1926 - 2016

President of Cuba (1976—2008) , Leader of the 1958 Cuban Revolution, Cuban Prime Minister (1959—1976)

Fidel Castro became one of the most charismatic political icons of the 20th century when he established the first socialist state in the West after the Cuban Revolution in 1958. He significantly influenced global politics through his communist ideology and played a revolutionary role in Africas struggles for national liberation and independence in the 1970s and 1980s

Between 1975 and 1991 over 425,000 Cuban soldiers volunteered to fight in Angola to resist invasions by the white racist regime that then governed South Africa. In 1988 Cuban troops helped defeat the Apartheid regimes armed forces in Angola. This led to the unbanning of liberation organisations in the region and to negotiations towards democracy in South Africa post-1990

Cuban soldiers trained many detachments of the African National Congress (ANC) military wing uMkhonto weSizwe (MK). Nelson Mandela acknowledged this contribution during a visit to Cuba in 1990 when he personally thanked Fidel Castro for training our people and giving us resources to get on in our struggle. Castro visited South Africa for the first time in 1994 to witness Mandelas inauguration as first democratic president of South Africa and returned on a state visit in 1996.

Did You Know?

The United States Central Intelligence Agency planned an estimated 638 attempts on Castros life and plotted numerous coups to overthrow Cubas socialist government, using exploding cigars, a fungus-infected scuba-diving suit and a poisoned pen syringe among their weapons of choice. They all failed.