Cuba and the Congo: Solidarity and comradeship

The history of the two countries is a reminder that, even in the most difficult times, solidarity and comradeship can flourish and become a lasting legacy. These sentiments will be reinforced by the official visit that Political Bureau member and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz began to the Congo this Monday.

By Yuniel Labacena Romero, translated from the Spanish

BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of the Congo -- Commander Ernesto Che Guevara's momentous visit to this sister nation in the 1960s marked the beginning of Cuba's contribution to the revolutionary movements in Africa. The presence of the Heroic Guerrilla was not only an act of military support, but also a gesture of profound identification with the struggle for independence of oppressed peoples.

He clearly demonstrated this conviction on one occasion at the United Nations General Assembly, when he expressed his solidarity with the African continent. He said: "The peoples of Africa are forced to endure the fact that the superiority of one race over others is still official on the continent, and that murder is carried out with impunity in the name of this superiority. Will the United Nations do nothing to prevent this?"

Jorge José Hadad Capote, a specialist with the Sub-Saharan Africa Directorate of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minrex), recalled the importance of having selected Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, as the venue for five of the 13 rounds of negotiations that led to the signing of the Protocol that defined the terms of peace in Angola, the independence of Namibia, and that dealt a definitive blow to the apartheid regime.

Over the years, Cuba has maintained a constant, sincere, solid, and renewed commitment to its sister nation, transcending geographical and cultural borders. Thus, thousands of Cuban doctors, educators, and technicians have worked there, contributing to social and human development.

"These ties have many qualities. All are good. These are rich, historic, fraternal relations. Others describe them as relations with close ties of blood, history, culture, friendship, and permanent solidarity," argued the Ministry of Foreign Affairs specialist.

These are the reasons to consider the official visit to the Congo by Political Bureau member and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz to be strategic. This is a nation with which diplomatic relations were established more than 60 years ago, and then strengthened under the guidance of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, who always maintained close ties with the African continent.

SOLIDARITY AND RESILIENCE

More than ten thousand kilometers separate Cuba from the Republic of the Congo, located in central Africa and with a population of more than six million. Reaching this point proves that geographical distances are no obstacle to uniting two peoples with common causes in the struggle for peace, independence, and development.

In the words of Hadad Capote, "We are returning to a country of brothers and friends, where new opportunities for cooperation will be identified to deepen and diversify the existing ties between our two countries, primarily in the area of ​​human resource development."

Cuba has trained more than 3,000 health and technical professionals from the African nation, and for several years has had a constant presence, primarily from the Ministry of Public Health, in providing medical care to its population, alongside Congolese professionals trained in Cuba.

"We Cubans in the Congo are not only going to provide healthcare, we are going to learn from the resilience of a people. We are going to draw on the essence of our cultural roots and a fraternity that remains and has remained permanent," explains the Ministry of Foreign Affairs specialist.

The exchange of political delegations has strengthened bilateral ties with a nation that unconditionally supports Cuba. Let us recall, for example, the presence of President Denis Sassou Nguesso in Cuba three times, most recently at the posthumous tribute to the Commander-in-Chief in Santiago de Cuba, where he hailed Fidel as one of the most important figures of the 20th century. "The symbol of Fidel will remain forever; I believe that is the main lesson he left behind," he said.

Guided by these moments, both countries have demonstrated that the friendship they have built is unbreakable and a powerful tool for overcoming adversity. Thus, "the speech of the representative of the Republic of Congo at the United Nations last year is very significant, when he said he did not want to conclude his remarks without referring to a situation that continually challenges us and in the face of which we cannot morally stand idly by," said Hadad Capote.

He added that this was "a very supportive way of understanding the impact of the United States' policy of economic, commercial, and financial sanctions against Cuba for more than 60 years, as he underscored the terrible suffering it causes the Cuban population, despite the international community's rejection of it."

"Furthermore, the Congo has been very supportive ever since we were demanding the return of our five compatriots, and on the last two occasions when the African Union draft resolution against the blockade was voted on, it has supported not only our demand, our request to lift this criminal policy, but also our demand to be removed from the spurious list of states that supposedly sponsor terrorism."

Shared struggles, values, and principles amply justify Cuba's return to the Congo this Monday. According to the Foreign Ministry specialist, we are going back to our roots, "to meet with high-ranking officials, to express our gratitude for their friendship and our understanding of the importance of maintaining a stable relationship, even amid the complex situations our economies are facing."

We are confident that, as part of the special place our people occupy in the hearts of the peoples of Africa, Cuba and the Congo will foster comradeship, internationalism, and cooperation with renewed vigor, both now and in the future.

This work was translated and shared via a License CC-BY-NC