A hero of Cuba’s struggle for independence, poet and intellectual José Martí is an inspiration for the socialist revolution in Latin America. Last Saturday (28th), marking the 170th anniversary of his birth, a bronze bust was inaugurated at the Latin America Memorial in São Paulo (SP).
The event was attended by representatives of social movements and solidarity with Cuba, residents of the Caribbean country, political parties and artists.
(embed)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIWmbcS59IE(/embed)
“It is a historic debt that is now being paid with this bust of José Martí at the Memorial de América Latina, where a large bust of the admirable Bolívar, the liberator, whom he personally admired, is already installed. From now on, Martí will be there forever in the Memorial of Latin America, he will be in Brazil forever”, emphasizes Pedro Monzón, Consul General of Cuba in São Paulo.
“For Cubans, Martí is the soul of the country. Fidel organized the revolution based on the thoughts and influence of José Martí. One cannot understand the Cuban revolution without Martí”, he adds.
Adolfo Curbelo Castellanos, chargé d’affaires at the Cuban Embassy in Brazil, says that the island’s work in education, health, and the projection of its foreign policy, is all permeated in Martí.
“Martí is the essence of the Cuban Revolution. The Cuban revolution is socialist, because it is profoundly Martian”, points out Castellanos.
Legacy for popular movements
A fighter for the unification of Latin America, in the ideal called Pátria Grande, Martí is also revered by militants and popular movements, as pointed out by João Pedro Stedile, from the National Directorate of the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST).
“José Martí is considered the father of the Americas, he has a fantastic humanitarian work, as a writer, poet, liberator, who until today must guide all those who fight for a more just society and for the liberation and sovereignty of all peoples. MST, we learned a lot from Martí’s legacy”, analyzes the movement’s leadership.
The lyrics of the famous song Guantanamera, with a melody by Joseíto Fernández, are part of a poem written by the revolutionary.
“The idea that only knowledge sets people free is his. Teachings like this pervade the political struggle”, concludes Stedile.
Editing: Thalita Pires
