The voice of Juan Almeida Bosque rang out in Alegría de Pío: “No one here is surrendering…!”, he shouted to the enemy, and rounded off the statement with a word (not noted here) that came from the bottom of his heart, the morning of December 5, 1956.

The voice of Comandante de la Revolución Juan Almeida Bosque continued to resound as the voice of millions who have made it part of the nation’s soul,

traveling a long road through the birth of the Rebel Army, the guerrilla fronts, the heroic underground, the January triumph, the victory in Giron, the moral strength tested during the October crisis, the struggle against counterrevolutionary bandits, the people’s harvest, the urgent tasks, the development of science, the universalization of education, confronting the blockade, overcoming the crisis of the 90s, resisting Trump’s attacks…

Tomorrow, when we commemorate the 94th anniversary of the birth of the rebel fighter, political leader, poet and composer, the phrase spoken in one of the most difficult moments of the final stage of the liberation struggle, is repeated, here and now, in the enormous effort to control the pandemic, develop the economy under adverse conditions, defend the people’s conquests and consolidate our social fabric in the face of attempts to fracture our unity.

“No one here is surrendering!” was born of emotion and courage, but also of the values sowed by Almeida and the generation of Martí’s Centenary and the Granma crossing, led by Fidel, who took on the responsibility of transmitting them to those who came later. We return, again and again, to this reflection of the Comandante’s, published in Granma more than two decades ago:

“History will be always instructive. Honesty in our actions is a great virtue and also in considering the lessons that history teaches us. And not only ours, but also that which emanates from other phenomena in this world, of which we are a part and to which we are not strangers. The unity of our people around their leaders and the Revolution is one of the most powerful shields we have against our enemies.”

Like Fidel, like Raul, like the current generation of revolutionary leaders, Almeida knew that surrender is a word banished from the vocabulary, the action and the destiny of the vast majority of Cubans.

Definitively, no one here is surrendering!

There was no shortage of bards, poets or troubadour Mambises during Cuba’s 19th century independence wars. Whoever has doubts need only recall the passion history noted when our National Anthem – authored by Perucho Figueredo with music by Manuel Muñoz Cedeño – was sung for the first time, which, to the homeland’s pride is established as National Culture Day.

The Bayamesa, created by Céspedes, Fornaris and Castillo, came to hold a place in patriotic hearts with its special lyricism, and has become one of the most beautiful songs from the intransigent Cuba that fought Spanish colonialism.

But Almeida’s musical work not only conveys his revolutionary fervor and the people’s inspiration. The Comandante was able to fill it with a unique touch of Creole mischief and humor without neglecting, at any time, the important responsibilities he had in the nascent Revolution, all assigned directly by Fidel. Almeida knew how to lead and demand with dignity, all the while composing and capturing our idiosyncrasies. Thus, his extensive musical production – and also written – were, and are, an essential reference in understanding the consistent, correct, and at the same time, very Cuban man, including his songs which, over the years, have been performed by the best voices in Cuba.

His musical work was based primarily on son and guaracha, songs of complex harmony in many cases, which is only possible for those with a special gift for composition; and I cite as examples “Me acostumbré a estar sin ti,” “Dame un traguito,” and “Vuelve pronto que contigo quiero estar,” that certainly give us an idea of the scope of his compositions – including more than 300 songs.

Nor could he rest until the Siboney Studios were inaugurated in Santiago de Cuba, as the perpetual symbol of his idea of ​​how art should be committed to the Revolution.

Based on his writing, his friends, his polemics and more, much has been written by those who had the good fortune to know him, watching him work tirelessly in the defense of the country; by his side while finishing a song; or accompanying him on his adventure to climb the Turquino when his health was no longer the same. Thus, let this serve as a tribute to his good art, to reiterate – in the words of an old friend’s song – “This is how we remember you, Comandante!

(Granma)

He came from a humble family, the second of 12 siblings, raised in the Havana neighborhood of Poey. By nine years of age, he was helping his parents support the family. He cleaned shoes, held a spoon like a bricklayer and scissors like a barber.

He was among the young rebels who assaulted the Moncada in 1953; went into exile in Mexico after being imprisoned with Fidel, returning on the Granma to fight in the Sierra Maestra.

He is the same modest, Black man who, in the battle of Alegría de Pío responded to a call to give up, shouting: No one here surrenders! The revolutionary who left a deep mark among those who lived through the war with him, inhabitants of Santiago’s eastern mountains, who had him as their delegate of the Party Political Bureau in Oriente; on his subordinates in the Central Army; on the men and women of the Party and deputies, in short, on everyday Cubans who identified him as what he was: Hero of the Republic of Cuba.

The humanity that always accompanied him, his guerrilla spirit, his books and songs, that penetrated deeply into the cultural heritage of Cubans, mean that he is, and will always be, in the hearts of our people.

(Granma)

At the side of the monument which crowns the mausoleum where the remains of Tercer Frente heroes and martyrs rest, also presented by outstanding cadets from the Camilo Cienfuegos Military Academy was a wreath in the name of the Cuban people.

The tribute began with the traditional march from Cruce de los Baños to La Esperanza Hill, led by Party Central Committee member and Provincial First Secretary Lázaro Expósito, and Brigadier General Rafael Hernández.

Likewise participating were Beatriz Jhonson, Central Committee member and president of the Provincial Assembly of Peoples Power; decorated Heroine of the Republic, Brigadier General Delsa Esther Puebla Viltre (Teté); and relatives of the beloved Rebel Army Comandante, writer, and musician.

Almeida participated in the 1953 assault on the Moncada Garrison; the Granma expedition; and founded the guerilla front in this region, which grew to 6,000 square kilometers under Rebel control. Among his many virtues, he is remembered for his loyalty to Fidel and Raúl, and his closeness to the people who so loved and admired him.

(Granma)