STANDING BY COMRADES ... Former Presidents Hifikepunye Pohamba (left) and Sam Nujoma are in Cuba to attend the memorial service of Fidel Castro; please click on the photo to enlarge image.
FORMER Namibian heads of state Sam Nujoma and Hifikepunye Pohamba left for Cuba yesterday to attend the memorial service of former Cuban president Fidel Castro. They departed from the Hosea Kutako International Airport at around 11h00. Castro died on Friday at the age of 90 and a memorial service will be held in his honour in Havana today.
The two former presidents will join President Hage Geingob for the memorial service. Geingob is currently in France for an official visit. President Geingob was scheduled to meet with France's president François Hollande yesterday before flying to Cuba. He will then travel to the UK, where he is amongst others expected to have an audience with Queen Elizabeth II.
In an earlier interview with Nampa, Nujoma described Castro as a legendary, revolutionary leader who has earned his place in modern history through his strong stance against imperialism and exceptional resilience against colonialism. Nujoma last saw Castro when he paid him a visit on 29 September during an official visit to Cuba.
The Cuban government has declared nine days of mourning starting Saturday. Castro's remains were cremated on Saturday and the mourning period will include a tour of his ashes throughout Cuba. A State funeral will then be held on 4 December 2016. Castro's rescue operation during the attack on the Namibian refugee camp in Cassinga, Angola, by South African troops in 1978, and the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale, are some of his memorable contributions to Namibia's liberation struggle.
After the Cassinga attacks in 1978, a group of survivors went to Cuba in 1979. Most of them grew up in Cuba, where they continued with their studies. Today, many of them are doctors, nurses, teachers and journalists.
Under Castro's leadership, Cuba not only contributed to the lives of Namibians, but also Africans at large. Between 1987 and 1988, Cuban troops aided Angolan troops as they encountered South African forces along the Namibian border, which eventually led to Namibia's independence. – Nampa