Alberto Granado, Argentine traveling companion of Che Guevara died at the age of 88. Broke the news of his son. His body was cremated Saturday in Havana and his ashes will be scattered over the territories of Cuba, Argentina and Venezuela, according to his will. born on August 8, 1922 was a great childhood friend of Che Guevara. Accompanied him in an adventurous journey by motorcycle to South America of the Fifties, a journey that awakened the political consciousness of the guerrilla Argentina.
A horse of his "powerful", along with Guevara in 1952, traveled much of South America for nine months, when, arriving in Venezuela, decided to end the trip. Their adventure was later told in the 2004 film "JOURNALIERE de motocicleta" directed by Brazilian Walter Salles. Granado
After that trip he returned to Argentina and began working as a biochemist, but after the success of the Cuban revolution Che Guevara was invited to move to Havana. Succcessivo year he decided to settle with his wife Delia and his sons in Cuba
In 2008 Alberto Granado returned to Argentina on the occasion of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the birth of Che Guevara that were held in the the city of Rosario. His last trip abroad was a few months ago in Equador. Of him, at the time of death, his son recalled him as a great revolutionary and how much he loved life.
(Liberation from the online 06/03/2011)
In September 2008, Alberto Granado on a trip to Italy, was also in Turin, where he participated in a crowded meeting at the "Factory of E". Following the interview (taken from the site of Italy-Cuba) issued on that occasion.
D-reading the diary of your journey with Che is clear that this experience has been instrumental in the formation of your conscience on several occasions in fact next to your cultural interest for the pre-Columbian civilization, it is clear commitment to ensure that the living conditions of local populations mutassero. Che Guevara has also made a radical decision to fight, but you have broken the trip to stay in the leper colony of Venezuela.
What prompted you to go to Cuba and then as you develop your experience in all these years?
R- After fifty years since that trip, I can not help but say that my life has revolved around the figure of Ernesto Che Guevara and the Cuban revolution.
One of the responsibilities that we have we have known men like Che and Fidel is to understand how to be men in carne ed ossa e non miti al di sopra della realtà. Troppo spesso infatti amici in buona fede e nemici per interesse tendono ad elevare la figura di Che Guevara oltre i limiti umani, tanto che non pare possibile seguirne l'esempio.
Voglio raccontarti un episodio che ritengo emblematico: quando andai a trovare il Che a Cuba la prima volta, era presidente della Banca Nazionale. Chiesi al segretario di annunciarmi ed egli mi risposte che il comandante Guevara non poteva essere disturbato perché stava studiando matematica finanziaria.
D- Avere un interlocutore che ha vissuto in prima persona la realtà cubana dagli anni immediatamente successivi alla rivoluzione fino a i nostri giorni mi spinge a chiederti come questa realtà si è sviluppata and what do you think the problems that this reality is now facing.
R- When I decided to live in Cuba, the revolution had already taken a social connotation and realized that my dream has always cultivated.
But it was the speech that Fidel Castro was held that year in the Serra teacher to track the goals of the Cuban revolution, which finally led me to remain in Cuba to make my contribution.
Immediately after the revolution, the U.S., in fact, had convinced many doctors to leave the island, so it seemed important to help form a group of scientists in medicine, chemistry and biochemistry.
Luckily I can say that from a medical school that existed in '60, we are now in 18 schools. From a 0% of research institutes, Cuba today has an international reputation in genetic engineering and molecular genetics. These D-
your words lead me to ask you another question that follows from this discussion: the international prestige of Cuba in the field of meedicina, is universally acknowledged (by all the countries of Latin America who can go to Cuba to be treat), nevertheless the consequences of the embargo have been very serious in this area. For this I ask: what are the health issues currently in Cuba, and what should be the priority of the movement of solidarity?
R- Truly the end of relations with the Soviet Union has caused serious problems the Cuban economy and thus also to medicine, but fortunately there is a clear health policy in Cuba, no clinic was closed, and indeed in some regions has further lowered the rate of infant mortality. Not having a large availability of antibiotics, for example, has developed a policy to prevent a lot taking care of hygiene.
