Revolution! editor and RCP spokesman Carl Dix recently spoke with Rogue Isles resistence leader Amareo Soares Condorcanqui, also known as "El Commandante," and brought back a new perspective on the modern revolutionary's work.
Carl Dix: "Pleasure to meet you, buenas tardes."
El Commandante: "Gracias, buenas tardes... Tu hablas espanol?"
CD: "Si, pero yo hablo en ingles para la entrevista, por favor."
EC: "Then it is settled. What is your first question?"
CD: "Many of our readers have heard of you as of late, but very few know exactly who you are. Those who have studied their history may remember your involvement in Angola, which we will get to later. But perhaps you can acquaint yourself with our readers now."
EC: "Ah.. Yes. My name is Amareo Soares Condorcanqui. I was born in Santiago de Cuba. I was still very young when the Granma's revolution overthrew Batista. I remember, because even though I was a mere child in the eyes of other men, I stood up and fought. My father had been killed by one of the organized crime rings. I knew that Batista was to blame for letting them into our country and rule us. I was willing to fight for freedom."
CD: "Did you meet with any of the Granma revolutionaries?"
EC: "A few times, yes. At that time, Fidel, who would become a good friend of mine, was not the man many of us would believe him to be. Even those men leading the revolution were merely youths it would seem. So idealistic and naive, in our own way. We had no conception of socialism, merely freedom. When Cuba was free, we knew that we would have to keep that freedom."
CD: "So it wasn't a socialist revolution?"
EC: "I never said that. It was for the people, by the people, and that is the meaning of socialism. We fought to better our own lives, as well as those of our children and our nation. Names, labels, they are only shells and ideologies. They are not action."
CD: "What influenced the change in ideology, for Castro and his main supporters?"
EC: "I was trusted by them, and as I grew in age I became more respected, especially since my bravery during the revolution. We first went to our former allies in the United States. We needed support, but they denied us this, because Fidel had nationalized the land. The leases American companies had on our land made it impossible for us to use our own resources. They still have one piece of it, and it disgusts me what goes on there today. Its a slap in the face of my people."
CD: "So rejection by the United States led Cuba to the Soviet Union?"
EC: "To put in plain terms, yes. Cuba is not a self-sufficient nation, and without external help it will struggle to keep itself at a sustainable level. We have few resources and must cooperate. The Soviets were more than willing to help us. With them, came a new ideology. While I might occasionally disagree, it was a very fair trade. Our country's lifestake for simply changing our names from 'populists' to 'socialists.' Superficially, the ideology met ours, so there was no conflict."
CD: "Thank you for your personal insight, but more about you now. You were promoted to a high level position in the army, one of the youngest, but most decorated soldiers of your age. What part did you have in the shaping of the Cuban army?"
EC: "We used to, and in some ways still do, have one of the most efficient and excellent militaries in the world. I wish I could be more humble about it. I played a small part in this, I didn't set the standards. But I gave a love and comradeship to my men that is all-important. That is the bonds you must set, for there to be a true cohesion for the unit. I would die for my men, and they would die for me. We would all die in the name of the revolution."
CD: "Angola is a complex subject, but it's also one of the most superhuman involved conflicts during the Cold War. Could you give us some context as to this?"
EC: "Of couse. We had been monitoring the activities in Angola for some time, and when finally the old government had been onverthrown, there was immediate reaction by South Africa. Cominform moved to gather forces to protect Angola, and the Soviets organized one of the first "supergroups" on the communist side of the fence. I was a soldier still, I had no powers, but I saw what they did. They were called the Vanguard, and they were true heroes.
But there was a very unfortunate complication. The United States wished to undermine the Soviets. Cuba had been called to support, because we had the most advanced military at the time and were the most willing to offer a complementary force, though we mostly focused on humanitarian efforts. I was assigned the task of organizing our effort, which put me on the same level as the Vanguard, and we often met. The United States had metahumans as well to aid them, and a slew of them came. There were other actors too, that I cannot mention. But seeing heroes, heroes, fight against each other, sickened me. There were many horrible things in that war, unspeakable things. And that is when I realized there are no heroes."
CD: "What is your view of metahumans?"
EC: "They are what they are. Many of them think themselves superior, whether they realize it or not. But they are quite simply equal to us. The potential of humans is infinite, we have seem that many of these metahumans can be bested by mundane efforts. There is no need to hate them, fear them, or anything of the sort. They are different, but we are equal all the same."
CD: "You have been accused of many crimes and are currently wanted for trial. By operating in the Rogue Isles outside of the law, what do you seek to accomplish."
EC: "I have said it once, my friend, there are no more heroes left. We have one chance. One chance. You came here, wanting me to speak of the revolution, but it hasn't happened yet. If I speak of it, Arachnos will slam its fist down and we will be further behind. I can simply say, prepare yourself. No matter what it takes, we will prevail."
