The world has lost a rare gem as Cuba’s Fidel Castro, the former president who defied USA for 50 years, passes on to the afterlife. After surviving dozens of assassination attempts, the famous leader became terminally sick eight years ago, a condition which forced him to hand over reigns to his blood brother, Raul.
Image: Fidel Castro
Castro is considered a rebel, not only for defying ten former U.S. presidents but also leading his infamous rebel army to an unexpected victory which changed his status from a villain to a hero in Cuba.
As a Soviet-style communist, the demi-god ruled his country for 50 years and has remained in power by proxy until now.
“It’s a tragedy,” said 22-year-old nurse Dayan Montalvo about Fidel Castro’s death. “We all grew up with him. I feel really hurt by the news that we just heard.”
According to a report from the Associated Press (AP), President Raul Castro, a younger brother to the deceased, made this painful announcement on state television. He confirmed that his elder brother died at 10:29 p.m. Friday.
The obituary announcement ended with Raul shouting the revolutionary slogan: “Towards victory, always!”
In January, 1959, Fidel became the youngest president in Latin America at the age of 32. His victory aroused series of revolutions around the world, especially in Africa and Latin America.
The former president fought really hard against dictator Fulgencio Batista, who sent him on exile to Mexico, from where he regrouped with like-minded revolutionists for a successful rebellion.
Fidel Castro was said to have suffered a gastrointestinal ailment which relegated him to the background in Cuban politics.
The man will be remembered in world history, having survived long enough to witness a peace deal between the U.S. and Cuba.
Raul Castro received his blessings before signing an opening with U.S. President Barack Obama on December 17, 2014, after Washingston and Havana announced that their diplomatic ties which has been broken since 1961 was restored.
Fidel Castro Ruz was born Aug. 13, 1926, in eastern Cuba’s sugar-producing country. His father, a Spanish immigrant, worked as a recruiter for U.S. sugar companies but later established a prosperous private plantation firm.
“I’ll be 90 years old soon,” Castro said at an April 2016 Communist Party congress where he made his most extensive public appearance in years. “Soon I’ll be like all the others. The time will come for all of us, but the ideas of the Cuban Communists will remain as proof that on this planet, if one works with fervor and dignity, they can produce the material and cultural goods that human beings need and that need to be fought for without ever giving up.”
