Wanderlust: El Che

~ An in-depth analysis of all that is Che~

Image property of World Press: http://dchd9.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/che-guevara-serna.jpg

So what of his life and legacy? He is El Che. Che is the common Argentine interjection and therefore demonstrates so much about what this man means to Latin American culture. Che is almost equivalent to how people could say, "Hey buddy, man, dude, etc" But is used much more frequently among people of all ages. For example, "che, que hora es el examen?" (Hey, what time is the exam?) "che, me prestas un boligrafo por fa? (Dude, can I please borrow a pen?) "che, cuanto cuesta esta falda?" (Excuse me, how much is this skirt?) It can be and is used with any person, in practically any situation. Ergo, El Che represents Every Man--the epitome of culture. He has become an international symbol of fighting for the rights of the poor and depraved. Che is absolutely revered throughout Latin America. The following picture is compliments of my friend Hector Bautista. He encountered this on a pillar in the center of Cordoba a few weeks ago:

Meaning: Che Lives

He was born in Rosario de Santa Fe, Argentina on June 14, 1928. He passed his boyhood brilliantly, although very acute bouts of asthma caused the family to eventually move to Alta Gracia. He was an avid reader, and athlete as well.

In his teenage years, he truly became the Che that we know today. He took a year off from medical school and traversed South America on motorcycle with his friend, Alberto Granado. Che was so astounded by the absolute poverty they found in the hills of the Andes, and in the communities throughout their journey. They went from place to place, doing good for the people--eventually spending weeks in a leper colony--something that made international headlines.

In 1953, he started another journey, this time traveling all the way to Mexico, and fatefully meeting Fidel Castro. The two planned the coup d'etae to overthrow the Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Batista. They considered Batista to be a puppet at the hands of the US's money interests and wanted to take matters into their own, Latin American hands. The important thing to remember is ideologically, they were Marxist in thought. Culturally, we've been trained to have such a strong aversion to anything resembling "dirty commies." However, at the start, they had noble goals of helping the poor and raising up the common man. It's just a fact that Marxist thought can never work... anywhere. It's too philosophical of an idea and has no practicality for human nature nor the world in which we live. Okay, maybe that's my opinion a little bit. We all know what happened in Cuba, and the results thereof, so I need not expound upon that any further.

Eventually, Che tried to encourage a communist uprising in Bolivia and was killed. Now we come to another interesting crossroads. In American textbooks, it will say that he was captured and killed by Bolivian militants. However, the museum declares without shame, and with reason, that he was assassinated and blames the CIA. The CIA did train some Bolivian forces and aided their effort, but Bolivians carried out his actual execution, to the best of my knowledge. It's just interesting how history changes tone a little bit, depending on who is writing it.

My overall thoughts: Che is known for his catchphrase: !Hasta la Victoria Siempre! and some remember him only as his battle instructor deemed him, one of the best guerrilla fighters known to man. However, I think there was a lot more to this man than his guerrilla tactics. Call me victim of the propaganda, but since being here in Argentina, I can see the valiant hero behind the hype. I'll never be a fan of any sort of Marxist/ Communist thought, but I can respect how he dedicated his life to working to improve the conditions of the people of Central and South America. Even today, there is a huge disparity between our continents--believe me. I plan to blog about this very soon. Che was more than a revolutionary war hero, he was a philosopher, a writer and a family man. I cannot be a true Che fan and follower like so many are, but I hope that you, like I, can find respect for this man, even if we cannot find admiration. I was exceptionally affected by this poem in the museum, set in front of Che's infamous garb, that Che wrote (translation mine):