tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87854734149300792882024-02-19T01:40:42.210+00:00Bay of Pigs 50Cuba Solidarity Campaignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02015552547811214226noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785473414930079288.post-58132064053747162382011-04-27T14:46:00.001+01:002011-09-22T14:49:30.876+01:00Comandante Victor Dreke on Playa Giron<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="335" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UwILzrV89HM" width="450"></iframe><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">An extended extract from Comandante Victor Dreke Cruz's speech to a Cuba Solidarity Campaign meeting marking the 50th anniversary of the Cuban victory at Playa Giron (the Bay of Pigs).<br />
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Dreke fought alongside Ernesto Che Guevara during the Cuba Revolution and assumed control of two companies during the Playa Giron invasion. He served as second in command, under Che Guevara, of the Cuba internationalist combatants in the Congo. On this mission, Che wrote about Dreke in his report to Fidel Castro: 'He was...one of the pillars on which I relied. The only reason I am not recommending that he be promoted is that he already holds the highest rank'.<br />
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Dreke then went back to Africa in 1966-68 to head Cuba's military mission in Guinea-Bissau in their fight for independence from Portugal. In 1969 he was head of the Political Directorate of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 1973 he was named chief of the newly formed Youth Army of Labour (EJT) in Oriente province, working on the most difficult and challenging agricultural developments in the area. In 1981 he graduated from the University of Santiago de Cuba with a degree in law. He retired from active military service in 1990.</div>Cuba Solidarity Campaignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02015552547811214226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785473414930079288.post-59079381635188212602011-04-26T12:19:00.001+01:002011-05-26T12:32:46.028+01:00Playa Giron remembered<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZqYse5Ib-kfSHGzgh5Gc3teA6hgaQe20S_iaRTqF2OgVFjTuDOrsOkyGec1tkU1ImsTx_VVMKRa-9_LMRkPFv6tWHm4UBukcoJOQE1z5lCbrYYoxOZ-vfQTK-it53el5dGfZUT-ynGU/s1600/drekesmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZqYse5Ib-kfSHGzgh5Gc3teA6hgaQe20S_iaRTqF2OgVFjTuDOrsOkyGec1tkU1ImsTx_VVMKRa-9_LMRkPFv6tWHm4UBukcoJOQE1z5lCbrYYoxOZ-vfQTK-it53el5dGfZUT-ynGU/s1600/drekesmall.jpg" t8="true" /></a><strong>Commander Victor Dreke Cruz “ is one of the pillars on which I relied “ wrote Ernesto Che Guervara after a mission to Africa in the mid 60s. An incredibly humble but passionate man, this outstanding veteran of the Cuban revolution shared his experience and thoughts in a rapturously received speech at the National Union of Teachers headquarters in London on Tuesday night. To a packed hall Dreke spoke about his personal experiences as a 22 year old in the battle of Playa Giron(Bay of Pigs) in 1961.</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But he is no ‘one battle’ hero trading on former glories. He is a veteran of numerous campaigns and is still as enthused today about the revolution he witnessed 52 years ago as he was then. Rejoicing in the equality that was achieved for everyone in socialist Cuba Dreke praised every aspect of a revolution made by the people for the people. </div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">He is a living representative of Cuba’s selfless internationalism and determination to struggle to maintain the revolution and their independence. He spoke movingly of his rights as a black man – rights not given because of how much money he had – but because he had the human right to be treated the same as every other Cuban.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">He talked about Cuba’s solidarity in the world - a vision of “sharing not what was left over but of sharing the little that they had”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Cuba will continue to struggle in this world for peace “he said “We created a socialist revolution under the noses of the empire and we will defend it. When Cubans go to other countries we are all volunteers. We don’t go to steal petrol or destroy a people’s dignity. We go in defence of dignity and the right to freedom and a better life” he said to thunderous applause.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After the triumph of the revolution then (vice president) Richard Nixon met Fidel Castro in New York in 1959 for a brief meeting - which lasted about 30 minutes - and in which Nixon treated Castro as dirt. Afterwards he sent a classified memorandum to then President. Eisenhower stating that Castro was just another Communist and that "we should get rid of him". And so began the war that continues to this day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On April 17 1961, the day following air strikes by the US led mercenaries, a CIA trained invasion force consisting of more than 1500 men, landed on the southern coast of Cuba in Playa Giron in the Matanzas Region.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This area was chosen for the invasion for two strategic reasons: firstly, the area which is surrounded by swamps provided natural barriers and therefore protection against Cuban forces and secondly, this area with only limited access would give them an opportunity to defend themselves against attack. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The brigade consisted of members of Cuba's past ruling class and former Batista allies. In total the counter revolutionaries owned in pre revolution Cuba: 27 square miles, 10000 houses and buildings, 70 factories, 10 sugar refineries, 5 mines, 2 banks and 2 newspapers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dreke told of the Cuban plans made to ensure that if the invasion was successful the Cubans would resort again to guerrilla warfare having carefully deployed troops throughout the island. As it was, tactical superiority and the determination of the people and the armed forces ensured the invasion was immediately defeated and most of the rebels captured.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kevin Courtney from the NUT drew on the inspiration of Dreke as a student leader in Cuba to praise our student demonstrators today and the need for all of us to build on the inspirational march on the 26th. Recognising the first thing the Cuban’s did as revolutionaries was to prioritise education as a means to achieve social justice, he reminded the audience that it is still their priority today and how important education professionals are viewed in socialist Cuba.