The Militant (logo)  

Vol. 71/No. 21      May 28, 2007

 
Pathfinder Around the World
 
'Declarations of Havana'
at Manhattan store
Militant/Mike Shur
NEW YORK—Librería Continental, a Spanish-language bookstore in the Washington Heights neighborhood here, displays in its storefront The First and Second Declarations of Havana published by Pathfinder Press, among other titles.

—GALE SHANGOLD

Below is an excerpt from a review of Our History Is Still Being Written: The Story of Three Chinese-Cuban Generals in the Cuban Revolution. A condensed version of the review appeared in the winter 2007 edition of Rice Paper, a Pacific Asian arts and culture magazine published in Vancouver, Canada. Its author has written extensively on the history of Chinese immigration in Guyana in the 19th century. Please send items for this column to the Militant.

BY TREV SUE-A-QUAN  
The contributions of the three authors in the military field are described in the book. At different times each one of them served in Angola where a contingent of determined Cuban volunteers fought against better-armed South African forces. The defeat of South African troops in Angola has been hailed as an important Cuban accomplishment, reflecting a triumph not only of the few over the many but also of the socialist internationalist struggle over imperialism. Cuba’s internationalist mission to Angola lasted between 1975-91 and it was a cause to which Cuba staked everything. This story is not well known outside Cuba.

The book recounts the achievements of the Cuban Revolution through the eyes of three Cubans who became generals and happen to be of Chinese descent… . Although the 19th century history surrounding the introduction of Chinese indentured laborers is described, it is a brief look rather than a detailed study; contemporary events are projected to be more relevant than those of the prerevolutionary past….

The three Chinese generals contributed to Cuba’s socialist progress in various capacities at home and abroad. Compared with the conditions that their early immigrant countrymen endured, Chinese Cubans have seen a rise in status parallel with the social transformations.
 
 
Related articles:
Pathfinder titles well received at meeting
in solidarity with Cuban Five in Havana  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home