Love and Revolution

   This weekend I watched Steven Soderbergh's two-part film, Che, based on the participation of Ernesto "Che" Guevara in Fidel Castro's 26th of July movement and the Ñancahuazù Guerrilla group in Bolivia. The revolutionary was portrayed by Academy Award-winning actor Benicio del Toro.

   The first part of the film followed Fidel Castro's overthrow of Cuban President Fulgencio Batista in 1959 with the assistance of Che. It alternated between Guevara's December of 1964 addresses to the UN and his assistance in the guerrilla warfare that eventually took down Batista's regime.

   The second part covered his actions in Bolivia from 1965 to 1967, where the democratic government, assisted by the United States, attempted to capture him in an effort to prevent a revolution similar to that in Cuba. This half had a more somber tone, as he was eventually caught and executed by the Bolivian army.

   What I found to be most interesting about the film was the overall portrayal of Che. He was, by most standards, a communist, which, especially in his day, carried a heavy connotation. Marxist/Leninist ideals are often regarded as "only good on paper" and utopian rather than practical and realistic, and its proponents commonly have self-interest in mind, rather than that of the people.

   But Guevara seemed to have a radically different view that was, if anything, more truly communist than most. I began to see this when, in Part One, Castro and Guevara are leading troops through the Cuban jungle in order to reach target cities. Along the way they passed through many villages and farms, often while in dire need of food and supplies. Yet they never stole or harassed the peasants; instead they paid for everything and, if nothing was for sale, went on their way. Thievery within their army was punishable by death.

   At first I believed this to simply be good public relations; any attempt to oust an oppressive regime would be pointless if those posing as the "good guys" blindly berated the peasants who they would soon govern. Instead, they treated them fairly, even offering medical attention when needed.

   Che, however, seems to view this as more than the necessary custom. This becomes apparent in a statement he made during the 1964 Afro-Asian Conference in Algeria:

   "Socialism cannot exist without a change in consciousness resulting in a new fraternal attitude toward humanity, both at an individual level, within the societies where socialism is being built or has been built, and on a world scale, with regard to all peoples suffering from imperialist oppression."

   Guevara believed in the brotherhood of mankind above all else, not just the communist platform of government. Perhaps this ideal was the most utopian of all, but it showed a tremendous amount of dedication to the people that other regimes across the Atlantic Ocean lacked. As the "architect" of the 26th of July movement, this belief was a strong driving force in Castro's assertion of power, which stressed Cuba's independence from all other sovereignties, their only similarity with other communist governments being their framework.

   Whether or not Cuba maintained or ever held the faith of Ernesto Guevara, he did try and spread it elsewhere. And, all along, he carried a simple and ringing message.

   In the film, he is asked by interviewer Lisa Howard, "What is the most important quality for a revolutionary to possess?" His answer:

   "Love."