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Andrew Murray from Stop the War coalition celebrated this landmark in history of anti imperialist struggle by relating it to the struggles today in the so called ‘war on terror’. The war on Libya is an ambitious attempt to rehabilitate the doctrine of liberal intervention – a strategy that has already seen millions killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Recognising this is not an international war but a neo-colonial war fought by neo colonial powers he ridiculed the lack of intervention in states like Bahrain and Yemen where western power interests are at one with the state.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Award winning journalist Reinaldo Taladrid Herrero, was born 3 months after the Bay of Pigs and represented yet another Cuban generation dedicated to the fight for social justice for the people. He spoke of the legacy of that victory both at home and abroad. “Even with the blockade imposed by the most powerful country in the world Cuba has always responded to disasters or health needs around the world – from the hills of Pakistan to the continent of Africa – the spirit of Playa Giron lives on to this day” “It represents not mission impossible but the building of something new” he said to applause “and if all you people here in London tonight can celebrate the victory of poor people against the empire then truly another world is possible”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The meeting ended with a call for everyone to support the <a href="http://www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk/index.asp">Cuba Solidarity Campaign</a>, demand justice for the Miami Five and continue to struggle for Cuba’s right to its own sovereignty and self determination. </div>Cuba Solidarity Campaignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02015552547811214226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785473414930079288.post-80404111568365683062011-04-26T11:39:00.002+01:002011-05-26T11:44:02.125+01:00Victor Dreke Cruz: Cuba's history man still talks of revolution<div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSGWfnDPsEGPCxzCzLi7S4m8eS_PMOW9Du_W1jeyqfFgCTvI466C1551MdVDViFtSgfpEY1KNiZZj57mWrY2Qa_pYbxl7gI8f_ZvVLzD65OyjsxwwPXmShaZjR2WLhEnH3KLadhmTCWM/s1600/Dreke+independent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTSGWfnDPsEGPCxzCzLi7S4m8eS_PMOW9Du_W1jeyqfFgCTvI466C1551MdVDViFtSgfpEY1KNiZZj57mWrY2Qa_pYbxl7gI8f_ZvVLzD65OyjsxwwPXmShaZjR2WLhEnH3KLadhmTCWM/s320/Dreke+independent.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><strong>One of Che Guevara's 'pillars' is in London for the 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs. Nina Lakhani meets Victor Dreke Cruz</strong></div><div class="tagline"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The curiosity and romanticism surrounding Cuba's revolutionary hero Che Guevara has refused to abate, even slightly, in the 43 years since his death. Victor Dreke Cruz, who served as Che's number two in Africa, is one of the very few who can lay claim to a special personal relationship with the man. Dreke, 74, a former rebel fighter and army commander, is in London to mark the 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion, the disastrous attempt by CIA-backed Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro's communist government, that severely embarrassed President Kennedy. </div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
But Dreke is more than a Che memory bank; he is living Cuban history. His belief in the socialist system remains resolute; his disdain for the US unchanged; his pride for what he, Che, the Castro brothers and the revolution achieved intact. To some, he is a revolutionary hero in his own right.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">Dreke was born in March 1937 in Sagua la Grande, a town on the northern coast of central Cuba, the youngest of nine children in a poor family descended from African slaves. His father eked out a living from several jobs – carpenter, fishmonger and musician – his mother was a housewife. Unlike most pre-revolutionary black Cubans, Dreke attended school. He grew up wanting to be a fireman until becoming politicised as a student. </div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">"My revolutionary struggle started on my 15th birthday when we went out to protest against Batista's coup d'état on 10 March 1952. "I didn't know who Batista was but we'd heard that he was cruel, so many students went to the streets to protest. The police came and beat us, and one of them said: 'Who has ever seen a black revolutionary? Black people are only chicken thieves.' "</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">If the young Dreke needed any encouragement, that casual racist remark, commonplace in pre-revolutionary Cuba, did the trick.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">After that he joined and led various rebel groups and underground militia across Cuba, living a precarious life, always "looking for trouble". He narrowly escaped capture and almost certain death at the age of 20, after one member of his group was captured, tortured and gave away his hiding place. Dreke managed to escape hidden in a wardrobe. </div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">Dreke first met Che just weeks before the revolution. "It was 21 or 22 October 1958. I was with a guerrilla group, recovering from gunshot wounds after being attacked by police a few days earlier. Che arrived with his fighters, wearing ragged, torn clothes, exhausted after walking for miles from the east in the pouring rain – it was hurricane season. But someone told him there was an injured man, and so he came immediately to check on my wounds: he was a doctor and a tender man."</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">The two men fought together in the coming weeks as their units carried out joint operations, most notably taking the city of Santa Clara on 31 December 1958. It was this victory that caused Cuba's President, General Batista, to flee to the Dominican Republic on 1 January 1959. Communist Cuba was born. </div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">Dreke describes Che as a "great leader" who led by example. "He was always looking for the most dangerous places, he was very demanding of himself. He suffered from asthma and had very bad attacks, but still he would go on walking, doing everything that we did – in fact, he did more. Good leaders can't be separate from their men and he was always with us."