Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Havana, Oct. 10 - Cuba is distinguished by its unblemished patriotism, born from the emancipatory epic of the nation's heroes, initiated by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes in the 1868 uprising, and followed by Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, because the Revolution of this land is one and the same, from October 10 of that year until January 1, 1959.
The excellence of the Bayamo lawyer endures in the memory of the homeland when he asked Cambula Acosta to make a Cuban flag to preside over the uprising, a design he himself painted on a piece of paper. Once the work was finished, he told her to take it and shout to the revolutionary forces that they would rather die than hand it over to the enemy.
The sublime attitude of patriot Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, who, from his La Demajagua sugar mill in Manzanillo, began the Ten Years' War and was the first to free his slaves. He marched into battle shouting "Long Live Free Cuba!" and, after seeing his troops reduced in an unequal challenge to the Spanish forces, stood up and replied to the defeatists: There are still 12 men; enough to make the independence of Cuba !.
Fidel defended the same position almost a century later, at the reunion of the Granma yacht expeditionaries in Cinco Palmas, after their landing and baptism of fire in Alegría de Pío in 1956. These are signs that the Cuban Revolution is one and began with the one undertaken by Céspedes, for the political and social transformation that was proposed, beyond the just act of Cuba's emancipation.
As recognized in the homeland’s history with the proclamation of October 10, that moment did not achieve the grand objective then, however, that date and that process marked a nation that, in that decade, was maturing and consolidating its national sense.
Along with the veteran and experienced fighters of what is also known as the Great War, the new generations of Mambi fighters turned the Father of the Homeland's maxim of not remaining on their knees before a foreign power into reality, and they stood up and made their presence felt.
Thus, the so-called Little War (1879-1880) and the Necessary War (1895-1898), organized by José Martí, bore fruit. However, the Apostle always referred to that event as a revolution, a fundamental assessment of an event that had a national-liberating, democratic, and anti-slavery character.
Because that day, in addition to the proclamation of independence, another gesture would seal a vision of transformation within society: the announcement of freedom for his slaves and the call to fight for such a long-awaited aspiration on equal terms, a devastating blow to that slave system.
This issue triumphed within the Revolution of '68 and as a just consequence, Article 24 of the Guáimaro Constitution, on April 10, 1869, reflected the principle: "All inhabitants of the Republic are entirely free."
These events took place in a favorable context; Although there were differing criteria among the conspirators regarding the moment in which the insurrection should occur, the circumstances of that moment created a very special climate; for example, the frustration of reformist attempts, proven by the outcome of the Information Board in Spain (1866-1867), further strengthened the independence solution.
Life in the countryside of Free Cuba also represented a very significant change. As Martí described in his Steck Hall Lecture on January 24, 1880, the daily lives of those who lived in the areas dominated by the Mambises underwent essential transformations:
“(…) children were born, women married, men lived and died, criminals were punished, entire towns were established, authorities were respected, virtues were developed and rewarded, special defects were produced, and long years passed under the terms of their own laws (…) that created a state, that became customs (...) [that gave] on land with everything existing, and awakened in a large part of the Island hobbies, beliefs, feelings, rights and habits (...)".
The process described was not free of contradictions that affected the development of the conflict; But the change it brought about was very significant, as Cuba would never be the same again. As Martí also asserted, "After a revolution, a people cannot be the same as they were before."
This had the merit of being a triumph of independence ideas, against Hispanic fundamentalism and reformist and annexationist currents, when new symbols for the nation emerged, such as its National Anthem, alongside iconic personalities such as Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Perucho Figueredo, Ignacio Agramonte, Máximo Gómez, Antonio Maceo and others, which included the female presence symbolized by Mariana Grajales.
Despite the contradictions that affected the development of this feat, which meant that others would have to pick up the flag they had dropped, tired of the initial effort, those least in need of justice, according to Martí's assessment, the Revolution of '68 proved to be a founding moment, a key event for the consolidation of the nation and for new revolutionary projects.
That morning, the Bayamo-born patrician delivered the declaration of independence known as the Manifesto of the Revolutionary Junta of the Island of Cuba or the Manifesto of October 10. In the batey of La Demajagua, before some 500 people gathered, he declared: "Citizens, that sun that you see rising over the summit of Turquino comes to illuminate the first day of Cuba's freedom and independence."
That morning, the Bayamo-born patrician delivered the declaration of independence known as the Manifesto of the Revolutionary Junta of the Island of Cuba or the Manifesto of October 10. In the batey of La Demajagua, in front of some 500 people gathered, he declared: "Citizens, that sun that you see rising over the peak of Turquino comes to illuminate the first day of Cuba's freedom and independence."
As he further stated: "Cuba aspires to be a great and civilized nation, to extend a friendly arm and a fraternal heart to all other peoples..."
In light of today, this country reaffirms its patriotism, which will be evident on the 157th anniversary of the beginning of the emancipatory struggles, when one of the most heartfelt tributes will take place at the Santa Ifigenia Heritage Cemetery, which houses the ashes of Céspedes, Martí, and Fidel, the nation's founding fathers, and of Mariana, the mother of all Cubans. (Text and photo: ACN)
