Fidelity for Fidel


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LU Send NOW team visits Cuba during Castro mourning

LU Send NOW, Liberty University’s initiative to send students across the world to places in need, recently sent a team to Cuba to engage in a cultural exchange with other Christian university students who were affected by the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.

MOURNING — Castro’s ashes were wheeled throughout cities in Cuba for onlookers. Photo Credit: Photo Provided

MOURNING — Castro’s ashes were wheeled throughout cities in Cuba for onlookers.
Photo Credit: Photo Provided

The morning that the LU Send Now team departed for Cuba, longtime Cuban leader and revolutionary Fidel Castro died.

This is an account of one team member’s experience during the week.

The importance of certain moments is signified by how they loudly ring throughout the halls of history, while the significance of other events is indicated by the silence that ensues.

The death of Fidel Castro, father of the Cuban Revolution, was observed with a combination of both.

After Castro’s death Nov. 25, Cuba observed nine days of mourning, which included the quietness one would expect during a time of mourning.

The hushed atmosphere of Cuban towns, especially at night, resulted from a ban on selling alcohol and playing music, both integral aspects of typical Cuban culture.

Cuban resident Alexeis Doimeadios said this ban was technically only given to state establishments, but because of what Cubans know about the past, they took it upon themselves to observe this as well.

As a result, the streets of Cuba transitioned from a musical hotbed typically accompanied by dancing to a stillness broken only by the occasional conversation or plodding hooves of a horse-drawn taxi.

The silence was so unnatural that even foreigners noticed something was missing from the culture, even if they did not originally know what that piece was.

Then, just as the light of day replaced the darkness of night, so too did the quietness get replaced by the racket of the events of the time of mourning.

One such event was the signing of condolences, which brought thousands of people to town halls, where everyone waited in line for their chance to sign the book.

From the military to groups of school children, people of all ages flooded the city squares with Cuban flags and pictures of Castro to share their condolences.

The main cause for commotion throughout Cuba though was the opportunity to see Castro’s ashes, which traveled throughout the country, beginning in Havana and reversing the route Castro took when he seized power with his revolution in 1959.

Cities on this route drew crowds of people waving flags and ready to wait however many hours necessary so they could see the box containing the man that had shaped Cuban society in so many ways.

More dedicated Cubans even wore shirts depicting Castro and would join in chants that rippled throughout the mass of people, such as “You can hear it! You can feel it! Fidel is here!”

PRIDE — Cubans put up photos of Castro and wrote his name on their faces in honor of him. Photo Credit: Photo Provided

PRIDE — Cubans put up photos of Castro and wrote his name on their faces in honor of him.
Photo Credit: Photo Provided

A common theme that ran throughout the crowds waiting to see the ashes was, “Yo soy Fidel,” which translates to, “I am Fidel.”

This phrase could be found painted on the faces of small children, laminated on the foreheads of teenagers and chanted repeatedly throughout the anxious crowd.

Beyond the extremes of silence and shouting, the mourning consisted of visible representations as well, demonstrated through the Cuban flag.

State facilities flew their flags at half-staff.

Meanwhile, the rural homes that did not have flag poles still showed solidarity by posting a small flag with a black stripe above it outside their doors.

The mourning ended Dec. 5, the day after Castro was buried during a private ceremony, according to Fox News.

Price is a news reporter.

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