SYMBOLS OF THE ETERNAL CUBA
By Néstor Carbonell Cortina
Based on an essay from my book La Cuba Eterna: Ayer, Hoy y Mañana
The Castro-Communist regime, backed by foreign enemy powers, has subjugated Cuba for more than 66 years. Yet, in all that time, it has not captured the nation’s soul. To this day, Cubans of all stripes share an irrepressible yearning for freedom – a yearning that one day will break the barriers of oppression.
When that moment comes, what will it take to galvanize long-suffering Cubans to take on the huge task of rebuilding the country, both physically and spiritually? In all likelihood, they will find inspiration in the symbols that represent the best of their traditions and the core of their identity.
We Cubans have five such symbols that are as relevant and uplifting today as ever:
I-THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, lyrics and music by our eminent Perucho Figueredo. Never again should this patriotic hymn, ennobled by the moral greatness of so many martyrs, give up its primacy to deceitful and sectarian compositions such as the July 26 Hymn. The nation must only have one anthem: the Anthem of Bayamo.
Its wise and melodic verses warn us never again to fall into demagoguery—the dark prelude to authoritarianism—for to live in chains is to live sunken in shame and disgrace.
II-THE FLAG of the Solitary Star. The visual power of its colors and the majestic wave of its folds are like a pennant of noble sentiments which proudly shine under the sun. The flag, first raised by Narciso López in Cárdenas on May 19, 1850, was followed with devotion by the heroic mambises and firmly upheld by the founders of the Republic in their quest for full sovereignty without the Platt Amendment.
Our sacred banner, desecrated in 1959 by traitors disguised as prophets, will once again fly high when the sickle, the hammer, and the oppressive regime fall, and Cubans recover their long-awaited freedom.
The Cuban Flag
III- THE NATIONAL CAPITOL is an impressive symbol of the nation, not only for its imposing marble structure, but because of the republican milestones it evokes and the legal and institutional achievements it represents.
It was in that temple of laws that our Magna Carta of 1940 was freely debated and approved, without domestic or foreign interference. That Constitution—banner of the struggle against Batista’s dictatorship and Castro’s Marxist-Leninist totalitarian regime—could serve as the legitimate foundation for Cuba’s transition to representative democracy, to free enterprise with a social conscience, and to justice guaranteed for all.
The National Capitol in Havana.
IV- JOSE MARTI, the apostle of our independence, is the preeminent symbol of our nationality. Within his halo, we also pay homage to all the heroes who have dignified our homeland. Martí fought tirelessly for Cuba’s freedom without hatred or resentment. Even to his enemies, he offered the White Rose.
His doctrine—With All and for the Good of All—offers the best guidance to achieve the redemption of the island and to anchor the Republic of tomorrow in the rule of law and in civic harmony.
José Julián Martí Pérez
V- OUR LADY OF CHARITY OF EL COBRE. Since the day the three Juanes saw her image floating on a small board in the Bay of Nipe, the Divine Mother has been a source of inspiration and comfort for Cubans. In our wars of independence, the liberating forces paid tribute to the Virgen Mambisa and invoked her holy name amid the fury of battle. And during the turbulent republican era, she offered light and encouragement for all.
OUR LADY OF CHARITY OF EL COBRE
When the Communist regime falls, our ruined, polarized and fractured Cuba will require vast infusions of capital and technology to revive the economy and rebuild the country. But it will also need a strong dose of Christian spirituality — to heal the wounds, restore faith and lift the spirits. Let us pray to our Lady of Charity to guide and bless those who will lead the regeneration of our liberated homeland.
——o——
These five deeply powerful symbols are like a sacred treasure. They enshrine the civic and moral values, the guiding principles, the sentiments and cardinal virtues that our forebears bequeathed to us. Even more, they embody the best of our Cuban identity: the CUBANIA that survives in the hope of its oppressed people and that beats in the hearts of countless exiles.