Month: June 2025

Haydee Santamaria: Heroine of the Cuban Revolution

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“Moncada achieves greatness through the courage of those who die and those who live. Moncada would have been nothing without the courage of those who died there and those who lived.” – Haydee Santamaria

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By Carlos “Carlito” Rovira

Haydee Santamaria was a courageous heroine of the Cuban Revolution. She played a significant role in the July 26, 1953, attack on the Moncada Barracks, in Santiago De Cuba – the battle that marks the start of the Cuban Revolution.

Along with Haydee Santamaria’s close comrade Melba Hernandez, they were the only women among the 150 revolutionary combatants in this historic event.

After the failed Moncada assault and while in custody, Batista’s henchmen attempted to intimidate Haydee Santamaria using horror. The interrogators showed Haydee the gouged eyes of her brother, Abel Santamaria, and the dismembered genitalia of her fiancé, Boris Luis Santa Coloma. The two revolutionaries were heinously tortured to death.

Melba Hernandez (l) and Haydee Santamaria (r) after their arrest by Batista soldiers.

Haydee stood firm by her revolutionary convictions and refused to surrender information the torturers wanted. She courageously responded: “If you did that to them and they didn’t talk, much less will I.”

Although Haydee Santamaria and Melba Hernandez were given a short prison sentence of 7 months, as compared to 15 years Fidel Castro Ruz and others received, prison guards were no less lenient with their physical abuse. Santamaria and Hernandez were treated with the same vindictive hatred as were their male comrades. Santamaria and Hernandez were routinely beaten and tortured during their incarceration.

During the armed struggle Haydee became part of the all-women battalion called the Mariana Grajales Platoon. This unit part of the July 26 Rebel Army fought courageously in many incursions with government troops during the revolution, especially battles in the Sierra Maestra mountains.

Haydee Santamaria is among a long list of women warriors who made possible the victory of the Cuban Revolution, like her comrades-in-arms Vilma Espin and Celia Sanchez.

My portrait of Haydee Santamaria, painted in 2024. 20″ X 24″, acrylic paint on canvas.

Haydee Santamaria demonstrated bravery above expectation. In the period leading up to the decisive battles of the revolution she made several risky trips between Florida and Cuba to smuggle weapons and ammunitions for the guerilla army.

Following the overthrow of the Batista regime, like most members of the July 26 Rebel Army, Haydee Santamaria played an important and leading role in the uncertain and challenging period of consolidating Cuba’s revolutionary government.

Among Santamaria’s achievements was the creation of Casa De Las Americas, in April 1959. This entity served as an ideological cultural weapon which generated crucial support for the Cuban Revolution. It gave a voice to many visual, literary, and performing artists who used their renditions to convey the ideas of the Revolution to millions of people throughout the globe.

The world renown Silvio Rodriguez was among the many talents produced by what Casa De Las Americas set out to achieve as its mission. Silvio Rodriguez eventually led Cuba’s Nueva Trova movement which used the romanticism of music and song to legitimize the revolutionary cause in Cuba and all Latin America.

Haydee Santamaria was Director of Casa De Las Americas for two decades. Although Santamaria was not an artist herself, she understood the important role played by painters, musicians, writers, poets and other intellectuals in shaping the thinking of society throughout history. As a leader of the Communist Party of Cuba, Haydee’s contributions were politically geared by the new culture the Revolution was striving to create.

The Cuban Revolution has provided the world with many valuable lessons that pertain to the role of culture and art in the struggle for human emancipation. Such is universally applicable today under all circumstances.

From left to right: Haydee Santamaria, Celia Sanchez and Fidel Castro Ruz in the Sierra Maestra.

Sadly, the life of this revolutionary heroine ended in tragedy. Haydee unbeknownst to many people, was suffering from chronic depression. On July 28, 1980, to the shock of her close comrades, all of Cuba and the world, Haydee committed suicide.

Although her death was widely mourned, Haydee did not receive a state funeral. Many speculated that this decision was due to the unfamiliarity on how to respond when a government official unexpectedly takes their own life. Others attributed not having a state funeral to the deep religious influence of Catholicism in Cuba. Her battle with mental illness and eventual suicide was considered taboo and a “sin against God”.

Tragically, information and resources for those suffering with acute mental health issues such as depression, were not available then as it is today in Cuba.

Haydee Santamaria’s contributions continue to be a critical part of Cuba’s history and legacy. Her staunch bravery and strategic planning helped to shape Cuba into a powerful political example throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and many countries in the world for many generations to come.

LONG LIVE THE CUBAN REVOLUTION!

LONG LIVE THE LEGACY OF HAYDEE SANTAMARIA!

Long live the legacy of Comandante Celia Sanchez!

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“We rebels… get far too much credit for winning the Revolution. Our enemies deserve most of the credit, for being greedy cowards and idiots.”                    -Celia Sanchez

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By Carlos “Carlito” Rovira

One of the greatest heroines and leader of the 1959 Cuban Revolution was Celia Sánchez. This historic figure played a pivotal role in the revolutionary struggle that resulted in the overthrow of the notorious U.S.-puppet Fulgencio Batista.

