke for the last time before the people at an event that took place in Havana in which he recalled a fragment of the poem by Bonifacio Byrne: If broken into small pieces / it becomes my flag one day / our dead, raising their arms / will still know how to defend it! ..."
Two days later, when he was returning to Havana in a small plane from another trip he had made to Camagüey, he tragically disappeared, but his life and work in the nascent Revolution have remained central in the history of the country, as well as in the hearts of the people, including the men and women, the children and young people who did not know him directly.
After some time had passed, on November 12, 1959, Fidel in a television statement confirmed, after weeks of intense searching, the reality of the disappearance and death of Camilo.
Fidel said: "And the consolation that our people should have is that in the people there are many Camilos and Camilo will continue to live in people who are inspired by him, because the only thing we can ask of our people is that every time the Homeland finds itself in a difficult situation, every time the Homeland finds itself in a moment of danger, remember Camilo; every time the people see difficult moments, every time young people, peasants, workers, students, any citizen, believe that the road is long, that the road is difficult, remember Camilo, remember what he did, remember how never, in the face of those difficult moments, did he lose faith;..."
This work was translated and shared via a License CC-BY-NC
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