Vol. 75/No. 27      July 25, 2011

The following remarks by Félix Raúl Rojas, Cuba’s consul general in Guangzhou, China, were made at the June 27 conference on the history of Chinese in Cuba, hosted by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the Guangdong provincial government and the Cuban consulate (see accompanying news article on facing page). The translation from Spanish is by the Militant.

BY FÉLIX RAÚL ROJAS  
It’s truly an honor to have the opportunity to pay tribute here in China, in Guangdong province, to the thousands of citizens of these lands who came to our country, Cuba, on the other side of the ocean. Who came and mixed their blood with ours, thus forming, together with the Spanish and Africans, the roots of the Cuban nationality.

I would like to quote Gonzalo de Quesada, a personal friend of our national hero, José Martí, and first secretary of the party Martí founded to lead the fight for Cuban independence, the Cuban Revolutionary Party. In 1892, in referring to the Chinese who had joined the struggle for Cuban independence, Gonzalo de Quesada said:

“If thousands of Chinese hadn’t helped keep the war going … if they hadn’t been brave, seasoned soldiers, if they hadn’t been willing to die as souls destined for glory, they would still have the right to immortality and our respect simply due to the fact that there was no Chinese person in Cuba who did not embrace the cause of freedom.”

A monument—a representation of which may be seen in one of the main galleries of this magnificent museum on the Chinese overseas—is dedicated to those brave men who gave their lives for Cuba.

The Chinese kept coming to Cuba, eventually forming the most important community of its kind in the entire American continent.

This thriving community never ceased to be part of struggles for national liberation. They fought dictatorships and together with their fellow Cubans continued to offer their lives for freedom and national independence.

The popular insurrection that was born on July 26, 1953, and continued in the Sierra Maestra welcomed the presence of Chinese in the guerrilla struggle led by Fidel Castro. After the victory in 1959 these guerrilla units became the Revolutionary Armed Forces, and Chinese remain there to this day.

The Chinese are an indissoluble part of the Cuban nationality, of its spirit of freedom and equality, of universal brotherhood that was born out of the mestizo character of our society. They have contributed to culture, sports, cuisine, commerce, and religion. The Chinese and their descendants continue the process of exchange and mutual influence with the rest of Cuban society.

Today our country is experiencing a historical process that demands the attention and commitment of all Cubans and all friends of Cubans.

The Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba was held last April. It discussed and approved important transformations for the country.

It was a historic congress that in practice began November 9 of last year, with the presentation of draft political, economic, and social guidelines for the party and the revolution—a document that was discussed by the entire population of Cuba.

The draft is part of a process. Putting it into practice depends on our ability to create the conditions for its full implementation. The aim is to make it a driving force in building socialism in Cuba, in increasing efficiency in the basic means of production, which are the property of the people as a whole.

This will help ensure that the state continues providing—for the entire population, on an equal basis and free of charge—health care, education, and other services. It will help ensure the defense of our identity, the preservation of our cultural patrimony and of the nation’s artistic, scientific, and historic wealth.

All this will also lead to a strengthening of our ties with various business sectors in other countries, among which the Chinese occupy such an important place. We know we can count on the political will of the Chinese authorities to promote and participate in the process of making the economic and social adjustments required by today’s conditions.

We will improve our socialism by building our society in accordance with our own needs, our own characteristics, and our own experiences as well.

Before I finish, I would like to express our appreciation to the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Guangdong province, and to the directors of this museum, who have made this gathering possible. I give special thanks to Mary-Alice Waters and the friends accompanying her, not only for being here today and for enlightening us on the history of the people of China and Cuba, but for their tireless struggle to break down the wall of silence others have tried to build around the Cuban Revolution, a struggle waged within the very heart of the country of those who promote that wall of silence.

I would like to emphasize that Guangdong province is an excellent example of what the men and women of this beautiful land have been able to accomplish in the last thirty years.

The majority of the Chinese who settled in Cuba set sail from Guangdong, and now their descendants work to build a new society.

I am convinced that these common roots that unite the Chinese of Guangdong with those Chinese and their descendants who today live in our country, can and must constitute a solid basis for the process of economic and social betterment that today is being carried forward in Cuba.

Long live the friendship between the peoples of China and Cuba.

Thank you.
 
 
Related articles:
S. China event discusses Chinese in Cuba
At Guangzhou conference, Pathfinder president
notes example of Cuban Revolution  
 
 
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