Addressing the United Nations during a Nov. 13 briefing on Ebola, Cuban Ambassador to the U.N. Rodolfo Reyes Rodriguez insisted upon sustainable development in Africa. Reyes’ speech weaved together aspects of historical and contemporary Cuban internationalism — an element featured strongly in Fidel Castro’s speeches, especially those condemning capitalist and imperialist exploitation.
Of particular significance is Fidel’s Oct. 12, 1979 speech to the 34th U.N. General Assembly, in which he denounced capitalist exploitation and the degradation of human rights by powers perpetrating various acts of violence against subjugated nations. “It is not possible to speak of peace in the name of millions of human beings who die yearly of hunger, of curable disease throughout the world,” he told the U.N. General Assembly.
Cuban internationalism – a response consistently given to impoverished and otherwise struggling nations – has driven the island nation’s response to a host of natural disasters and disease outbreaks, providing an alternative to the militarized approach of the U.S., which treats humanitarian crises as occasions to exploit nations and assert the country’s dominance.
In his recent speech to the U.N., which provided an overview of the current situation in Africa within a global context, Reyes expounded upon Cuba’s contributions to the continent. In the past 55 years, he said, more than 76,000 Cubans have served in 39 African countries — a reflection of what Fidel stated about the willingness of Cubans to export the internationalist aspect of the revolution in his autobiography “My Life: Fidel Castro with Ignacio Ramonet.”
To date, 24,486 doctors from 33 countries have graduated following courses at the Latin American Medical School (ELAM), which bears the inscription of a quote by Fidel: “This will be a battle of solidarity against selfishness.” On Nov. 15, the school celebrated the 15th anniversary of its founding, honoring Fidel and President Raul Castro.
In line with the vision of both Fidel and Che Guevara with regard to the concept of revolution within the realms of education and health care, the school stands as an emblem of international cooperation and solidarity, offering an alternative approach that embodies the importance of emancipation and elimination of capitalist prestige attached to medical professions in the West.
Colonial dominance and AFRICOM
According to a report on Granma, Cuba has sent three medical brigades to battle Ebola in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia and trained 256 professionals from the Henry Reeve International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Disasters and Serious Epidemics.
Reyes’ speech to the U.N. delves further into the necessity of combating Ebola through an internationalist approach and one that opposes exploitation. Addressing the international community, Reyes stated: “It is necessary to counteract Ebola; it is likewise necessary the allocation, in a sustained and predictable manner, of human, material and financial resources for Africa’s development.”
Within a wider context that can be applied to the current epidemic in the aforementioned countries, Reyes’ strong statement reflects centuries of colonial dominance and pillaging on the continent that, in recent years, has been characterized by imperial intervention from all ends of the political spectrum. Colonization and resource exploitation, as well as the U.S. support of dictatorial rule, have contributed to the subjugation of Africa — a continent that is constantly manipulated and highlighted within the contexts of poverty, illness and natural resources. Quite simply, Africa’s existence within the imperialist framework is a commodity expected to safeguard the continuation of capitalism.
Meanwhile, AFRICOM — the U.S. African Command that provides logistical support to USAID in West Africa — has published a transcript of an Ebola briefing between the U.S. Department of Defense and the Pentagon on Oct. 7 which prioritizes, above all else, “regional coordination of U.S. military support to the U.S. and international relief efforts.” This follows a paraphrasing of President Barack Obama’s statement that has defined prevention as a matter of national security. As Gen. David M. Rodriguez stated: “The president considers containing the spread of Ebola to be a national security priority that requires mobilizing our collective resources to enable the success of the international effort.”
Success in U.S. terms, therefore, is determined by a military approach and a demand that the international community adhere to the dictate, rather than seek a solution to a humanitarian problem. Working in collaboration with AFRICOM is USAID — the allegedly humanitarian organization that, according to its Ebola page, partners “to end extreme poverty and promote resilient democratic societies while advancing our security and prosperity.”
The Cuban perspective on preventing the spread of Ebola is, according to Reyes, based on the foundations of the Cuban health care system, thus requiring “systematic and ongoing work, as well as discipline, rigor and exigency in the compliance with medical protocols.”
On the contrary, the U.S. prevention framework is limited to the security of its personnel. A considerable portion of the briefing transcript concerns security provisions for diplomatic staff in embassies, military protection for U.S. staff, contamination risk to U.S. staff working directly with Liberian personnel, and rules of engagement in the hypothetical event that Ebola patients would force their way into off-limits areas.
The internationalist approach
Meanwhile, as the U.S. persists in its security strategy, Cuba has been actively involved in the internationalist approach toward preventing the spread of Ebola through the same values that characterize the Cuban Revolution and its immediate goals: education and health care.
Last month, Cuba hosted a seminar to educate Cuban and international medical personnel on disease prevention. Representatives of international health organizations such as the Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization were also in attendance. According to the Cuban News Agency, seminar participants also noted the importance of setting up epidemiological surveillance and logistics for the handling of infected patients, delivering specimen samples to labs keeping international references, as well as standardizing personal protection equipment and the protocol for pricing and distributing this equipment in the event of an emergency.
Further, the island nation is now offering an international course on preventing and fighting the spread of Ebola. The course, offered at the Pedro Kouri Tropical Medicine Institute in Havana, was organized based on suggestions made during the October seminar. It is the first initiative in the Americas to offer comprehensive education in this particular field.
In his address to the U.N., Reyes noted that Cuba is committed to continuing to provide assistance in prevention, training and counseling with regard to Ebola to all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean – a stark contrast to the insular strategy outlined by the U.S.