Celia Sanchez was born on May 9, 1920, in the municipality of Media Luna, Oriente, Cuba. She grew up in a relatively affluent household and raised by her father, Dr. Manuel Sanchez, who practiced medicine. Celia’s mother died when she was a very young child.

During her early adulthood, Sanchez worked assisting her father’s medical clinic until she became inspired to be politically active, a change that came about in her life in response to Batista’s military coup on March 10, 1952. Celia’s political involvement led her to organize the July 26th Movement in the municipality of Manzanillo, Cuba in 1955.

Fidel Castro Ruz named the new entity the “JULY 26 MOVEMENT” to honor the martyrs that courageously attempted to seize the Moncada Barracks by force on July 26, 1953. Although the attack ended in failure with many revolutionaries killed by torture, the event sparked the Cuban Revolution.

My portrait of Celia Sanchez, painted in 2016. 24″ X 30″, acrylic paint on canvas.

Celia never hesitated to voluntarily take on tasks, including such that posed danger and required risking her life. This heroine’s passionate energy and uncompromising commitment to the revolution made her one of the most trusted comrades of Fidel Castro Ruz’s and Ernesto Che Guevara.

Cuba was militarily invaded and colonized by the United States, along with the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico, the consequence of the 1898 Spanish-American War. Although the United States gave Cuba the political status “Protectorate”, with cleverly disguised semblances of “independence”, it was actually another form of outright colonial domination.

What replaced Spain’s tyrannical rule in Cuba was a system exclusively serving the interest of U.S. monopoly capitalism which aimed to super-exploit the Cuban people. Cuba’s sugar, tobacco, textiles, and tourism was the target of U.S. billionaires while the people went further into the depths of poverty and despair.

Celia Sanchez with fellow guerillas in the Sierra Maestra mountains.

And because U.S. rulers were motivated by malicious intent it was natural for their less significant junior partners in the Mafia to behave like scavengers and turn Cuba into a haven for every kind of criminal activity. Havana became the epicenter of capitalist decadence endorsed by the native white elite.

While Batista government officials catered to the comforts of U.S. financial investors they viewed the Cuban people with disdain. Their disposition resulted in the deaths of 20,000 Cuban men, women and children, who were mercilessly shot, tortured and raped by police and soldiers of the Batista regime.

Celia Sanchez was a staunch Marxist–Leninist who desired to teach the doctrine she embraced and strived to embed its principles as the guiding light of the Communist Party of Cuba. She was among many in that experience who wanted to ensure the revolution’s anti-capitalist direction.

Celia Sanchez posing with her weapon.

In December 1956, Sanchez shared the responsibility for deciding the location where the Granma boat would land on Cuba’s coastal shores once it arrived from Mexico, filled with combatants ready to fight. She also took responsibility for recruiting and training from among the poor peasants and workers to provide reinforcements for the Rebel Army.

As the guerillas intensified their actions Batista responded by increasing repression on the populace to tighten his grip on power. The frenzy Batista demonstrated with terror only served to inspire mass support for the Rebel Army.

From l to r: Vilma Espin, Fidel Castro Ruz, Raul Castrol Ruz, and Celia Sanchez.

Along with other women combatants like Vilma Espin and Haydee Santamaria, Celia Sanchez play a pivotal role in organizing a broad network for smuggling weapons, food and medical supplies to the growing Rebel Army in the mountains.

These warrior women were compelled to fight on two fronts, against the ruthless Batista army on the one hand, and sexist traditions manifesting in paternalistic behavior from male comrades. However, through example the Cuban Revolution took many steps forward towards achieving women’s equality. This is a continuous ideological struggle in which Celia Sanchez played a big role initiating, as a leading combatant at first, then a government official.

Sanchez was the first woman to join the July 26 Rebel Army. And because of her experiences and courage under gunfire from enemy troops she earned a leadership role in the Rebel Army’s General Staff.

Celia Sanchez in the Sierra Maestra.

After the overthrow of U.S. and Mafia controlled Batista’s regime, it was of the utmost importance for the revolution to consolidate in order to guard against a counterrevolution and retain political power. Washington officials were furious in disbelief of what had occurred in “their backyard.” The more extreme elements of the U.S. ruling class were itching to call for military intervention.

Celia Sanchez’s leadership during this period was instrumental for consolidating the new revolutionary state. She served the Cuban Government as Secretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and in the Department of Services of the Council of State. Her many examples of valor served to inspire and galvanize support for the revolution among the youth.

Celia Sanchez being honored in a state funeral.

Sadly, on January 11, 1980, Celia Sanchez died after a long battle with lung cancer. Her death saddened many in Cuba and supporters of the revolution throughout the world, familiar with her feats. President Fidel Castro Ruz was known to be devastated having lost someone with whom he had developed a strong personal and political bond.

Sanchez always demonstrated selflessness and a passion for the emancipation of humanity. Her contributions to the revolution’s achievements are cardinal. She has secured a very special place for her legacy in the archives of the Cuban Revolution and the struggles for women’s equality throughout the world.

LONG LIVE THE CUBAN REVOLUTION!

LONG LIVE THE LEGACY OF CELIA SANCHEZ!