</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">Two years later – and 50 years ago today – Dreke, by this time an army captain, sped towards the coastal town of Giron upon hearing the country was under attack as the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion began. </div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">He led two units, about 150 men, who clashed with invaders in the narrow roads around Giron. After three days of fighting and just hours before victory, Dreke was wounded and briefly captured by mercenaries. Shot in the arm and leg, his life was saved by his driver, who remains a friend, by shielding him from further fire.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">The abortive invasion forced the resignation of the CIA's director, Allen Dulles, and deeply embarrassed the new US President, John F Kennedy. American discomfort was compounded by the support the raid generated for Castro's government. As Che said in a note to JFK five months later: "Thanks for Playa Giron. Before the invasion, the revolution was weak. Now it is stronger than ever." </div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">Dreke insists their victory was also important for other countries fighting for independence. "We defeated the American imperialists for the first time in Latin American history and showed that people could live independently and with dignity."</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">Having proven himself as a trustworthy leader, Dreke, a commander by this point, was chosen by the Castro brothers to serve as Che's number two in the country's first international military mission. They left Cuba secretly in April 1965 for the Democratic Republic of Congo, to train independence fighters struggling against the CIA-backed forces of General (later President) Mobutu.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">The journey was an unforgiving one, first by sea and then trekking hundreds of miles overland from Tanzania. "We didn't know Africa, the terrain was completely different, and there were wild animals – lions, elephants, snakes – and so many diseases. We lived in the forest, no houses, no tents and, at first, no hammocks. We didn't speak the language; it was tough."</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">He recalls how, en route from Tanzania, they had only one loaf of bread to eat. "Che asked me to slice this one loaf of bread for 16 hungry, huge men. It was only after everyone had eaten, he took the last slice, that's the kind of man he was."</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">During one ambush, Dreke feared Che was dead or kidnapped, only to discover that he had gone ahead alone and was fighting on the front line. "He was very audacious, very brave. He didn't go to Congo to hide or wait for time to pass before he went to Bolivia or Argentina. He went to help."</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">On their return to Cuba in November 1965, Che wrote of Dreke in his report to Fidel: "He was ... one of the pillars on which I relied. The only reason I am not recommending that he be promoted is that he already holds the highest rank."</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">Dreke led similar military missions in both Guinea-Bissau and Guinea, and it was while serving in the former that he heard about Che's murder in Bolivia.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">"This was a very difficult moment. There were rumours Che had been killed, so I was asked to go to Conakry to see if it was true. I read the dispatches and one mentioned there was a scar on the man's right hand. When I read that I knew it was him. When Che smoked, the way he held his pipe meant you could see the scar, and I had seen him do that many times. It was a very painful moment... he was my boss, my comrade, my brother."</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">For Dreke, the achievements of the revolution are enduring. Illiteracy was wiped out in a year and ever since there has been universal, free education and healthcare. Racial and sex discrimination, endemic pre-1959, were outlawed almost immediately. He concedes that some things could have been done differently, but sleeps easy at night, he insists.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">Dreke is adamant that there is no question of Cuba coming into the American fold, or embracing capitalism, even when Fidel eventually dies. In fact, he believes the global financial crisis is causing people across the world to look for alternatives to capitalism, for governments that choose ordinary people over bankers. </div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">"When Obama was elected many people were very happy because he was a black man; they thought he would be different. To me, he is neither black nor white, he is a capitalist; skin colour has nothing to do with who you are in Cuba ... I'm not disappointed in Obama because I never had any great expectations. The Cuban people now realise Obama is no different to all the others."</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">He insists that Cuba's socialist future is secure despite Fidel having stood down in favour of Raul: "They are one and the same, united always." Fidel is important for Cubans and for poor people around the world, he says, but Raul is in charge now. </div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">Of Dreke's four university-educated children, only one, his eldest daughter, a doctor, has chosen a military career. Dreke, meanwhile, retired from active military service 20 years ago. He subsequently studied for two degrees, and most recently served as ambassador to Equatorial Guinea. Doing nothing isn't for him. </div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">He is serious and unwavering about the potential of revolution, but still has a cool sparkle, inviting me to go dancing next time I'm in Havana. </div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">"Fidel will die, I will die, we [revolutionaries] will all eventually die, but Cuba will never go back to capitalism. The young people didn't live it, but they know how it was, they have values."</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">A life of action</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">10 March 1937 Victor Dreke Cruz born in coastal town of Sagua la Grande, youngest of seven boys and two girls. </div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">1953-55 Works as a carpenter, studying business at night school, and organising student and workers protests in his home town.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">1957 Helps form the student-based rebel unit of Revolutionary Directorate in Escambray mountains.