FIDEL CASTRO SPEECH TO WOMEN'S CONGRESS

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CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9
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December 16, 2016
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January 16, 1963
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Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 UL HHIH 1 CUBA 16 January 1963 FIDEL CASTRO SPEECH TO WO~tu1 t S CONGRESS Havana in Spanish to the Americas 0451. GMT 16 January 1963--E (Live speech by Fidel Castro at the closing of the Congress of Women of the Americas) (Text) Women of America; fraternal delegates--be patient--fraternal delegates--can you hear?--of the countries of Europe., Asia, and Africa who are visiting us. In the first place, I want to make clear--.as I have already told some of the lady comrades of the congress-.-that if this function began a little late, it was not my fault. (Laughter) Because this year is the year of organization (laughter)o I was in the theater at 2057 (laughter), and we intend during this year of organization to be punctual. What happened was that the comrades: the comrades of the congress talked a lot. I think they were speaking till eight or nine more or less, until eight and then some (laughter): and that is why this function began a little late. I only want to make it clear that it was not my fault. (Laughter) It has been a very great honor for us: for our country: that Cuba is the site of this congress. We understand that it has been a very positive event: a serious event. We have tried to keep ourselves informed, to read the material of the various reports presented to the congress, and our impression is really that all of them have great value because of their seriousness, the correct focusing of the problems: the enormous amount of data they contribute about the realities of our continent. Naturally, the topics of the congress were restricted to those sections that relate to the interests of women, but what, really: does not interest woman in modern society? What does not interest the Latin American woman: the American woman regarding our social problems? When discussions are held about the rights of women: of their aspirations: we see that there cannot be rights of women in our America or rights of children, mothers, or wives if there is no revolution. (Applause) The fact is that in the world in which the American woman lives, the woman must necessarily be revolutionary. (Applause) Why must she be revolutionary? Because woman, who constitutes an essential part of every people: is, in the first place: exploited as a worker and discriminated against as a woman. Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 HEiii 2 CUBA 16 January 1963 And who are the revolutionaries in the society of man? Who were they throughout history? In sisal; le terms, the exploited and the discriminated. Because woman is not only exploited as a worker when she works for an exploiting; nonopoly, for a society of...exploiting classes, but even as a worker she is the most exploited worker, with the lowest salaries, the worst conditions, with a series of contradictions among her social functions-P-her condition as a woman and the exploitation to which she is subjected! Thus, logically, women are revolutionary, and on a continent like this, ':hey must be revolutionary; That is why in our country women are "revolutionary. (Applause) In our country many women were exploited. They were exploited as workers who worked to enrich a class, and were also discriminated against as worker. Many women did not even have access to work, to the opportunity to work. In Comrade Vilmats report, there appears a report on the activities of the Cuban woman within the revolution and the benefits the Cuban woman has received through the revolution. The report was long, but even so it is possible that the report has some ommissions, because the revolutions has done even more for woman. It does not believe it has done it all, not in the least, but it intends to continue to work for the woman. And, in our country, the woman, like the 1/egro, is no longer discriminated against. In reality, the revolution has meant much to the Cuban woman. Within the revolution, the revolutionary leadership makes efforts to make available more and more opportunities to the woman. As an example we can cite the fact that when the medium and large shoe, clothing, and hardware sales enterprises were nationalized, the Ministry of internal Trade was instructed to select women as administrators of those firms. (Applause) Some 1i-,000 administrators--(Castro now corrects himself--Ed.) that is, administrators for some 4,000 centers--90 percent or more are presently administered by women. There is another statistic, for example, that did not appear in the report of the comrade president of the federation--and it is very illustrative-- about the increase of the participation of the woman in activities that were practically closed to her: It is the fact that, for example, in some professions, such as the medical profession, the number of women 'ho entered that university school was, possibly, less than 10 percent. At this time, in the institute of basic medical sciences, that is to s, the first year of medical schools, about 50 percent are women. (Applause) Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 HHHH 3 CUBIC i6 January 1063 Those facts of evidence of how, in four years of revolution, the woman has been incorporated into social life, the life of her country, the life of the circle" in which she lives and develops. For examrole, women also paraded along with our soldiers on 2 Janua.?y in contingents of women's military