On January 2, 1959 Contramaestre had the luxury of seeing the Caravan of Freedom pass towards Havana after having departed early in the morning from Santiago de Cuba, with the undefeated Commander Fidel Castro at its head, with the sound of the guns still in his ears as he headed towards the sure victory of the Battle of Maffo.
With overflowing jubilation the people of Contramaestre said goodbye to the Commander and his army, who had already received their unconditional support during their presence in Las Yanadas de Baire, and while the events of the Battle of BANFAIC were developing.
On January 8, 1959 the triumphal Caravan enters Havana, after traveling almost the entire country in a journey of more than a thousand kilometers, accompanied all the time by the joy of the inhabitants of towns and cities of Cuba.
The transit of the Caravan from East to West, predicted a caravan journey to sustain and develop the great conquest: Freedom, which would be preserved by dint of sacrifices and with the permanent struggle of the people united to overcome the challenges to come.
After the warm welcome of the people of the capital, Fidel delivered a historic speech before a popular gathering in the area of the former military camp of Columbia, later converted into Ciudad Escolar Libertad.
“We have come a long way, perhaps a considerable step forward. Here we are in the capital, here we are in Columbia, the revolutionary forces seem victorious; the government is constituted, recognized by numerous countries of the world, peace has apparently been won; and yet we must not be optimistic.”
“While the people were laughing today, while the people were rejoicing, we were worried; and the more extraordinary the multitude that came to receive us, and the more extraordinary the jubilation of the people, the greater our concern, because the greater our responsibility before history and before the people of Cuba.”
In Havana, he warned about how much remained to be done and about the certainty that the most difficult would surely be to come from then on.
These were not romantic hunches or despairs. He had already measured forces and also fought against the powerful enemies interested in continuing to rule the destiny of the national territory as they had done since his intervention in 1898, and he felt them approaching again.
“I believe that this is a decisive moment in our history: tyranny has been overthrown. The joy is immense. And yet, much remains to be done. Let us not delude ourselves into believing that from now on everything will be easy; perhaps from now on everything will be more difficult. To tell the truth is the first duty of every revolutionary. ”
In caravans we have faced all challenges with victory as a common denominator, and thus in caravans the Cuban Revolution has taken to many parts of the world spirituality, education; it has contributed to the liberation of peoples and brought health where there are pandemics and natural disasters. Cuba is a caravan of solidarity, thanks to freedom.