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">21 October 1958 Comes under the command of Che Ernesto Guevara.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">19 April 1961 Two of his men die as their jeep is ambushed just hours before victory at the Bay of Pigs.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">1962 Promoted to commander – highest rank in Cuban army; leads the Lucha Contra Bandidos (Fight against Bandits) – special units set up to "wipe-out" CIA-backed anti-communist forces. </div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">1 April 1965 Leaves Cuba for Democratic Republic of Congo as Che's number two. </div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">1972 Graduates with a politics degree from Maximo Gomez Military Academy.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">1973 Made chief of Youth Army of Labour, working on agricultural projects.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">1981 Graduates from University of Santiago de Cuba with a law degree.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">1986-89 Heads the Cuban military mission in Guinea-Bissau.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">1990 Retires from active military service.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">2000 Made Illustrious Son of Sagua la Grande.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">2002 Publishes From Escambray to the Congo. Tours the US. </div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">2003-08 Serves as ambassador to Equatorial Guinea.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;">2011 Lives with wife in Havana, near his children. Officer of the Cuba-Africa Friendship Association.</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="tagline" style="text-align: justify;"><em><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/victor-dreke-cruz-cubas-history-man-still-talks-of-revolution-2269020.html">Article from The Independent, photograph from Teri Pengilley</a></em></div>Cuba Solidarity Campaignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02015552547811214226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785473414930079288.post-24198635438137673782011-04-18T12:14:00.000+01:002011-05-26T12:14:35.107+01:00“The North American and European press only explain one side of the story although they know the whole truth”<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwk-xuj-HxcTiks7t0OISygfMSF3uPyB6qKy7in8lwuJTbtGuaU6UkilIp90HILDT42zPLpaGsPowSwTwzr1JNiXDXyVdM6Z9XJIjEMf7r8ElcpgX9UEeWdr3EPpKzxP-EtCmF5juMI4/s1600/Victor-Dreke-grupo.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwk-xuj-HxcTiks7t0OISygfMSF3uPyB6qKy7in8lwuJTbtGuaU6UkilIp90HILDT42zPLpaGsPowSwTwzr1JNiXDXyVdM6Z9XJIjEMf7r8ElcpgX9UEeWdr3EPpKzxP-EtCmF5juMI4/s320/Victor-Dreke-grupo.bmp" t8="true" width="320" /></a><strong>The former Commander of the Cuban Revolutionary Forces took part in an event in London to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion.</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">Neither the passing of time nor the tough times he has experienced have managed to wipe the smile from the face of Victor Dreke Cruz, a Cuban Revolutionary of African descent who has spent most of his life fighting for the freedom and independence of his people.</div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the tender age of 15, he began the revolutionary struggle, he took part in battles alongside figures such as Fidel Castro and Ernesto Guevara and shared their ideas, and he also experienced in his own flesh the discrimination and the corruption of a dictatorship that was controlled from abroad by US imperialism. While he was at José Marti High School in Sagua la Grande, he joined a group of people who were on strike against the 10th March military coup. This was one of his first experiences of political activity on the streets of Sagua where he sought to oppose the military coup lead by Fulgencio Batista in March 1952.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After the triumph of the Revolution, this Cuban who was born in Villa Clara became a Commander of the Cuban Revolutionary Forces and in April 1961 he took part in the fight against the Bay of Pigs invasion which is also known as Playa Girón (Girón Beach).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After a long spell in a military campaign in Congo, he retired from the Cuban army in the 1990s, and he combines his working as the President of the Asociación de Amistad Cuba-Africa (the Association of Afro-Cuban friendship) with that of being President of the Cuban Veterans Association.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps, for these reasons, this is the best person to help us better understand the past and present of the only country that until now, has managed not to succumb to capitalism.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Taking advantage of his visit to London, The Prisma spoke exclusively to Víctor Dreke Cruz who was brought to London by the Cuban Solidarity Campaign to speak at the 50th anniversary of the Cuban victory against US forces in 1961.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>What stage of life were you at when you decided to join the 26 July movement?</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I began the Revolutionary struggle on the 10th March 1952 when Fulgencio Batista staged a military coup in Cuba. I turned 15 on that very day and I decided to take to the street alongside a group of young students in order to protest against the dictator because we already had enough evidence to show that Batista’s government was filled with murderers who had severely mistreated the people. The 26 July movement was established exactly a year after that when the assault on the Moncada prison took place which was lead by the Commander Fidel Castro, in which his brother Raul and other comrades also took part. We were also members of that group because at that time we were heavily involved in the student and trade union struggle.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Would the Revolution have been possible with a different leader other than Fidel Castro?</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
