An Account of Fidel's Great New Battle By Miguel Bonasso

Thus account of Bonasso's interview with Fidel was written for Pagina
12,
the Argentine newspaper.]

Pagina 12 via website of the 14th NAM Summit - Sep 14, 2006
http://www.cubanoal.cu/ingles/Contactos/140906_1.htm

By Miguel Bonasso

Havana--I had prepared myself for my meeting with him, but what I saw
was
much more moving than what I had imagined. I had even brought a gift
for
him, a trip organizer, a kind of case made from Argentinean leather
divided
into compartments for documents, cards, travel tickets, passport,
notes,
everything a traveler needs. I know very well that Fidel Castro does
not
carry credit cards or money with him in his travels around the world,
but
the modest gift was meant to deliver a subliminal message: "I hope you
are
well and able to travel again soon".

But what one imagines, fears or desires and what is in fact the case
are
two different things altogether. Suddenly, the telephone rang: "Be in
such
and such a place at this time". That was it. I didn't know whether I'd
see
him in person or whether I was to interview a number of his trusted
officials at a preparatory meeting. I couldn't believe my luck: I was
the
first participant to the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement who had the
privilege of seeing the Commander, in his recovery process, as Hugo
Chávez
and Evo Morales had seen him before the start of the Summit.

I was so overwhelmed that I even forgot to take a notepad with me, to
take
down whatever statements from him an additional stroke of luck could
afford
me.

Upon arrival, however, I knew I would get to see him. Next to his
closest
collaborators, I walked down the hallway as though in the travelling
shot
of a film in which the tension builds up as the character moves: first,
his
bodyguards dressed in olive green, then his personal and perpetually
kind-hearted physician and, at the end of the long corridor, a trio
composed of two women and a tall man, all three dressed in white gowns.
Doctors, nurses? Finally, I came upon a very kind woman who ushered me
into
the room. An austere white room totally devoid of decorations. Fidel,
who
was sitting in bed, with a white table and mobile phone in front of
him,
stood up to give me a hug.

He was wearing a wine-coloured gown and matching pyjamas and, thank
God, he
was still good old Fidel. Thinner, it's true, but not as thin as he
appeared in recent photos.

"I lost forty-one pounds --he reminded me-- but I'm putting the weight
back
on. Nearly half what I lost already".

A lot of weight for someone who already resembled a Spanish knight of
Cervantine lineage and has now a quixotic look to him.
We sat down to talk. It was eleven thirty in the morning, yesterday,
and
the searing heat of Havana was making itself felt outside. Suddenly,
the
knot in my throat came undone: it may sound incredible, but Fidel was
as
lucid and sharp as always. He spoke with that same confidential tone of
a
conspirator that the listener must unravel, he made the same mysterious
signs and emphatic gestures that betray he has hit upon the right
phrase;
an order here and there for his collaborators in a loud tone of voice,
to
demonstrate he can go back to giving speeches any time now.

"You see", he emphasized, "I can speak in a very loud tone of voice if
I
want to".

Some time went by before he confessed what gives this article its
poignant
quality. He began, as always, speaking passionately about collective
and
political events, keeping the personal in the background. He was
excited
about the prospect of Venezuela winning the battle and obtaining a seat
in
the UN Security Council. "A living giant", I thought. Neither the
trials of
his affliction nor death's grim presence have diminished the intensity
of
his dreams and obsessions, not one iota.


"They won't be able to prevent his joining the Council", he assured me.
And
emphasized that his friend Hugo Chávez Frías has become a world
leader.

"Chávez has been building an indestructible model. His is not an
extremist
kind of socialism, it is, rather, a realistic one. There is no doubt he
is
going to succeed in creating a great party that gathers and represents
all
Venezuelan revolutionaries. The different parties that supported him
have
responded well to his call for unity. Plus --he added--he has promised
to
carry out all changes democratically, by consulting with the people. He
is
not an extremist. He has promised to work with middle-class sectors and
to
respect and work with private companies that accept the principles of
the
revolution. He has also developed social programmes that have no
parallel
anywhere in the world and which make him an invincible leader. I
believe a
nation as heavily plundered as Venezuela deserves this change. And I am
happy to see a push towards Latin American integration, a process in
which
Venezuela will serve as an example of what a country can accomplish
when it
uses its resources for the benefit of the people. Chávez not only uses
these resources wisely, he also multiplies them through fiscal measures
that weren't implemented before".

