06 / 50 || Nelson Mandela; Fidel Castro || "How Far We Slaves Have Come!"

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06. How Far We Slaves Have Come! by Nelson Mandela; Fidel Castro
Pages: 83
Genre: Non-fiction; World Politics; Diplomacy and International Relations; South Africa; Latin America
Rating: 5/10; May or May Not Recommend

This is yet another of the books that a friend sent me to aid me in my quest to read books by people of color.

This book covers Mandela's visit to Cuba in 1991 on the anniversary of the Cuban revolution and also receiving a prestigious award from the Cuban people for his achievements. Cuba revolutionaries did a lot to aid several African countries in their own revolutionary struggles over the years, and Mandela speaks to the Cuban people as well as praises them for their support in his speech here. Fidel starts off praising Mandela and speaking about Cuban and African relations as well as internationalism in general, but begins to devolve into his usual rhetoric halfway through his speech.

That's part of the reason I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I enjoyed the others and, aside from the historical significance of the events it covers, it didn't really move me. I think it's because Castro did a lot of the talking int this book, and I don't find his rhetoric to be all that inspirational. I have mixed feelings about the man and about the state of Cuba today, and I think that had a lot to do with why it was hard for me to get into this book.

Anyway, if this particular event is something you'd like to read up on or would like to learn a little about the relationship between African nations and Cuba, it's something you may want to check out. Though, I'd probably go elsewhere for the latter.

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