In Cuba we had several leaders throughout the Revolutionary struggle, but at that moment it was Fidel who really managed to carry out a real revolution, and because of that, he became the movement’s figurehead. So maybe with another leader that wouldn’t have been possible as Fidel Castro had been a total exception in our history along with the Cuban Revolution itself that has been well established for the last 50 years in spite of the fact that it is only 90 miles from the most potent imperialist force, the US.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>What do you think would have happened if the Cuban Revolution had not been successful?</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We would have continued as we were, exploited and discriminated against. The Revolution came to truly save the Cuban people, to save those who worked the land, the students, women, the black people… The Americans thought that we were going to be another star on their flag, but we would have continued to fight because Cuban people have always fought for their freedom and their independence. From our first war in 1868 that lasted more than 30 years we didn’t give up as defeated until we won the victory and it was thanks to Fidel Castro and the generation of people inspired by the centenary of the Cuban revolutionary José Martí who fought for Cuba’s independence from Spain that we triumphed in 1959. It is true that the liberation fight cost us 20.000 lives.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>You had the honour of fighting alongside Ernesto Che Guevara, a real legend in our history, how was the experience of working with him, was it more mythical than a reality?</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Che was a man made of flesh and blood, a completely normal person. An International revolutionary fighter and very demanding of himself who gave up all his roles and chances of having a quiet life in order to take up arms to defend other people, because Che could have said, “I am going to stay in Cuba because I have such and such a role and what do I care that Argentina or Congo aren’t free”, but he chose to fight for the wellbeing of all people and he died doing this in Bolivia fighting for his ideas. Che is a living presence of what it means to be a real revolutionary who was always by the side of Fidel, Raul and of the Revolution and he gave his life for these same principles.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>There are some who call Fidel a dictator, but would it have been possible to lead the Cuban people towards progress and at the same time to maintain that defence against a capitalism system with other Presidents other than him?</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The problem is that the Cuban Revolution is very different to what people call a democratic process which is totally false. They say that the US is a democracy because their government has two parties, but the truth is that there are two parties by name only, because the Republicans and the Democrats are the same, they do the same thing, they crush the people and they start wars. In Cuba on the other hand, it can be said that there are 11 million political parties because everyone there has their own opinion and they say what they think. The thing is people don’t know what a dictatorship is.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The media broadcasts biased information depending on who is in control of it. I am a 22 year old European who has grown up with information that criticises Cuba and its Revolution, that is why there are thousands of people who think just like I do that there is a dictatorship in Cuba where Human Rights are not respected nor is there freedom of speech. Therefore, breaking through the media barrier and whether or not the information is true or false, is it possible to find a different image of Cuba?</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course it is, because the real image of Cuba is the one told by the millions of Cubans and the friends we have all over the world. The working class, those who work the land, the people of Haiti, the Venezuelans and the more than 300.000 Cuban fighters who fought for the liberation of Africa give the other image.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also the 1.5 million tourists who have visited us in the past four months give the other image of Cuba, because Cuba is open to receiving people from all different nationalities. That is why I don’t understand how people can accuse us of not respecting Human Rights, because in spite of being victims of murder, Cubans defend democracy. What type of democracy? That the poor and the rich have the same rights or that women are not discriminated against compared with men and that they are not paid less to do the same job.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Besides, for the hundreds of young people that are killed for taking to the streets in protest, none of them face this is Cuba. Throughout the revolutionary process, the army has never taken to the street to beat up the workers but in the US and in almost every European country, this happens on a daily basis. So how is that a form of democracy compared with ours? Cuba is educating people without charging a single cent and medicine is also free for all, including for those anti-revolutionaries who want to kill us all.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The thing is that the North American government, the North American press and that of European countries only explain one side of the story, even though they know the whole true story. Of course we have discrepancies, they have their criteria which we respect but Cuba has really had to make itself be respected.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And in the case where people cannot travel to that island at the moment, where can the victims of the capitalist system find objective information about the reality in Cuba, what types of media can they consult?</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Our embassy can give them a lot of information and those who fight for the liberation of our people, such as the Cuba Solidarity Campaign here in London. People can also read the Granma Internacional on the internet, the Cuban youth newspaper or they can listen to our radio programmes. Nothing that Cuba publishes is a lie because when we have lost a battle and it was necessary to say so we said so and never was anything added, this is what Fidel has said. When they tried to invade as at Playa Girón they said that it was Cuban planes that were behind the attacks but we knew it was a lie and we were able to demonstrate this afterwards.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>How can Cuba face up to the manipulation of the media that causes it so much social and political harm?