Diego went to find his friend | Opinion

Exactly the same day, but four years after Fidel, Diego left this world and like this cosmic kite discovered by Víctor Hugo Morales in Mexico flew to meet his friend, advisor and protector, not to say “almost a father “which is perhaps more correct to state. How to explain this coincidence? Luck, predestination, magic, an unfathomable astral code? Who could be played for an answer? Anyone who writes this declares themselves incompetent to decipher this unfathomable agreement. Perhaps he would only dare to conjecture that maybe idols attract. Diego and Fidel have done it for a living, and maybe that same circumstance caused them both to leave on the exact same day.

Their admiration and affection was extraordinary. Diego had Fidel engraved on his body, on his skin, on that wonderful left foot that has drawn some of the most prodigious watermarks ever seen on a football field. He also carried it in his heart and in his mind. Because Diego was a people pure to the core and, like Fidel, their desire for justice as well as their repudiation from all forms of oppression and exploitation were insatiable. For it He was a man who, in political matters, had never had any doubts and at every critical moment he always stood on the right side of the barricade.. It has never been contaminated by the postmodern eclecticism or the aseptic “ni-ni” cult of so many intellectuals and politicians of a supposed left. He knew very well where the line crossed between oppressors and oppressed, and he took sides instantly. This folk wisdom coupled with his keen class instinct led him to exercise unconditional defense of the Cuban Revolution, of Chavista Venezuela, of Evo’s Bolivia, of Correa’s Ecuador and of the popular governments of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, aware that the dominant oligarchies and their imperial masters would never forgive him for his virtuous irreverence.

Its remarkable protagonism in the great battle of the peoples of our America against the FTAA in Mar del Plata in November 2005, it would have been enough to give it a prominent place in the history of anti-imperialist struggles. But it wasn’t just that. Years later we would find him in Colombia, marching with Piedad Córdoba in favor of the failure of the peace process. Wherever a fight against imperialism was waged, Diego was quick to enlist. Its commitment to the cause of popular emancipation goes hand in hand with its repudiation of the rich and powerful who condemn their people to poverty, disease and ignorance. It was consistent until the end. And he went, punctually, to meet his great friend; to unite the undying power of their testimonies to continue to be a source of inspiration in the still unfinished task of liberating the peoples from the domination of imperialism and its local bootlickers. Diego is gone, yes, but the great popular idols have a rare attribute: they continue to disturb the sleep of the oppressors because, paradoxically, their death makes them immortal. As for Fidel, Chávez. Che, Evita, Perón, Allende and Néstor, their presence will beat even harder in the battles to come for the construction of a new world once the pandemic is over.