By The emblematic and infamous image of Che Guevara was present at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on Nov. 29 through a presentation on the life of the Argentinian political figure and revolutionary.
“Che Guevara; The Man, The Myth, The Icon,” chronicled the life of Guevara from an asthmatic youth to his death in the jungles of Bolivia. Presented by the former director of Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art, Gregorio Luke, the lecture included hundreds of rare photographs, video footage and historical documents to provide a thorough narrative on the figure’s life.
“My intention is not to praise or condemn Che, but to understand him. My hope is to give a lecture that is honest and rigorous of Che,” Luke said.
As a political figure, Guevara generates fervent passions that are either sympathetic or critical. He played a key role in the Cuban Revolution and was considered Fidel Castro’s right-hand man. Years after the revolution in Cuba, he led two separate efforts to incite a socialist revolution in the Congo and Bolivia.
Bolivian Special Forces, backed by CIA, captured and executed him in 1967.
Since his death, Guevara has become a symbol of world change, opposition to social injustices and a rebellious spirit against the status quo for some. His detractors, however, see him as a tyrant and a murderer.
Born Ernesto Guevara de La Serna in Rosario, Argentina, to an aristocratic family, Guevara traveled extensively through Latin America in his youth. In his travels, he became socially conscious of the struggles of the people in the region.
Chicano/Latino studies professor Victor Rodriguez said, “What happened to Che during these trips is that he saw the poverty, the oppression and the injustices that were being perpetuated to the people of Latin America, and he becomes an avid believer for social change.”
Guevara abandoned his medical career and a pleasant upper-middle class life in Argentina, dedicated himself to a socialist cause and joined a revolutionary guerrilla group in Mexico where he met Castro. The guerrilla force went to Cuba and successfully toppled the government that was led by Fulgencio Batista.
Rodriguez cited the romanticism of a relentless fighter of social injustices, his selflessness and belief of a cause worthy dying for as the reasons that has made Guevara a cultural icon.
“He decided that the problem was not the poor; it was the system,” Rodriguez said. “Che Guevara is an icon because he represents a person of well-founded principles, ideals, truths and beliefs.”
Rodriguez also said that Guevara was absolutely not an idyllic political figure and indeed carried out several atrocities.
The multimedia presentation was explicit in every aspect of Guevara’s life. The audience gasped when video footage detailed Guevara’s involvement at La Cabaña, where he oversaw the trials and execution of many people, many of who were officials of the regime toppled by the revolution.
Sociology student Natalie Statham said she felt the event was objective and educational.
“Like a lot of students, I didn’t know much about Che except from seeing his face on T-shirts and posters, so a presentation like this one is a good way to make valued judgments on important historical figures,” Statham said.
Spanish professor Maria Carreira said the admiration by people for Guevara is misguided.
“The myth and the image of Che was beautiful, but the man was not,” Carreira said. “I can see how many people who don’t know who he was may glorify him, but once they understand the reality, they’ll come to understand that he was in fact a tyrant.”
Born in Cuba, Carreira’s family went into exile when she was ten years old. She said her family was involved in the Cuban Revolution, and that her maternal grandfather was a hero of the revolution and a statue was built in his honor.
“He was helping out the guerrillas by hiding people,” Carreira said of her grandfather. “He was caught and executed by Batista’s forces and became a hero during the last days of the revolution.”
Carreira’s father also formed part of the revolution and fought alongside Castro. She said that soon after the war, her father had begun to question the policies of the newly instilled rebel army and he was executed for dissidence. She said people should not idolize Guevara out of respect for the victims.
“I’m not angry at people for embracing the image of Che. It’s the fact that people overlook the atrocities he committed,” Carreira said.
Nonetheless, Carreira said she praised young people and activists who use Guevara as an icon of social change with T-shirts and banners.
“It tells me they’re idealistic, they’re intelligent, they’re freedom lovers who are striving for social change, and I commend that,” she said.
Luke said the lecture was straightforward and characterized the events that marked the life of Guevara as a man and revolutionary. Luke said he wanted to open up a dialogue about a topic that is controversial with his background in the arts. He cited the importance of Guevara as an icon and what he means to a lot of people.
“Even the harshest critics of Che Guevara have never questioned his integrity, his honesty, his beliefs and principles,” Luke said. “You cannot deny the importance of Che as a new image of Che and his status as an icon.”