</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Americans have their systems in place and we are fighting against it because no force exists anywhere in the world that can defeat the truth and we Cubans have learnt to defend our truth all over the world. As Fidel and Raul Castro have said, “We are willing to discuss any issue but on an equal level, not as slaves to the US”. That is why we also have the right to ask them why they commit so many murders, why black people don’t have the same rights as white people, or why Posada Carriles has been freed when the whole world knows that he is a terrorist and not only has he committed the crime of murder against Cubans but also against those from other countries. The US government and the CIA know this, and we are willing to discuss this with them in New York or wherever necessary.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Miami is a crucial anti-revolutionary area hotbed, what do you believe should be done to counteract these activities that have caused so much harm to Cuba?</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Luckily we also have a lot of comrades, friends and defenders of the Revolution in Miami. Some had to go into exile due to political problems but those who have been leaving Cuba recently do so due to economic problems. On one occasion when we travelled to Miami to attend some conferences on the African struggle and the Cuban presence in Africa, some wanted get rid of us, in order for us not to speak, but many people, Cubans, Haitians and Latin Americans went there to defend the Cuban Revolution and they stood by our side to shout, long live the Revolution! Long live Fidel! Of course the press published whatever they wanted to but there are photos that will one day come to light.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Without a doubt, Cuba is a country that is comprised of several races, I understand that you are of African descent, and that is why I would like to know what the Cuban presence in the Struggle for independence for various African countries mean to you?</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was our duty as Cubans. During the first confrontations in 1868, the first blood that was shed on our land was that of Cubans and of Africans who had been sent as slaves. The Spanish rulers also deported some people to Equatorial Guinea where the blood of Cuban prisoners was also shed who they kept in cages as if there were animals. This event united us to the African people and in turn with the rest.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>What exactly does your work with the Asociación de Amistad Cuba-Africa consist of?</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My job is to strengthen the ties between Cuba and the African people but as the Head of International Relations of the Association of Veterans of the Cuban Revolution, I try to visit places where comrades invite me to explain to their citizens what the revolutionary fight was and to talk about the historic moment that we are witnessing in Cuba at the moment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>In spite of the bad times, the economic blockade that the Island continues to suffer, what do you believe is the thing that continues to fuel the Cuban people’s hope?</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is the fact that we are fighting to continue to solve our problems, to move forwards, although we are totally cut off. Despite the fact that we are going through serious difficulties, we are still working on it and the first thing that we have done since the beginning of the Revolution was to acknowledge the things we have done badly in order to find a solution to them. But Cuba will never give in it will never surrender because we will have done things wrong but we have never murdered anyone, we abide by the Constitution. Of course we don’t want there to be war, but if we are attacked we will defend ourselves, and Fidel has clearly said, “We have to avoid war and by avoiding war we win it.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Do the majority of the people continue supporting the Revolution?</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We can’t say that all of the Cuban people are for the Revolution, but it is more than 90% of them and we don’t only continue to have support in Cuba but also in the rest of the world, even in capitalist countries and that is even though they have very little true information about us.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>What do you think will happen to the regime when Fidel dies? Could they manage to find a substitute that is on his level or will the Revolution lose its meaning without Fidel?</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Revolution will not lose all of its meaning, it pains me to say that Fidel will have to die one day, as painful as it was when he was at death’s door, the Revolution didn’t change because the Revolution is a mind-set, it is an ideology, and it is strength. The Revolution are the ideas that people have in their minds and in their hearts, those ideas for which they fight and for which they die. There will be changes, the Cuban and Latin American people will suffer when Fidel dies but they are preparing themselves for this because in Cuba there exists a people that are united in one party.</div><br />
<a href="http://www.theprisma.co.uk/2011/04/25/victor-dreke-cruz-bay-of-pigs-veteran/"><em>Article by Ane Bores, The Prisma</em></a><br />
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<em>(Translated by Betty Poku – Email: </em><a href="mailto:bettymarilyn@googlemail.com"><em>bettymarilyn@googlemail.com</em></a><em>)</em>Cuba Solidarity Campaignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02015552547811214226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785473414930079288.post-89977965354690158742011-04-18T10:00:00.000+01:002011-05-26T12:43:32.013+01:00"Soubemos ali que nosso povo estava preparado, como está"<div style="text-align: justify;">The following article is in Portuguese from the Brazilian newspaper <a href="http://www.folha.uol.com.br/">Folha de S.Paulo.</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">DA ENVIADA A HAVANA</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Victor Dreke, 74, lutou sob comando de Che Guevara em Sierra Maestra e, em 1965, na campanha do Congo. É ex-integrante do comitê central do Partido Comunista. (FM)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"O 16 de abril foi muito tenso. Um dia antes, houve o bombardeio dos aeroportos, e então Fidel declarou o caráter socialista da revolução.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a name='more'></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Eu era capitão do Exército rebelde. Comandava 150 homens das milícias. Estava longe, no norte, e o desembarque foi no sul. Não sabíamos onde ia ser. Raúl [Castro] estava no Oriente. Che Guevara em Pinar del Río. Fidel estava em Havana, mas foi para Praia Girón, de onde comandou o contra-ataque.