Film explores Operation Makasi, forgotten Cubans against communism in Africa

«Cubans fighting Castrocomunism in Africa» ​​is a historical documentary that testifies to the commitment of a sector of the Cuban people with the recovery of their rights.

In which known Operation Makasi, a plan promoted by US government agencies to stop the communist progress in the old Belgian Congo, Cuban exiles participated, backed by US authorities.

Many of these combatants had faced the Castro regime on the island and, in exile, they were integrated into the 2506 Brigade. Subsequently, they joined armed groups led by Manuel Artime, in Central America, from where, aboard rapid boats, they attacked Castro objectives.

When it was learned that Ernesto «Che» Guevara headed the contingent sent by Castro to the Congo, the interest of the exiles to join the operation grew.

«The fight occurred at night and lasted about two hours. It was at a short distance. They only fought four of the five enemy vessels, since the fifth moved away. Shortly after we knew that Guevara was going in it,» says gunner Félix Toledo in the film.

The pilot Juan Carlos Perón tells the death of his partner Juan Tuñón, who, after contracting malaria, was captured by rebels and brutally murdered.

One of the most moving testimonies is from the infant Juan Tamayo who recalls: “We went to rescue some missionary families. There were children, women, elders … but what impressed me most were not the shots, but a little girl of less than a year that I had to protect between my legs while fireding a machine gun. I covered the face with a hand so that the hot caps were not burned. He still lives, must be deaf;

After Operation Makasi, Cuban exiles decided to fight in Angola against the Castro forces supported by Agostinho Neto.

Brigadista Miguel Álvaro Jimeno explains in the documentary the purpose of the incursion in the other African country: «Our presence in Angola was an extension of our fight against communism.»

«The operation was oblivious to the US government, and when the Clark amendment was applied, we went clandestinely to Zaire. There, Holden Roberto facilitated two Isuzu trucks where we hid each other between bananas,» he says in reference to the amendment to the US weapons export control law of 1976 Angola

Another member of the group, Captain Eduardo Barea, showed his solidarity with the pilot Gastón Bernal, who was arrested in Gabon for lack of recognized documentation. Barea remembers that there he told the authorities: «Although you accepted me, I will keep this man in jail until they let him in.»

The documentary also includes the humanitarian support of Cuban exile through the Miami Medical Team, founded by Dr. Manuel Alzugaray, who clarifies that it is a voluntary project, sustained with the personal contribution of each of its members.

«One night, while we operated, we listened to a strong explosion. We thought they were mortars, but it was an elephant who stepped on a mine. It was a tragedy for the population, which deeply loves animals,» recalls the doctor.

Wenceslao Cruz, producer of «Cubans fighting Castrocomunism in Africa», the most recent film made by the Cuban Historical Memory Institute against Totalitarianism, considers that this work, as well as previous films produced by this entity, are necessary tributes to heroes and victims of Castro totalitarianism.

«The record of all types of struggles undertaken against the Cuban dictatorship is a constant work of the institute … with interviews, conferences, documentaries and extensive archives, they are a real historical jewel at the service of whoever wants to document the cruel reality that Cubans live for 66 years,» explains the filmmaker.

The communications expert Roberto Pichardo concludes in the documentary that in that chapter of the story «there was a lot of cuban blood spilled.»

«But in the end it was a triumph against communism. They had to retire,» says the interviewee.

Drafting Note: On Friday, March 28, the documentary “Cubans fighting Castrocommunism in Africa” will be presented at the Graham Center of the International University of Florida (FIU) at 7 pm and broadcast on Martí News and all its digital platforms.