Intellectual lessons from Dr Aleida Guevara (Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara's daughter) and a special meeting with Aleida March (Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara's wife) – Conversations on education, revolution, and socialism of care, Havana, May 2024

Abstract

On 2 May 2024, a special meeting was arranged with Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara's daughter, Dr Aleida Guevara at their home in Havana which was followed at the end with a greeting from Che's wife Aleida March. The authors (migrant-settler in Canada originally from India and Cuban friend/colleague who had arranged for the visit – both Human Geographers) along with three Brazilian friends (Doctor, Dentist, and Sociologist) were invited. For more than 3 hours, an intense dialogue ensued. We recount three intellectual lessons that emerged during our discussion. Each of the topics addressed by Aleida reflected her stance as an anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist, anti-neocolonialist, and internationalist revolutionary. The discussions included the essential concepts in Che's Marxism, which were integral during the construction process of the Cuban Revolution. Three main themes that emerged included: Cuban Revolution and the socialism of care; challenges facing Cuban socialism today; and the continuing importance of international solidarity. The discussions were interspersed with personal stories, recounts of her father, and humorous anecdotes. Dr Aleida Guevara's tricontinental solidarity work that she shared with us and lessons learned across different historical and geographical contexts in the spirit of her father's intellectual insights towards struggles for freedom provide a theoretical foundation for us to consider today.