Remembering history is an act as brave and necessary as the exploits of its protagonists. In every date there is a lesson for the present, in every mistake a new strategy, an inspiration in every success.
History is like a weapon, whether at rest or wielded and ready for battle. Today’s battles are against ignorance, detachment, and forgetfulness.
On days like today, July 26, Cuba must remember that hectic early morning in 1953, when young people, led by Fidel, rose up against an oppressive regime. We must remember how they stormed the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks, how they fought against the enemy, superior in number and weapons. We must remember those who lost their lives in the assault, those who returned later, seeking the same goal; we must remember this and much more.
This is not a selective memory that selects glorious moments, but rather a faithful image of what happened years before, to learn from greatness and unlearn from mistakes. Only in this way can we benefit from the experience of the past, following in the footsteps of those who have already traveled the same path.
It might seem that the days of 1953 bear no resemblance to those of today, but the resemblance is there, latent: the same threat to Cuba, the same threat to freedom.
Where should we look? To yesterday, to Moncada, to the courageous youth who can define the course of a nation, to the tireless men and resilient women. We will look to the Cuba of other years until we know in detail what the Cuba we dream of will be like.
here is no present life without a past behind it, and on dates like these, July 26th, we remember it with children sitting in schools that were once war barracks, and with packed universities that evoke the future. These are not times to forget, they are days to remember our history.