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mas a ordem era ir para lá. No dia 17, o povo de Cuba se mobilizou. As pessoas na rua gritavam contra os mercenários. Não sabíamos o que nos esperava, mas Fidel nos havia preparado para a luta irregular. Voltaríamos às montanhas se fosse necessário.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Foram 66 horas de batalha para eliminar a "cabeça de praia" -queriam tomar parte do território, montar governo provisório. Fui ferido na perna e no braço. Lutei na Sierra Maestra e em Praia Girón.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">O plano deles era bem-feito, mas erraram ao esperar que haveria reação popular a seu favor. Pensavam que estávamos desarmados. Soubemos ali que nosso povo estava preparado -como está.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Na verdade, queria ser jornalista, e não militar. Foi a tirania de Batista que me levou, aos 14 anos, à luta armada. Eu e a maioria dos cubanos tínhamos fobia dos militares, que maltratavam o povo, batiam nas pessoas, tiravam dinheiro dos pobres.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Se me arrependo da dureza da guerra e dos tribunais revolucionários [com fuzilamentos]? Foram imprescindíveis. Fui promotor dos tribunais. Eles evitaram que acontecesse em Cuba o que houve em outros países. Ao triunfar a revolução, o povo fez justiça com as mãos.</div><br />
Os 20 mil mártires [do regime de Batista] tinham pessoas por trás, filhos, familiares [que buscariam fazer justiça]. Não tenho vergonha. Assumo minha responsabilidade histórica diante do mundo. Tem gente que se deita e não consegue dormir. Já eu durmo bem, tranquilo.<br />
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Os meus netos vão viver no socialismo. Não creio que deixem Cuba, não creio que Cuba deixe o socialismo."Cuba Solidarity Campaignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02015552547811214226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785473414930079288.post-40632359027204741772011-03-28T11:36:00.000+01:002011-03-29T11:12:49.047+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzY0cB4PHqFHStYCYZyKPQSKzz6mHym-RaJHS0PAzxs5hiBLdMWZ9GNZjey3R4KQo7AgflxisFiun91OeYv7zM_KlSsu5uzze_3Mi4onXqYTUmz8QTYbo5II8oWro0z3TtxS3kFB5bdBM/s1600/Bay+of+pigs+colour+flyer.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzY0cB4PHqFHStYCYZyKPQSKzz6mHym-RaJHS0PAzxs5hiBLdMWZ9GNZjey3R4KQo7AgflxisFiun91OeYv7zM_KlSsu5uzze_3Mi4onXqYTUmz8QTYbo5II8oWro0z3TtxS3kFB5bdBM/s640/Bay+of+pigs+colour+flyer.bmp" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Cuba Solidarity Campaignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02015552547811214226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785473414930079288.post-87856295838445381782011-03-28T10:00:00.002+01:002011-03-29T14:33:15.628+01:0050th Anniversary of Playa GirónTo celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Cuban victory against the US-backed invasion at Playa Girón (Bay of Pigs) this April, the Cuba Solidarity Campaign are hosting this special blog, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzY0cB4PHqFHStYCYZyKPQSKzz6mHym-RaJHS0PAzxs5hiBLdMWZ9GNZjey3R4KQo7AgflxisFiun91OeYv7zM_KlSsu5uzze_3Mi4onXqYTUmz8QTYbo5II8oWro0z3TtxS3kFB5bdBM/s1600/Bay+of+pigs+colour+flyer.bmp">organising a free public meeting</a>, and sharing pictures and resources.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<strong>Bay of Pigs 50th Anniversary Public Meeting</strong><br />
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Once in a lifetime opportunity to hear Comandante Victor Dreke Cruz, a Bay of Pigs veteran on the 50th anniversary of the Cuban victory against the US-backed invasion. He also fought with Che Guevara in the Congo, and is Vice President of the Cuba-Africa Friendship Association.<br />
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Other speakers include:<br />
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- Esther Armenteros Cardenas, the Cuban Ambassador to the UK<br />
- Reinaldo Taladrid Herrero, Cuban Journalist<br />
- Andrew Murray, National Chair, Stop the War Coalition<br />
- Kevin Courtney, Deputy General Secretary, NUT.<br />
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Tuesday 12th April, 7pm. NUT Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London, WC1H 9BD <br />
Nearest tube: Euston and Kings Cross<br />
Open to all, Free Entry.<br />
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For more information on CSC, please see <a href="http://www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk/">our website</a> and <a href="http://cubasolidaritycampaign.blogspot.com/">our blog</a>Cuba Solidarity Campaignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02015552547811214226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785473414930079288.post-6794753685368487482011-03-28T09:59:00.002+01:002011-03-29T12:00:25.751+01:00Press Release28.3.2011, Press Release: For immediate release<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Bay of Pigs 50th anniversary 15-19 April <br />
Cuba veteran to speak in London on 50th anniversary of victory over US backed forces</strong></span><br />
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Comandante Victor Dreke Cruz, a veteran of the Bay of Pigs will speak at a public meeting in London on 12 April to mark the victory of the famous Cuban victory over US backed forces in 1961. A defining battle in the history of Cuba-US relations often referred in Cuba as the “first defeat of imperialism in America”. <br />
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Comandante Victor Dreke Cruz fought and was captured in the US backed invasion which took place between 17-19 April 1961. He later went on to fight alongside Che Guevara in the Congo, hold various ambassadorial positions in Africa and is currently Vice President of the Cuba-Africa Friendship Association.<br />
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As a young black man in Batista’s Cuba, Victor Dreke suffered racism and poverty and was forced to attend a segregated school. His political activism started aged 15 when he participated in mobilisation against Batista and he later went on to organise student strikes and demonstrations before joining the Rebel Army during the revolution and commanding two companies of the 117 Battalion at Playa Girón (the Cuban name for the Bay of Pigs).<br />