He then took up the subject of Operation Miracle, one of the health
programmes he's most passionate about. And he was as intense as always,
as
though he hadn't tread the razor's edge, leaving millions of people in
terrible suspense. He evoked the fact that, in but two years, some 400
thousand Latin Americans had been operated on for cataracts, pterigium
and
other eye conditions using a new ophthalmologic technique developed by
Cuban doctors. And the fact that all operations, many of which had been
conducted in Cuba, had been free of charge, to the benefit of the most
dispossessed of Latin Americans.

Shortly after, Fidel offered me more coffee, as they took countless
photos
of the two of us. With his perennial enthusiasm, he said to me, his
voice
tinged with admiration: "These digital cameras are incredible".

We were edging towards the confession. A thick book was on the table.
The
simple, well-designed cover, read: "A Hundred Hours with Fidel".
Beneath
the title: "Conversations with Ignacio Ramonet. Second Edition. Revised
and
updated".

Some months before, I had been unable to conceal my envy on seeing the
first edition of that immensely long interview in which the Cuban
leader
thinks back on his life and world history, in which he has played a
leading
role. Last June, the Commander had shown me the hand-written
corrections he
had made to the answers included in the first edition. Ramonet's
questions,
obviously, had been respected by the interviewee. At the close of July,
when I saw him again in Cordoba, he carried the proof-read pages with
him,
which he was revising and expanding. But I could never have imagined
what
occurred followed the operation of 27 July.

"I continued making corrections during the worst moments--he murmured--
I
didn't stop making corrections. Don't think I did it when I got better.
I
started in the first days. And I did it not only because of the content
but
also because I had promised the people I would revise it before
publishing
it. So I spent many hours dictating to Carlitos (Valenciaga, his
secretary). Many hours."

Then he looked at me, his eyes wide open, and the look of surprise that
hardens the contours of his mouth when he says something definitive, to
say
in a profound tone of voice which was devoid of emphasis and
theatricality:
"I wanted to finish it because I didn't know how much time I had left".

The shadow of the great limit, the impossibility of all possibility,
was
nested in the depths of his gaze like a dark abyss.

I said: "Another great battle".

He nodded in silence and added:
"I tell you these things because you're a writer and a friend".

He then apologized for being unable to give me a copy of the book, as
gift.
For protocol reasons, that would have to wait till after he had given a
copy to the heads of State invited to the Summit of the Non-Aligned
Movement. Next to us, the indefatigable Carlitos Valenciaga --the young
secretary who read the historic proclamation announcing the delegation
of
powers--was thinking about possible additions to this new and expanded
edition.

"There are unpublished letters to Sadam Hussein recommending that he
withdraw from Kuwait. Letters to Nikita Khrushchev, in context".

On the white table there was also a pamphlet with the cover's design
and
the following title: "Chapter 24 - the events of April 2002 and other
topics related to Latin America".

"It has been translated into nine languages", Valenciaga explained. I
asked
for a copy to reproduce it in Pagina/12, after giving a copy to the
heads
of State. Particularly to two, true friends that the Commander is
anxious
to see: Chávez and Evo Morales. In Chapter 24, in addition to intimate
details about the failed coup against Chávez, the reader will find
interesting reflections on nationalist and progressive military men in
Latin America, such as Omar Torrijos, Juan Velasco Alvarado and even
Juan
Domingo Perón. There is also sharp commentary on the defeat of Carlos
Menem
and the electoral victory of Néstor Kirchner in 2003.

The time to say goodbye was drawing near. We had talked for an hour and
a
half. Fidel pointed to the modest television set in front of the bed
(nothing resembling a plasma screen or stereophonic set) and said:
"Television is getting more violent by the minute. Extreme violence
everywhere. Everything is advertising and violence. From drama to
internacional news programmes".

I told him, with the utmost sincerity, that I left overjoyed at seeing
him
in such good health.

"All in due course", he replied as he shook my hand tightly. "We musn't
forget that the machine being repaired is already eighty years old".

(c) 2006 http://www.pagina12.com.ar, Republica Argentina. All rights
reserved.

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