battalions. In our army there are a series of.functions in which women work and perform services,, The bourgeois concept. -of 'womanhood is.disappearing in our country. The concepts of stigma, concepts" of discrimination, have really been disappearing in our country, and the masses of women have realized this. Prejudice--.is being replaced by a new concept in which the qualities of the woman are valued for a series of social activities, in some of which they demonstrate exceptional virtues. A broad field of action has been opened..to there. If you compare the report of the Cuban delegation with the reports of the delegations of Latin America, -see the great differences. The problems here now you will be able to are, for example, how to free the woman from domestic slavery, how to create conditions that would, permit her to participate as much as possible in production, from which the woman and the. revolution both profit. Within a society like the capitalist society--one of unemployment, millions of men without work--it is logical that women are many times relegated to restricted, economic activities. Within a Society like ours, in which, because of the complete development of all the resources of the nation and our planned economy, more and more labor is needed for production, it is logical that the revolution concern itself with creating those conditions. And. so today the revolution is concerned with the establishment of the largest possible number of children's centers, student dining halls, and with the creation of those circumstances that will enable the women not to be a slave of the kitchen; and with the establishment of laundries. It is clear that the increase of certain of those institutions, such as ch.ild.ren's centers, is restricted by the resources we may have under certain circumstances. This year emphasis is being placed on the establishment of workers' dining balls in the principal factories of the country, and next year the accent will be placed on the establishment of students' dining halls. The deveJ.opraent of those jnstitutions will enable the woman to participate more in work, "production, and the life of her country--not, only economic activities, but pol_ii ica.7. and srx~iq"7 nx-.-r.3vj.ti.es as well. (App.1ause~ Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 HHHH 4 CUBA 16 January 1963 Today those are our concerns, because the women in our country are able to be concerned with these solutions. The Cuban delegation has also spoken of the gigantic effort made by the revolution on the education front. There is hardly any need to speak; it is sufficient to see it. This movement can be seen. It is a movement that is forging a great future for this country; it is a movement that demonstrates the objectives of the revolution projected, above all, toward the future. It has permitted the duplication of the number of children in the schools, the duplication of the number of students in secondary and superior schools, the eradication of illiteracy, and it can enable this country to march forward in forging a uiagnificient youth destined to inherit the conditions the revolution is creating for that youth. Our problem now is not how to win the right to do that, but how to do it as perfectly as possible: There is a difference between the situation of the women of America represented in this congress and the representation of the Cuban women: Cuban women have the opportunity to do all that, and the American women need that opportunity. Our problems are different in the sense that it now is how we will do it and how best we can do it. For us it is no longer a matter of the chance to have, let us say, nearly 100,000 youths studying under state scholarships, but rather how to organize them, now to see to it that the schools where they study are more efficient, how to train cadres of teachers, and how to do that task well. That does not mean that we do not have much work. On the contrary, there is more and more work all the time in the revolution. But the revolution is creating resources and more resources along the march. An example of how those resources are created is the fact that it recently was necessary to receive in our capital nearly 10,000 young peasant girls from Oriente Province. (Applause) Whom" to give that task to? The federation of women had been in charge of that work, but the federation of women had the work of attending to all the boarding houses of 'the scholarship students. It did not have enough cadres, but there was a teachers' school that was organized by a group of brigadist girls who participated in 1961 in the great literacy campaign, a school of 1,100 young girls who were studying to be teachers. It is a good school. The comrade who is in charge of that school, and who is a great pedagogue because she knows how to teach, Comrade Elena .Gi:L, had begun with a group of 300 revolutionary instructors--that is, 300 female teachers formed from groups of youths who volunteered to teach in the mountains. She began by training 300 revolutionary instructors for the night schools for girls who work in domestic service. This was the first school. First there were 300. With those 300 girls, the night schools were organized. Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 CUBA 3.6 January 1963 Then there were another 300, and their nunT. .r reached 600. With the help of these girls, the A!tacarense T:r v ' E,! c institute was organized. That trained 1,100 of whom 300 were selected for spec.al courses, w3:th those 300 the. rest of the girls, the school.s for the 2.0,00") peasant girls who arrived were organized. (App.ae We already had cadres--girls from the literacy who had already studied one year, girls who already have discipline, a sense of responsibility. It is really impressive to cross one of these avenues where mil,l,ionaries once lived and find groups of girls in uniforms, peasant girls going from,one place to another--,possibly to eat or to class. With them, in her scholarship student uniform, a girl who was in some cases younger than the peasant girls themsieves, but they were (as heard) the leaders. They were in charge of the group: they were in charge_of the house in which they live and were, in addition, their teachers. They work and study. Consider how those girls are being trained, already receiving that responsibility, already getting serious tasks, fulfilling them. They have a system, and they combine study with works This indicates that the number of persons trained will be greater all the time. Nov we must organize another teachers 8 school. The revolution changed the method of selecting teachers, because teachers used to be selocted exclusively from persons from the city. The revolution charged that procedure. It established a system of selection and opportunity for all girls and boys who want to become teachers, and the system begins in the mountains. (App ::fuse ) That is why we now have 5,000 youths in the mountains who are entering their first year of studies for the teaching profession. Later they will go to school for two more years. Then they will go to a higher institute where they will stay for another two years. Many of those ferule teachers will be'of peasant extraction, girls familiar with the mountains, with the rural areas. At the same time, we are organizing pre-university courses for peasant girls who are in the fourth and fifth grades and want to begin studying to be teachers. From those same 10,000 peasant girls we will select those with the greatest vocational (appitude-.Ed. and prepare them to enter those schools. Within a per,od of time we will have our higher institute for teachers with 6,000 students, v-orn we can mobilize so )that they in turn can teach, combining studies with work. This is being carried out with the great effort of a certain number of persons who work on that front. Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 HLini 6 CUBA 16 January 1963 Are there. many persons who are perfectly competent for.that. task? Iti'o, u brttnate1;,~, there are not But when there is a competent person in cha_ge of any of those activities, he creates what we can call a school; that is, a system of work. We do not have many Elesas. now, but in the future we will have hundredS.of Elesas, because they will be the girls she trained. Every day there will be more schools, superior schools, and we need many cadres in education to organize and take charge of those schoolc. Thus advances the revolution with its youth. It can do it.. We have won the opportunity to begin to do all that. The comrades of Latin America present a realistic picture of the situation of the continent. It is really frightening. We believe that all those reports should be published in a pamphlet to be distributed here and outside (applause) in Latin America. Those figures are really depressing- the statistics about the number of children without schools or teachers; undernourished; the shameful figures of the percentage of children who reach the sixth grade, the percentage of those who can undertake secondary studies,, and the percentage of those who can undertake university studies; the figures on infant mortality, the consequence of the unhealthy conditions in which they live, the undernourishment,, the lack of medical programs. To day. this is not our situation. Today, we can say that not a single child is crippled by poliomyelitis; we can say that tens of thousands of children are saved as a result of medical assistance. More and more -national public health programs continue to develop. The number of beds in our hospitals has practically tripled. The resources assigned to public health have been quintupled. Today those are not our problems, but they are the problem-of an entire continent. Our Problem is how to create eve hin, we need to satify so to overcome the Poverty which im eria ist ex oitatlon eft us. That is our problem. Our ;so is big, hard, difficult! And ]. is no easy to have to carry out that task with the threatening claws of imperialism hanging over us, with the ceaseless hostility of the most powerful and aggressive imperialist nation of the world. How to carry out that work is our problem. How to defend the revolution and the sovereignty of this country while at the same time advancing, that is our problem. But that, American women, is not your problem. Your problem, and that of the peoples you represent, is how to win the opportunity to do this, which we are doing.'(Applause) We are certain we will advance--in some. Nears -more, in some years less. Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 III 7' CUBA :L6 January 1963 We are certain that we will overcame our difficulties at times with more sacrifices than at others. We are " certain that imperialism will not be able to defeat us (applause), because there will never be any conquered in this. country. (Applause) ,;.There may be. fallen, dead, but no defeated. (Chanting, applause) If the Yankee i erialists one daa4 using all their might and resources, were to decide to d 1,0 -this country .ist, they coLi7devay would be "we have des ed it " not "we have defeated it." A lause And we know that that danger hangs over'tis,' but we a so know that there remains an entire continent and an entire world. We are not just Cubans; we are Latin Americans. (Applause, cheering) We are even more because we are not only Latin Americans, we are human beings who live on the planet Earth. (Applause) The