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Fidel Castro Recieves Human Rights Award

10:08 H | Topics: Controversia - Politics - South Africa

Fidel Castro has won the South African Ubuntu award for his contributions to “humankind beyond boundaries.”

Castro won the award "for the role he played in the Cuban revolution and worldwide contribution to the struggle for an alternative, just and humane society," the statement said.

According to our research on the award, which was first given in 2006 to Nelson Mandela, there seems to be little relation to the award and the current realities of Cuba, rather it seems to be focused on Cuba and Castro's international work, specifically African liberation struggles.

For Fidel Castro to create a damaging scar on apartheid and racism in South Africa, he sent Cuba's best military divisions, pilots and aircraft to prevent the SAN troops from acting. Cuban troops were sent to Angola and all of them were on a voluntary basis. Together with the Angolan troops, they stopped the South African troops in their tracks. The implementation of Resolution 435 was to put an end to apartheid. Also when the Namibians and Angolans needed help, only Cuba succeeded in what most of the world's critiques thought Cuba was interested in the natural mineral resources of the countries but Castro and Cuba were helping in the true spirit of Ubuntu with no expected reward.

The victory of the Cubans in Namibia inspired the entire continent. This latter victory was described by the late President of the ANC, OR Tambo, as "international solidarity in action". These words were a good description of the values of UBUNTU which is about solidarity with the weak.

Fidel himself during his interview after that victory said "our intervention was a genuine one, a true solidarity with the people of Namibia where other countries have made interventions, they have gained access to minerals and other products as compensation for what they have done but for us in Cuba we are proud to be carrying corpses of our dead soldiers back home for ours is a sacrifice for humanity and true solidarity".

The granting of this award has created controversy, because of criticisms some have raised over the socialist policies and practices inside of the Caribbean nation.

"Ubuntu". This, when it is often illusively translated into English, would mean "a concept that is practiced by people basing their inter-dependent mutual relations on a principle of a person is a person because of others".

Via / Global Voices, Uncommon Sense, Politics Web

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