“Fidel is one of the leading figures of this era, a name repeated with admiration on every continent and in every language. Beloved by his people and respected by his enemies. He is a banner and a symbol of humanity. The legendary warrior of the Sierra Maestra has taken root in the hearts of the humble. He has become part of history.”
This is how Luis Báez (1936-2015) wrote it in the introductory remarks to his book, *Absolved by History* (expanded edition), published in 2005 by the Publications Office of the Council of State. The volume anthologizes 280 opinions about Fidel Castro—210 from foreigners and the rest from Cubans—drawn from interviews, memoirs, speeches, and newspaper articles.
From well-known quotes such as those from Hugo Chávez ("This man here—Fidel—has already been absolved by history"), Abdelaziz Bouteflika ("Fidel travels to the future, returns, and explains it"), and Abel Santamaría ("The one who has to live is Fidel"), to opinions from even his adversaries, the text presents us with a consensus: a brilliant politician and strategist, an extraordinary personality, a man of great pedagogical ability and intuition.
Alice Walker, Arthur Miller, Augusto Roa Bastos, Charles de Gaulle, Ernesto Cardenal, Germán Pinelli, Hebe de Bonafini, Jack Nicholson, José Saramago, Julio Cortázar, Kevin Costner, Robert Redford, Silvio Rodríguez, Yasser Arafat… these are some of the personalities whose opinions about the Leader are collected here.
For some, he is a kind of prophet or a myth, a legend; others speak of the attraction he exerts on those he speaks with, his magnetism; many agree on their surprise at his soft voice and tenderness, at his capacity for listening and his profound knowledge of everything that was happening in the world.
Armando Hart recounts: “A comrade told me: ‘Fidel is capable of convincing an Eskimo to buy a refrigerator.’ I replied: ‘His strength is even greater because, always starting from ethical principles, he is capable of explaining to an Eskimo how to fight effectively to receive a heating appliance.’”
Che Guevara said of his leader: “He has the characteristics of a great leader which, combined with his personal gifts of audacity, strength, and courage, and his extraordinary desire to always listen to the will of the people, have led him to the place of honor and sacrifice he occupies today.
“But he has other important qualities, such as: his ability to assimilate knowledge and experience, to understand the whole picture of a given situation without losing sight of the details, his immense faith in the future, and his broad vision to foresee events and anticipate what is to come, always seeing further and better than his comrades.”
Guevara also highlights Fidel’s ability to bring people together, to unite them, opposing the division that weakens them, and to lead the people’s actions “at the head of everyone.”
Eduardo Galeano affirms that “Fidel Castro is a symbol of national dignity”; Frei Betto asserts that “he believes that heaven on earth is possible”; for Maradona, “he has an iron will.”
It's not just that he is respected by both friends and worthy enemies, nor that he is considered a genius, but that, from different ideological positions and life experiences, many arrive at two fundamental conclusions for understanding what Fidel means in Cuban history: his total identification with the people, and vice versa; and the integration of his thought and action within the island's revolutionary tradition, of which he was both heir and continuator.
They also understand that his influence transcended the country's borders, making him a leader on a global scale.
Just days before Fidel's centennial, this is a book that fills us with pride because of what his figure represents in the face of present challenges. Deep down, in the arrow needed to keep going, the words of Haydée Santamaría resonate: "And despite the years, every time I see him, I am moved, just as we react to someone we see for the first time (...) it is so moving to know that we have him, and that he is one of us."
