On May 9, 1920, the people of Medialuna welcomed Celia Sánchez Manduley, who would become one of the most outstanding and beloved Cuban women of all times. It is said that she was a heroine of the highlands and the plains, a very accurate distinction to talk about her revolutionary work.
Celia lived the times of Fidel, of that nonconformist youth who launched the armed struggle for Cuba’s sovereignty. From the very beginning, her participation in this feat played a decisive role.
Her feet moved up the highest elevation in the country, the Pico Tarquino, to place a bust of José Martí carved by women’s hands at the top. Those were the first steps of his revolutionary vocation.
In 1956, a decisive year for Cuba, Celia dedicated herself to preparing the ground for the landing of the Granma Yacht, an event that would mark the beginning of a new stage of struggle for the largest of the Antilles. Her task was to recruit peasants to support the expeditionaries on their way to the mountains of the Sierra Maestra.
His performance in the 26th of July Movement allowed the communication of the underground in the cities with the guerrilla in the Sierra. He transported food, weapons and ammunition, at the expense of his own life on the dangerous routes.
He was also present in direct combat, joining the Rebel Army in 1957. She took up arms in El Uvero, and her example multiplied among Cuban women, to the extent of forming the Mariana Grajales Women’s Platoon a year later.
Another important part of her efforts was focused on preserving the documentation, archives and notes of the General Command in the Sierra Maestra. Thanks to this, today we know dissimilar details of the life of the rebels in the mountains and we have valuable information about the development of the war.
In the midst of the revolutionary triumph, she assumed important responsibilities as secretary of the presidency and later as a member of the Communist Party of Cuba.
Celia Sánchez Manduley is remembered as the most autochthonous flower of the Revolution. Her life was the perfect balance of delicacy and daring. In her footsteps, Cuban women today find example and inspiration. Celia, a name that will always evoke heroism and women’s strength.
Written by Journalism student Yadila Mesa Chacón.
