"Che" My Hero,My Villain part 2

Photo taken by Alberto Korda ,probably one of the most famous image of a person and most reproduced image in the entire history of photography

You have seen him in posters ,t-shirts and pop-culture merchandise, a result of world consumerism and commercialism which is the opposite of these man's convictions and what he represents.Some said he is the symbol of their ideologies and political statements.But who is Che Guevara? I remembered one time a friend of mine asked me who he was,then I threw back the question to her then she answered a "rock star".Maybe because she saw t-shirts which has been sold in a record store or yet she noticed many musicians wear them,I cannot blamed her. And many young people wear and use Che's image without knowing who he is ,what he did and what he represents,they like the image because they said it is "cool".

Going back to the title of why he became my hero as well as a villain to me.I first encountered the name Che Guevara when I watched the movie "CHE(1969)" an Omar Sharif starrer in the heydays of the Betamax when I was still in sixth grade.Mesmerized by his persona and character the name lingered until my adulthood.Then in the nineties my interest in the man progressed I started to buy merchandise with his image on it but I told myself before I wear the shirt I must know who really this man is and what he represents then I read and bought biographies of Guevara.

The qualities of Guevara I admired are his defiance in the face of overwhelming odds and the dedication for the poor and the sick which are the fruits of exploitation and social injustice.This indignation and convictions were awakened during his travels in the Latin Americas (Motorcycle Diaries).His advocacies and goals were agrarian reform and literacy."Comandante"which he is also known is a man of action ,a warrior ,a worker ,an idealist and a man who is always looking forward to throw himself into something or a cause.After overthrowing the US backed Batista regime Che remains simple though he knows the finer things in life he sees material things as insignificant.

After dethroning the Batista era marked the other side of Che,he send men to the firing squad without judicial process .Guevara then became a "hardened" man who had no qualms about death penalty or summary or collective trials.The unrelenting execution of the enemies of the revolution and continued disregard for human rights made Che a bloodthirsty atheist motivated by pure hate.

The myth of Ernesto Guevara continues to enchant me though I do not totally agree with all his actions.In my mind he can be a hero or a villain depending on how one would perceive it .Good or evil Che continues to be a symbol of different causes.For me he can neither be or both.

****photo from the internet****

"Che" My Hero ,My Villain part 1(brief history)

Ernesto de la Serna Guevara (June 14,1928-October 9,1967),popularly known as Che Guevara or just plain Che which means "dude".He was born in Argentina of Irish and Spanish descent,was a Marxist revolutionary ,military tactician,politician and physician.

As a young student ,Che traveled around Latin America and there he experienced and witnessed the endemic poverty around the region which leads to his conclusion that the inherent economic inequalities and social in justice were the effects of capitalism,monopoly ,neocolonialism and imperialism.

During his travels,he met Fidel Castro in Mexico and there he joined the 26th of July Movement.They were the architects of the Cuban revolution with the goal to overthrow the U.S. backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.Guevara's popularity rose among the insurgents,and was given the position as Comandante,and played a vital role in the two year guerrilla campaign that dethroned Batista.After the successful takeover ,Che ratified sentences against those who were charged as war criminals by firing squads.During those years he served as minister of industry and head of the national bank ,then became a global diplomat touring the countries like the People's Republic of China,Egypt,Algeria,Ireland and some parts of Africa.Che was a prolific writer,he also made a manual on guerrilla warfare.With the belief of exporting of the revolution ,Guevara left Cuba in 1965 for Congo to incite revolution but his attempt and effort here was futile and then later went to Bolivia where he was captured and killed with the support of the CIA.

*****photo from the internet****