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Having been appointed Commander, he became head of operations against counter-revolutionary terrorist groups in the Escambray before joining Che as his second in command in the Congo, after which he led Cuban missions in Guinea Bissau and the Republic of Guinea. He described how one of Batista’s generals had said that black people did not have it in them to be revolutionaries. To his great satisfaction, in later years Víctor was able to tell the general personally that he was mistaken. <br />
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Other speakers alongside Comandante Dreke Cruz on 12 April include Esther Armenteros Cardenas, the Cuban Ambassador to the UK, Reinaldo Taladrid Herrero, Cuban journalist.<br />
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The meeting takes place at House, Mabledon Place, London, WC1H on Tuesday 12 April from 7pm. Contact the Cuba Solidarity Campaign on 020 8800 0155 or email <a href="mailto:communications@cuba-solidarity.org.uk">communications@cuba-solidarity.org.uk</a> for more information.<br />
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<strong>Press interviews </strong><br />
Victor Dreke Cruz will be in the UK and available for press interviews from 10-13 April 2011.<br />
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<strong>Press Contacts </strong><br />
For more information or to arrange interviews contact: <br />
Rob Miller E:director@cuba-solidarity.org.uk M:07930 693 900<br />
Natasha Hickman E:communications@cuba-solidarity.org.uk M:07813 689 777<br />
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More background information on the history or the Bay of Pigs and photographs available at:<br />
<a href="http://www.bayofpigs50.blogspot.com/">http://www.bayofpigs50.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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This meeting is organised by the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, the UK campaign against the blockade of Cuba. <a href="http://www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk/">http://www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk/</a><br />
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<strong>Ends</strong>Cuba Solidarity Campaignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02015552547811214226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785473414930079288.post-20194374487493922802011-03-28T09:58:00.000+01:002011-03-29T11:14:18.396+01:00Media Contacts<strong>Rob Miller - Director, Cuba Solidarity Campaign</strong><br />
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Email: <a href="mailto:director@cuba-solidarity.org.uk">director@cuba-solidarity.org.uk</a><br />
Office: 020 8800 0155<br />
Mobile: 07930 693 900<br />
<br />
<strong>Natasha Hickman - Communications Manager, Cuba Solidarity Campaign</strong><br />
<br />
Email: <a href="mailto:communications@cuba-solidarity.org.uk">communications@cuba-solidarity.org.uk</a><br />
Office: 020 8800 0155<br />
Mobile: 07813 689 777Cuba Solidarity Campaignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02015552547811214226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785473414930079288.post-79531414487893703442011-03-28T09:50:00.000+01:002011-03-29T11:14:43.957+01:00Biography of Victor Dreke Cruz<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmsJ9S9twBPIbjpfuv5KB5ySd8gn0pHq43OCnfblM6zddSII_7ldp28mz3faLXNiMpHJYKLSLLttI0MgBMJvD0GBLAvS9fckWOmL5QGWppUuIAm4HMC1ZZUSZyeNf5VPgjX4YDm5J3qU/s1600/dreke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmsJ9S9twBPIbjpfuv5KB5ySd8gn0pHq43OCnfblM6zddSII_7ldp28mz3faLXNiMpHJYKLSLLttI0MgBMJvD0GBLAvS9fckWOmL5QGWppUuIAm4HMC1ZZUSZyeNf5VPgjX4YDm5J3qU/s200/dreke.jpg" width="186" /></a></div>Victor Dreke Cruz was born in the old Las Villas province (today Villa Clara) on 10 March 1937. His revolutionary activity began in 1952, when he took to the streets to protest the US-backed coup of Fulgenico Batista. Following involvement in various student protests, Dreke joined the 26th of July Movement in 1955. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a name='more'></a><br />
In October 1958 he came under the command of Ernesto Che Guevara in a unification of the guerrillas of the 26th of July Movement and the Revolutionary Directorate. He was active in the armed struggle against Batista’s dictatorship regime, finishing the struggle as captain in the Rebel Army.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">On 17 April 1961, the first day of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, he assumed command of two companies of the 117th Battalion, taking part in a clash with paratroops of Brigade 2506. On 19 April, he was wounded in combat and briefly captured after driving towards Girón in a jeep ahead of his tanks.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">From April to November 1965 Dreke served as second in command, under Che Guevara, of the Cuba internationalist combatants in the Congo (today Democratic Republic of Congo). The volunteers went to the Congo under the request of leaders in the national liberation movement there were followers of Patrice Lumumba, the assassinated leader of the Congo’s fight for independence, where they helped train the forces combating pro-imperialist troops and mercenaries.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">On this Congo mission, Che wrote about Dreke in his report to Fidel Castro: ‘He was...one of the pillars on which I relied. The only reason I am not recommending that he be promoted is that he already holds the highest rank’.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Dreke then went back to Africa in 1966-68 to head Cuba’s military mission in Guinea-Bissau in their fight for independence from Portugal. In 1969 he was head of the Political Directorate of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">In 1973 he was named chief of the newly formed Youth Army of Labour (EJT) in Oriente province, working on the most difficult and challenging agricultural developments in the area. In 1981 he graduated from the University of Santiago de Cuba with a degree in law.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
In 1990 General Dreke retired from active military service. He is currently vice president of the Cuba-Africa Friendship Association and a member of the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution. He has received numerous decorations in Cuba and Africa.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<em>Biography adapted from</em> '<a href="http://www.cubaconnect.co.uk/detail.asp?prod_ID=1580"><em>From </em><em>the Escambray to the Congo: In the whirlwind of the Cuban Revolution', by Victor Dreke. (Pathfinder, 2002)</em></a></div>Cuba Solidarity Campaignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02015552547811214226noreply@blogger.com0