It 'clear that As the economic blockade by the United States is strengthening wanted (everyone knows the Torricelli Act) any act of solidarity becomes very important. What is vital for us is not only that we send aid, but we are allowed to buy what the country needs. The solidarity movement must therefore be push because the block is removed. Of course I will not say that it is not welcome any financial help, especially for children and schools. For example we are now paperless, we need a lot of paper.
The Cuban people are still growing despite the difficulties and it's a people worthy of being helped.
It 'clear that after thirty years we must revise some points on the development, we must think that we started with a literate country and have developed great strides both in the economic and scientific, having been forced to stop abruptly this course creates a certain disillusionment. Some do not know how to react and go, but it is still a very small percentage. The majority of youth and believes in the revolution and the Cuban people support it.
D-There is a generational problem in Cuba?
The young people ie those who feel most uneasy about the economic crisis?
-R could not certainly not be there in Cuba as in all countries a similar problem, but the difficulties young people are also able to grow. I'll tell you an anecdote.
year the Guantanamo area, generally little rainfall, has suffered numerous floods, and then there was the need to collect sugar cane before it was lost. The Communist Youth si è fatta carico del problema ed ha chiesto trecento volontari.
Se ne presentarono cinquecento; ma nel momento di partire ci si accorse che c'erano solo duecento paia di stivali. Si tenne il collettivo e decisero che nessuno sarebbe partito fino a quando non si fossero trovati tutti gli stivali occorrenti. Alla fine prevalse l'opinione di partire anche scalzi come avevano fatto coloro che avevano combattuto contro gli spagnoli nel secolo scorso o i compagni di Fidel nel '59.
Ma non è finita: i professori di Guantanamo cedettero le loro scarpe perché erano meno necessarie per andare ad insegnare piuttosto che per andare a tagliare la canna.
D- Ci sono ancora alcune domande che vorrei rivolgerti. La prima riguarda la situazione Latin America: in that famous journey you and what have clearly become aware of the realities of individual countries. What has changed now?
R- When we started we wanted to know Latin America, did not think that in those countries lived social and political problems as severe. Same Argentina only knew the reality of the city and the middle class. On our way we run the exploitation of not only men but also the environment. If we compare the reality with that of today, we see that the difference is that today we are richer but the poor are even poorer:
For example, Argentina that in the fifties had a scientific level comparable to that of Europe and a well-structured school, now delegated to a private school education of the rich, while the public schools is increasingly left to itself with non-existent facilities and poorly paid teachers.
My assessment is that Latin America is worse now than when we visited, we have confidence in the people and therefore we are confident that they will fight because the situation changes.
Q-What are Cuba's relations with other countries in Latin America?
R- The relationship with the people, and I stress the peoples, Latin America is very narrow because even the the fact that Cuba has resisted U.S. aggression thirty-five years, is an example to look to the exploited of all countries.
D-The revolt in Chiapas in Mexico has dramatically revived the problem of marginalized indigenous minorities. As has been experienced in Cuba, so close to Mexico, this reality?
R- First there was the Zapatista uprising was a clear refutation to those who believed that liberalism would have done away with the popular uprisings.
D-One last question to be answered to a question that my generation will pose for thirty years and which only a friend who can answer.
On why he left Cuba and its place in the revolutionary government, to die in Bolivia, rivers of words have been written. You who have lived with him those last days in Cuba, what do you think of that choice?
R- Che had always expressed the belief that the revolution could triumph only when all Latin American countries were freed from imperialism of the United States. No one would have wished that he would leave but those who knew him knew that the party to support the revolution of other people, fell into his vision of life.
It 's totally false that there were differences with Castro.
The last time we met, sitting at a table, he announced that he would leave for the United States and I told him: "You know Pelao that there are two things that I can not give up: the rum and travel"
And he said: "You know that drinking I have never concerned, and even the travel if I can not bring back my machine gun ".
In this way I had communicated its intentions.
Actually he did not do that follow the path he had mapped out: he did not believe in a form of seizure of power other than the army, in which we did not agree, since the days of our trip.
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