important thing. is the victory of mankind. We know that in resisting the imperialists, being firm against the Yankee imperialists, we are defending the rights of mankind. That is how we Cubans think. I repeat. the problem 'or us toda s to work a fight. Cou , roblem is to fight i The figures are there, those co , terrible figures which, when UNESCO or FAO or any other U.N. organization compiles statistics, say so many millions of so much and so. many millions of so much more, so many millions of deaths from hunger or curable disease, or so many millions of children without schools, or so many millions without homes, or so many millions undernourished; life expectancy is so much, which is half of the average life span in the highly industrialized and exploiting countries. The figures are there, including the figures of the dead, which are higher than those of any revolution. UNZtdeathsx~ere,r in Latin America those who die ofhun er.and illness without assistance is Latin America. (At7r~e,. Are1 ?rtke _ st e cost 20 000 lives but m a n y times 20,000 lives have re been ve We can wait, an the figures will continue to pile up, as will the millions of unfortunates, exploited, dying. The figures are there, the results of the feudal, - imperialist exploitation. e roblem e JIg"eg m e restricted to writ= them down in a graph or a pamphlet. We must think about ho to 1 e tha situation, experts on e rev 6Iu#onaries the sl"" ; Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 egg g CUBA 16 January 1963 It is the masses who make his~r but em to make history-,,- the or_ IM pw$*~ d the rev~I t qn o batt e - (ADvlause -., A 4 th t:?~s...,W j (Applause) They have sent 'cne corr eec~tactics o.e-masses Iaat is wbpt we did. The four, five, six, or seven of us who one day asses were separated did not conquer-power. ~leaslied ewhichmovement culminated inthe that.the struggle against the tyranny victory of the people. With regard to this there is something we want to clear u because there hJe been some harebrainedn theoret aniswho . g ~'?~d ~ ba there was a peaceful chaYi e from capitalism to social sm. at is like QeI lT y i 1.11'l Ig" as. a...w, . ..: ..n~..:.~r._ :r+ _ .w ...wE,.w. ~. It is like denying that an army from the bosom of the people in this country defeated a modern army, armed hnd instructed by Yankee imperialism. (Applause) That is like denying that explosive, incendiary bombs have fallen on our peasants, cities, and towns, bearing the legend: Made in USA. That is like denying the formidable struggle of our people. It is)like denying Play=:. Giron and those who fell there. s o eacefultransition h there wo d not h ve een hi c bt titin without w it wa? a comaranso , ? ,,,,r ,nou at heroic battle, that armed e o the u an people we would perhaps still have o-11- j--- - here, made in USA. Those are the historic truths. And e tate_ ,ave the t r1 t to ea a our - -- ~ theoreticians tel in us wa a ene ere without vi,, ever coehere. r ,,,~ nna ozwv T'tiPM n One does no have o_~.w. _,-isle low Ma" rea th And let the eo les ] h because ose false interpretations of - - ~ ~ ? ? eQX S s m eria sm hi qtorv tend tQ .create that, conornism thsty., ,,, tends to_create, that resignation andreformism and thati of interpretations i jorffy owe do exist--but where su conditions mus t-be erect by faisi '77 T ono s of histo do a in merican ha periali_sts r org~anizstios; to e theme sses marcu vv ~CLULLVLL ArxJuse} ,_ Th& acs w` t' ie can Algeria. eve act WaVAMOM q, an e orv .. conform with the situation of the not countries ere get ve conditions - op ve clearly seen that objective conditions con &ions are missing. asz su sec ve . ry . t lc a ; iy ar c ect ty1i1s or u ie with correct methods, Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 HM 9 are not created b sa .x ?'"~~ a Those subjective conditions eaceu~ transition in tuba. One of the delegates shouts something i^ w I^ c _ CIUt 03 C~nsuse .. of ..7-. ....~.......3 n E 7 Z -F 4 not ? >t~ l--I er 01 ou s _ iLza But CUBA 16 January 1.9~ ? eace :.ansi io, not --deny it, because We do not deny it but we do say that there was no peacefal transition; and we do__protest _a;ainst an atteiupt to use the case of Cuba to confuse the revolution s other ountries wk~ re file on ee'Give cone}- v.Lvs-U) for the rev 3 eyIjI_and where e can do he same thing una id. I is logical that imperialist theoreticians try to prevent revolution the imperialists slander the Cuban revolution, sow lies, say the worst horrors, create fear of revolutions among the people. B et 2 Q n or-fear of from a revolutionary position_a ei t to create conforpLigs revo cations . 't'hat is absur Let _th _ imperialist theoe iar~s re ach eneralization. I want to make That is what we think. That was what we said in the declaration of Havana, which, in some fraternal countries, received from some revolutionary organizations the honors of a desk drawer when it should have received the just publicity it deserved. It would be like locking up everything you have discussed here. Of course, if we do not want the masses to learn about it, we must put it in a drawer. But. if, we te., the m:ssees tia t, on is . they rr,,,G+,._ ~l one re to. t_ the road S". v1es- bring them to the st gle because_ th t_ road is much as er in man Latin American countries t an was n u. a. a we are not making an c Tear a we ..snow 1... s V. . excep awaiting we o WA" because we hope that in 40 years daughters of our federated women the-same problems. (Applause) reach revo u _ on t ty, lq know iv- in the m jorit;y ,.of the Latin To say it here is a duty, we will not meet as today--the grand- with your granddaughters--to discuss Our country is facing difficult eirc>rstances, great risks. There is no