Two hundred thousand Cubans and ten thousand Latin American students welcomed Venezuela´s President Hugo Chavez Frías as he stood at Havana´s Plaza de la Revolución. In front of José Martí´s statute, Cuba President Fidel Castro presented Chavez with UNESCO´s José Martí premium for his contribution to humanity and to continental integration.
The annual premium was initiated in 1994 on the suggestion of Cuba. UNESCOs jury was unanimous in awarding Chavez the premium for 2005.
The cultural-political event began with the youth orchestra playing the Venezuelan hymn followed by a folklore dance and a brief modern ballet. Crudely made Venezuelan and Cuban little flags were waved throughout the five-hour presentation. The first of three speakers was Miguel Bonasso, an Argentine parliamentarian.

“That Chavez receives this humanitarian prize, and precisely here in our beloved Cuba does all of us Latin Americans proud,” the intellectual said.
“Venezuela and Cuba are integrating social, culturally, politically and economically to effectively counter the control of the transnational corporations. They represent the hope of us all in the South, and now with Evo Morales Bolivia will join in.”

Bonasso condemned United States for its wars and torture, and for the recent statement by Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfield comparing Chavez with Hitler. While Chavez and his government have done nothing comparable to that infamy, Bonasso said, the US has. “Bush is our day´s Hitler.”

Fidel´s 90-minute speech began with UN statistics illustrating how the majority of humanity lives in various forms of misery. The still fiery leader then compared comparable statistics of misery in the pre-Chavez Venezuela with today. Although that country has the greatest amount of natural resources—not alone oil—it had been one of the poorest. Forty percent of its state budget went to pay the foreign debt; 2.3 million school age youth could not attend school; 28 per 1000 infant mortality rate.
“In seven years of Chavez-led government,” said Fidel, “that misery is being reversed. Illiteracy was wiped out in just two years: 1.5 million Venezuelans can now read.”

Cuba and Venezuela launched the Mission Robinson literacy campaign shortly after the last of two coup de é tat attempts against Chavez.
Fidel spoke about other joint campaigns. Operation Henry Reeves, named after a U.S. citizen who joined the rebel Mambisas in the liberation struggle against Spain, was alaunched to educate all youth with a high school education: 162,000 have been graduated. And 15,300 are studying medicine in Venezuela with the help of Cuban professors; 3,400 are studying medicine in Cuba—all free.

Yet a third campaign, Operation Miracle, was initiated to eradicate several types of blindness. The Cuban-invented operation can be performed by mobile units of doctors (backpack doctors) travelling in the most remote regions. Of the 210,000 successful operations performed in 25 countries in the past one and one-half years, 150,000 are Venezuelans.
As Fidel ticked off figures of progress and unity between the two nations, Chavez held his little daughter on his lap.

“Who is Chavez? He comes of humble roots with Simon Bolivar in his heart. He struggles for our peoples´ health. Our plan is to have 150,000 new doctors trained throughout the continent in the coming ten years. Our countries send doctors. The empire sends soldiers. They protect and promote terrorists. Rumsfield and Negroponte (((CHECK first name and current post))) are terrorists, and yet Rumsfield has the racist (audacity) to compare Chavez with Hitler. What barbarity! It is the empire that aspires to emulate Hitler.

“Bush protects his friend Luis Posada Carriles (co-author of the most horrendous murder of 73 passengers in 1976, in Barbados. Bush senior was Posada´s chief as then head of the CIA, which helped Posada escape a Venezuelan prison in 1985). And Negroponte, who accuses Cuba and Venezuela of crimes (which he and the US commit), was Posada´s boss in Honduras when they made their dirty war against Nicaragua.”

Fidel called for justice against Posada—Bush refuses to extradite him to Venezuela—and freedom for the Cuban Five, anti-terrorists fighters imprisoned in the U.S.

Fidel embraced Chavez, who took the podium. The crowd roared and waved the brotherly flags.

“I don´t deserve this premium personally,” the Venezuelan President began. “It is for all of us, for what we all have achieved together. I receive the prize for the people of Venezuela, for the people of Bolivar. Without their enthusiasm and struggle I would not be here today. It is truly an honour to receive this premium in the name of the apostle.”

José Martí was killed in battle against Spanish colonialism, in 1895. Chavez quoted Martí: “´Be educated in order to be free´. That is why this book fair is so important.”

Chavez and Fidel had earlier in the day inaugurated Cuba´s 15th annual book fair. This one is dedicated to Venezuela, and scores of the 520 books presented by 27 Cuban publishing houses are about Venezuela, especially in the last seven years since Chavez has been president. There are other titles on sale by foreign publishing houses.

Chavez spoke about the Latin American liberators Simon Bolivar and José Martí in the same context. “Their ideas, their battles grow with the centuries. They were both writers and fighters. Books and ideas are the most important arms of the revolution. Read! Read! Read!”

The Bolivarian led a revolt, in 1992. It failed and he was jailed. Chavez´ interrogator asked him who was the intellectual author of the rebellion. He replied:

“Simon Bolivar. Just as José Martí was the intellectual author of the rebellion at Moncada barracks. When Fidel and the others attacked Moncada (a failed attack) and (the survivors) were jailed, I was not yet born. Now Bolivar and Martí form one single essence. Here we are today, Cuba and Venezuela in a new wave—a growing wave confronting neo-liberalism domination (led by) the brutal empire, the most cynical of all of history´s empires: genocidal, racist, torturous.”

The red-shirted leader spoke without notes, gesturing and entreating as though in dialogue with the audience. He spoke intimately of Fidel, of Tomas Borge (former FSLN minister of the interior in Nicaragua), of Evo Morales. He also spoke of problems in the revolutions, problems of bureaucracy and corruption, and Fidel nodded.

“I am always glad to visit this vigorous, happy Cuba, which impels us to struggle (in all sectors of life). We would never have been able to achieve what we have in education, in health without your example and your solidarity…

“Had Cuba not successfully fought imperialism—especially in the 1960s and 1970s—we would not have our Venezuelan revolution today. Only with the liberating economy of socialism will be achieve our regional liberation and defeat injustice. Cuba-Venezuela one flag, one people!”

Chavez wound up just before one a.m., February 4. He would soon fly to Caracas and lead a march commemorating the 1992 revolt, 14 years to the day.

Chavez quoted Bolivar at the end of his life: “The great moment of Latin America has not arrived. It must wait for the future…After 200 years battling this empire and five centuries of colonialism, let this century be our creation, our liberation. This is our century…Patria o Muerte. Venceremos!”

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