Che's Congo Campaign

[SittingBull47]

I finished the section of Jon Lee Anderson's biography on Che, the section that talks about Che's failed revolution in the Congo. All I can say is wow. Think of the frustration he must have been experiencing, with such indifferent troops of Congolese. It was their own fucking country and they could care less! They ran and were disorganized. I can't believe a man like Che even bothered sticking it out if the oppressed people had no heart for revolution. I have a deeper admiration for him now, not that I didn't have one before.

[pandora]

I was impressed by Che in that situation as well. It's seems the Congolese were real superstitious and would believe a lot of foul play to be the work of spirits. It's all so interesting that the local slang for I'm not going to carry that I'm not a mule switched to I'm not going to carry that I'm not a Cuban!
Still there is a point when he seems to be getting through, by defying orders and going into battle with the men. The men seemed real disaffected because the Congelese Rebel leaders were too proud too fight with the men. I think that it's interesting that they limited Che from doing so because they didn't want him to show them up. Also when he did find a commandante who he could work with to instill disipline he was suspiciously murdered right away.
Still when Che addressed the UN on the part of the Cuba towards the situation in Congo he blamed the colonial oppression of the Beligians.
As Paulo Freire says, "Never in history has violence been initiated by the oppressed. How could they be the sponsors of something whose objective inauguration called forth their existence as oppressed? There would be no oppressed had there been no prior situation of violence to establish their subjugation."
There is also the slave mentality that may still be in effect subconsciously in the Congo, if someone was known to be a good worker and very strong, they could be sold as a slave, so perhaps people downplay still their strengths and play up their weakness as a way of escaping oppression still to this day.

[SittingBull47]

hmm, that's an interesting way of looking at it.

If i were Che i would have instantly lost my temper with the Congolese.