Date: Sun, 09 Feb 1997 11:28:16 +0000
From: Joćo Paulo Monteiro <jpmonteiro-AT-mail.telepac.pt>
Subject: Re: M-I: Che Guevara in Africa (lnp post #1)


I have very recently read a book by a collective of authors directed by
the cuban historian Paco Ignacio Taibo II that, if translated to
english, should have as title something like "The Year on which we were
Nowhere". It's a complete account of all of the congolese expedition,
including various testimonies of cuban participants and excerpts of an
inedit work of Guevara: 'Passages of the Revolutionary War: the Congo'.

This is very good read, and, while we wait for Che's complete work, must
stand as the definite work on this subject (I've given up my
subscription to the 'The New Left Review' - too eclectic to my taste).
The expedition had to face with various problems. To begin with, the
congolese revolution was already on the ebbing when the cubans arrived.
Their leadership on the East front (Soumaliot and Kabila, who loathed
each other's guts) was permanently abroad and nowhere to be seen on the
bases.
>From the first day insurmontable communication problems make themselves
felt. Guevara did learn a little swahili but it wasn't enough. Then
there was this huge cultural gap. The cubans were all black men, but
that didn't prove much of a help. Discipline and morale were at low,
very low levels. Guevara was shy to exert authority so there wasn't much
around. Several tragi-comic episodes ensued, particularly the permanent
quarreling about the magic sortilege (the dawa) the congolese used to
repel the bullets. They would consistently run all fighting and blame it
on the magicians for their defficient dawa. Che was really pissed off
with that.
The borderline is that these men just would not fight. No matter how
much training and military endoctrination they receive, when real fire
exchange broke up, they would tipically throw their weapons away
immediately and run. Most of them would appear on the base again. There
was a little group of rwandese tutsis who fare a little better but the
overall image was disgusting. Several defeats (and cuban losses) ensued.
The cubans started to resent this behaviour of the congolese. At one
point, Che was really, really mad. He gathered all the troops and spoke
to them on a very high, drastic, militaristic tone. He ended the speach
thus:

"What are you? Men or running away, crying women?"

This took a little time to get translated. When the guys took it, they
broke for the laughter of their lifes.



Jo=E3o Paulo Monteiro



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