In that regard, since Cuba’s revolutionary victory in 1959, they have had Africa and African people’s backs, consistently, everywhere on the planet earth. The Cuban revolution’s origins were rooted in efforts by its leaders to forge strong relationships with African revolutionaries like Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana and Sekou Ture in Guinea. Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s historic speech at the 1960 United Nation’s General Assembly railed against U.S. attacks against the Cuban revolution, cleverly tying that sabotage to U.S. efforts to undermine, and eventually destroy Patrice Lumumba and the National Congolese Movement’s (MNC) efforts to hold together the fragile independence effort taking place in that country.
Cuba’s support for the Congo wasn’t limited to words. In 1964, Cuba sent its Minister of the Interior and legendary guerrilla leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara to the Congo with 100 African Cuban combatants. They went to support the MNC in battling the pro-colonial forces who backed by the U.S., Belgium, and the imperialist powers. Although the efforts of the Guevara led Cuban combatants and the MNC didn’t result in victory, Guevara ended up in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for several months. His work while there centered around strengthening the ties of the Cuban revolution to anti-colonial efforts taking place all over Africa. The results of this initial work were the development of a Cuban African Command. Led by Victor Dreke Cruz, the command provided support to the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau (PAIGC) in its anti-colonial war against Portugal. Since the PAIGC staged its military efforts in neighboring Guinea-Conakry, this permitted Cuba’s revolutionary leadership, led by Fidel Castro, to strengthen relationships with Amilcar Cabral and the PAIGC, Sekou Ture and the Democratic Party of Guinea (PDG), and Kwame Nkrumah, who by early 1966 had been forced to take up residence in Guinea-Conakry as co-president after a Central Intelligence Agency organized coup d tat that toppled Nkrumah’s government in Ghana.
The Cuban African Command continued to generate support for African liberation efforts. Between 1985 and 1992, approximately 500,000 Cuban troops were deployed to Southern Africa (Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia, etc.) to support liberation movements in those countries. The racist apartheid regime in (Azania) South Africa was working to repress the African National Congress (ANC), Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), Azanian People’s Organization (AZAPO), and other liberation movements. Recognizing efforts in Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia, as well as within its borders, South Africa relied upon the support of zionist Israel, Britain, and the U.S. to combat the anti-colonial forces. The imperialists also relied upon European mercenary groups led by the notorious Mike Moare to serve as shock troops in that region conducting countless atrocities designed to demoralize the anti-colonial forces. The Cubans played a significant role helping support and stabilize the anti-colonial forces. Within his memoirs, Moare wrote that he witnessed the impact of the Cubans on Angolan, and other regional troops and that, in his words, if the Cubans weren’t neutralized, it would be impossible to stop the tide of anti-colonialism taking place.
By 1990, the imperialist forces saw the handwriting on the wall. They had no choice except to come to the negotiation table. The results were a timetable for the racist apartheid system in South Africa to come to an official end. Also, Namibia was to become independent, and Nelson Mandela, a leader of the ANC who incarcerated for decades, was to be released. All of this in exchange for the Cubans agreeing to leave Southern Africa.
Cuba’s support for African liberation wasn’t and isn’t just limited to military support, as major as that has been. Cuba has been a refuge for African freedom fighters from the U.S. where racist practices forced them to flee to avoid imprisonment and worse. Starting with Robert Williams. He was the chair of the Monroe, North Carolina, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1957, during civil unrest, Williams rescued an elder white couple from attack near his house. City officials used this incident to accuse Williams of kidnapping the white couple because officials were concerned about William’s calls for Africans in the city to arm themselves against white terror. Despite the couple insisting Williams had saved them, Williams went underground to avoid illegal repression. He surfaced in Cuba in 1962 and stayed there a couple of years before relocating to China. His presence in Cuba and China permitted him to stay an active and respected voice in the U.S. African liberation movement. Eldridge Cleaver, the Minister of Information for the Black Panther Party, fled to Cuba to escape charges leveled against him for his role in instigating a shootout against police in Oakland, California, U.S., two days after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, was assassinated, which led to 17 year old Bobby Hutton, the youngest Black Panther, being murdered by police.
Black Panther Party co-founder and ideologue Huey P. Newton lived in Cuba for three years in the mid-seventies to escape charges from the state against him in California. And, Assata Shakur, the former Black Panther and Black Liberation Army member/leader, spent 41 years living in peace in Cuba after being assisted in escaping prison in 1979 (she appeared in Cuba in 1984), until her physical transition in Havana, Cuba, in September of 2025. Although her physical presence is no longer, Assata’s escape from the clutches of U.S. imperialism serves as an inspiration to millions around the world, many who were born after Assata emerged in Cuba. There are many other African freedom fighters who found refuge in Cuba, including Nehanda Abiodon.
Cuba’s commitment to its socialist principles were magnified by its actions in Africa and its unwavering support for freedom fighters like Shakur. In 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama negotiated loosening restrictions against the Cuban revolution. During the talks that occurred between Obama and then Cuban General Secretary Raul Castro, documents from those meetings confirmed that Obama floated lifting some elements of the devastating U.S. led economic blockade against Cuba if Cuba turned Assata Shakur over to the U.S. When this happened, many so-called revolutionaries in the U.S. who hadn’t studied the history and integrity of the Cuban revolution believed reports that Cuba was going to surrender Shakur. To be honest, after all that Cuba has done, and considering the crippling impacts of the economic blockade for six decades, Cuba could not be blamed if they had considered the proposal, but Castro’s words to Obama were explicit. Assata Shakur is “off the table.”
The fact that Cuba would sacrifice an opportunity to have access to much needed medicines, spare parts, oil, and the ability to use debit and credit cards, because they wouldn’t release one person, who wasn’t even born in that country, says all that needs to be said about socialist principles. Socialism means moral incentives. Everything discussed here Cuba did because of its commitment to justice and solidarity. No African country mentioned was in a position to provide Cuba with anything in response to Cuba’s support. Certainly, the African liberation movement in the U.S. possesses no capacity to reward Cuba for its protection of our freedom fighters. And, Cuba never expected compensation. They did what they did, from Guevara’s efforts 60 years ago, to Cuba sending doctors to 30 countries in Africa, and throughout the Caribbean and the U.S., to assist during the Covid pandemic, out of sincere solidarity. While the U.S. was fiddling around trying to figure out a way to ensure its corporations could maximize profit from a vaccine (while thousands were dying), Cuba was one of the first countries in the world to produce a vaccine. And not only did 98% of their people willingly take that vaccine (because they knew they could trust it), as mentioned, this poor nation, which continues to be immorally and illegally crippled by U.S. sabotage, did more to help people around the world against Covid than the U.S. and the capitalist countries combined.
In 2026, the criminal thug regime(s) in the U.S. are ramping up their attacks against socialist Cuba. They have always been here for the African masses so now its time that we ensure we are there for them. This is not the time for spouting nonsense about us having no allies. It’s not the time to be swallowed up by ignorant anti-communist propaganda. It’s not the time to listen to random dishonest folks who left the Cuban revolution. Now is the time for us to recognize that we owe a debt to the Cuban masses. We can repay it a number of ways. We can support organizations like the Venceremos Brigade which has provided material support to the Cuban revolution for decades. We can join organizations and participate in education around the merits of the Cuban revolution to combat the massive capitalist propaganda machines attacks against the island nation. We can tell the truth and live the truth. We can be people of conscience. Socialist Cuba has shown us the way for six decades. When we needed them, they acted. Now its our turn.
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