With a simple but moving ceremony a painting of the Commander in Chief of five meters high by five wide was unveiled on the wall of the entrance to the elementary school “Fidel Castro”. It was painted by Cuban artist based in Windhoek, Yasiel Palomino, who replaced the old one deteriorated by weather and wind.
The elementary school is situated in the Namibian capital where the racist regime of apartheid segregated black Namibians, and today it has excellent facilities inconceivable at that time and is home to 1,238 students.
At the ceremony, the Vice-President of the Patriotic Association of Cuban Residents in Namibia, engineer Mercedes Rosell, gave to the school director Martha Shilyomunhu a check for 29 250 Namibian dollars (about 2100 USD), as a result of a voluntary contribution of its members, to further improve the school.
The painting depicts a photo of Fidel using a beret similar to the one carried by militants who defeated in less than 72 hours, the Bay of Pigs invasion.
Dance groups of students in sang in English and Oshivambo: “we are children of Fidel”.
Cuban Ambassador Giraldo Mazola, recalled that on this day 55 years ago that aggression began with the bombing of our airports and the next day Fidel proclaimed the socialist character of the Revolution under whose slogan our fighters fought to defend the homeland and socialism, breaking the first military defeat of imperialism in America.
The Cuban diplomat also said that “photos of this activity will be sent to Fidel with your commitment to be every day better students as advance to his 90th anniversary and he’ll be happy to learn that the grandsons of the brave Namibians fighters which ´fought together with the Cuban internationalist troops changed the political map of Southern Africa, are now preparing themselves to consolidate the independence gained with so much sacrifices”.
(EMBACUBA NAMIBIA)