Celia Sánchez

Celia Sánchez Manduley (alias Norma) ( born May 9, 1920 in Media Luna, Cuba, † January 11, 1980 in Havana ) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician, combat and life companion of Fidel Castro.

Life

Celia Sánchez grew up in the far southwest corner of eastern Cuba in the former province of Oriente (now Granma Province) on; First in Media Luna, in 1940 in the nearby Pilon, later in Manzanillo. She was born into an anti-imperialist -minded family. Her father, the doctor Manuel Sánchez, was a member of the Orthodox party of Eduardo Chibás in which Fidel Castro was a member.

On 28 January 1953 the 100th anniversary of José Martí ( 1853-1895 ), Celia is said to have shared with her father, a bust of Cuban national hero of Cuba 's highest mountain, Pico Turquino (1974 m) in the Sierra Maestra managed. The inscription on the bust should have been: " Rare as the mountains are the people who can look down on them." This should be a silent sign against - mitverschuldete among others by U.S. companies - are set extreme social inequality in Cuba and against the Batista regime. From then on, the life of Celia Sánchez was entirely devoted to the fight against the dictator Batista, and after the victory of the revolution of political work in the new Cuba. She died on January 11, 1980 in Havana from cancer.

Political action

Expulsion of Batista

July 26, 1953 was carried out by the young lawyer Fidel Castro attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. Celia agitated at that time already among the poorest in the region near Manzanillo against the authoritarian Batista regime and for social justice.

Despite his failure was the attack on the Moncada Barracks at the beginning of the liberation struggle, in which Celia also increasingly participated in the subsequent period. First, they helped the revolutionaries Fidel Castro during this sitting in detention. Later, she became the founder and leader of the " 26th of July Movement " in the region Manzanillo. In the underground, they later prepared the arrival of the 82 revolutionaries around Fidel and Raul Castro and Che Guevara with the yacht " Granma " on December 2, 1956 Cuba before, not least because they knew the area very well, as they near the landing place, Playa Las Coloradas, had grown up. Even before the group was broken up in Mexico, Celia helped organization in building a first retreat area for the revolutionaries in the Middle nearby Sierra Maestra after landing in Cuba.

During the first guerrilla days in Cuba, it organized the first amplification alongside Frank País contingent that the rebels in the Sierra Maestra climb until January 6, 1957 ( Los Marabuzaleros ). In addition, she organized the supply of weapons, food and medicine. On February 16, 1957 Celia met for the first time on Fidel Castro. In the following years she became the contact person between the rebels in the mountains of the Sierra Maestra and the operating underground comrades in the plane. On March 19, 1957, Celia finally divided the first woman directly into the Rebel Army in the Sierra Maestra. Its baptism of fire they experienced on May 28, 1957, when the rebels occupied the heavily secured barracks of the Batista army in Uvero. In October 1957 she became the first Guerrillera Member of the General Command of the Rebel Army. It was one of the driving forces for the establishment of an all-women teams, then under the name " Mariana Grajales " ( the mother of General Antonio Maceo ) was realized. Until the victory of the rebels against Batista addition, Celia Sánchez always worked close to the side of Fidel Castro. They also drew on 1 January 1959 along with Fidel in Santiago de Cuba a.

"Natural history writer "

During her time in the General Command has written one hand, detailed reports on all major events during the guerrillas who were not least for the progress of the fighting invaluable. On the other hand, it has documents, messages and notes collected and stored virtually in her backpack. When she founded the Historical Office of the State Council on May 4, 1964 she brought her work practically at the end: the preservation of the authentic documents of a successful guerrilla.

Construction of the new Cuba

After the victory of the revolution in early 1959, she held several offices of the Commander in Chief Fidel Castro page. She was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party ( PCC), deputy in the National Assembly of People's Power ( Poder Popular), and secretary of the State Council. In these offices, she was instrumental in many decisions in the state and party. It is revered today in Cuba.