reason to stick our heads into a hole like the ostrich. Things must be seen realistically. Our country is experiencing a period of risks, of great dangers. as S case. TancL Here Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 ME 10 CUBA 16 qTanuary 1963 On one side we have Yankee imperialism, imperialism's most aggressive and most powerful nation, which has set as its basic ain the destruction of this revolution, and on the other, we have circumstances that are adverse to the world revolutionary movement. First, I want to say that not (Applause) _I want to say that in our opinion, 31.11 -the opinion of th e revolutionary leadership of our country, a war was avoided but peace was not won. That is not the same thing. Do all the circumstances that forced us to take the measures we took, the steps we took, not still exist? Does the declared policy of hostility and aggression against our country of the Yankee imperialists not still persist? We do not believe in the words of Kennedy; but, moreover uarantee without the five oints we it Yie has aTea~?" 7.1 for u, ais'actor =42d as a result of that n. We must be very clear on these controversial and subtle questions. We must be clear on them. If it is said that we are here, that" is, that we have not been destroyed because of the solidarity of the socialist camp, it is the truth. But if it said that we are here because of Kennedy's word, that is not the truth. We have resisted for four years thanks to that solidarity. Very well, what is peace to us? What peace is there for us? Since Kenne~-::1 spoke in the Orange Bowl, the agents of imperialism have cor1-c'i?od four murders. They killed a peasant scholarship student on vacation in Trinidad. They killed, by burning him alive, a worker in Las Villas.Province, a worker who worked in the reforestation service. They murdered an 11-year old in San Antonio de Las Vegas. They murdered two CDP1. comrades in the province of Matanzas, Yankee agents with Yankee weapons, following Yankee orders! The policy of subversion declared by the imperialists. What did we say?. How could there be a solution if the imperialists assumed the right of trying to strangle our country with hunger, of trying to isolate our country and pressure all shipping lines and airlines in order to deprive us of essential raw materials and create hunger in this cc:antry. (How could there be a solution--Ed.) if the imperialists assumed the ri&E-it to maintain that blockade policy against us and to create every imaginable obstacle outside international law, outside the principles that regulate the United Nations; if the imperialists assumed the right to subvert social order, introdiice weapons, saboteurs, train them, organize mercenaries; if the imperialists assumed the right to violate our sea and air space; if the imperialists assumed the right to organize pirate bands; if'the Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 H[il.i 11 CUBA 16 January 1963 imperialists assumed the right to retain a piece of our.territory, which points at the heart of our country? WhAtright.can the imperialists have to de5aand the rith0awal of friendly weapons while their:; ;ni.nts ln enemy weapons on Cubt~,ii territory? What right have the imperialists to do that? In three statements, in the one NO. Kennedy made after the crisis, (as heard) he used threatening larguage, maintaining his policy of using economic, political, and other kinds of pressure and, guaranteeing that he would not invade if we did not promote subversion. But for Kennedy, this is subversion. You can't win! (Estamos fritos.) There is a congress of women, who sea of hunger, the frightening poverty of Latin America; that is subversion. Whhn he spoke to tho mercenaries at the Orange Bowl, he said that he would deliver the mercenary flag in Havana. i pue di.ate s ituat Z M invading Cuba Latin l'm:merican countries. That is what they have sai , ere is the eor mi;tm nt not o rives e Cuba? It is insolent for the Yankee secretary of state to say that they'have not committed themselves not to invade Cuba, as if international law, the U.N. Charter, and all the norms that regulate relations between nations did not commit them to not invade our country since, of course, they have no right to invade Cuba. By speaking in that way, instead of promising not to invade, they shirk the obligation they have under international law not to invade Cuba. Moreover, they shcsv that the Yankee leaders have the souls of gangsters and pirates.' irates . (Applause) I believe that many arguments are not necessary. The words and the deeds are there. That is why we say that a war has been avoided, good; but peace has not been won. This is bad. That is the situation. The imperialists are somewhat o, timistic _1h s reflected in their .om - wor s . I do not thi.nh that o timism has ,an rea_sQn to exist other than e underestimation of the realities of the world and the underestimation of tho straps, of th_e aeo lea, Items clear that they do not wan a finge moved in _ Latin neric a. -.. hey do rot, _w les to fight. . For instance the exam ,le . of the horolc Venpne l an people ` %3 se for them _ a horribl e. n t lt;m re They want to e c m permitted to establ.: sh the bases o a eng Tasting empire based on even more inhomah exploitation. Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 Approved For Release 2005/06/01 : CIA-RDP79T00429A000300020033-9 J UI 12 CUBA 16;Januarv 1963 A l those programs are always based on an alleged austerity which means more privation for the workers., more sacrifice for the masses. Let no one doubt it--the Alliance for Progress will not roster because it is siiilp~ ?a o? is of dominates on exAi oatati"on and retreat. The T7ar~:na c 0 Betancour, {the S