amodernmanifesto:

You strangle us [for decades] and then you criticise us for the way we breathe.– Fidel Castro

Cubans came to our region as doctors, teachers, soldiers, agricultural experts, but never as colonisers. They have shared the same trenches with us in the struggle against colonialism, underdevelopment and apartheid. Hundreds of Cubans have given their lives, literally, in a struggle that was, first and foremost, not theirs but ours. As Southern Africans we salute them.

We vow never to forget this unparalleled example of selfless internationalism. We wish also to record our indebtedness to Cuban hospitality. In particular, tens of thousands of young South Africans have been trained and some are still training, in Cuban schools and universities. Today, in many different fields – in the health sector, in government and in the army – there are many young professionals, contributing to the development of our country, who owe their skills to the generous training provided to them by Cuba. Many people, many countries, including many powerful countries, have called upon us to condemn the suppression of “human rights” in Cuba. We have reminded them they have a short memory. For when we battled against apartheid, against racial oppression, the same countries were supporting the apartheid regime …

They supported the apartheid regime. And we fought successfully against that regime with the support of Cuba… They now want to be our only friends and dare to ask us to renounce those people who made our victory possible. That is the greatest contempt for the morality and the principles which are the basis of our relations, not only with the various population groups in this country, but with the entire world.” — Nelson Mandela

(via newmilitant)