Aleida Guevara
| Aleida Guevara | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
24 November 1960 Cuba |
| Residence | Havana, Cuba |
| Nationality | Cuban-Argentine |
| Other names | Aleida March |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Children | 2 |
Aleida Guevara March (born 24 November 1960) is the eldest daughter of four children born to Ernesto "Che" Guevara and his second wife, Aleida March.
She is a doctor of medicine, and, like her father, a Marxist. She is based at the William Soler Children's Hospital in Havana and has also worked as a physician in Angola, Ecuador, and Nicaragua. She is interviewed about the philosophy behind universal health care in Michael Moore's film Sicko.
Guevara has been an advocate for human rights and debt relief for developing nations. She is the author of the book Chávez, Venezuela and the New Latin America.
Although Aleida was only four and a half when her father left Cuba to foment revolution in the Congo, and almost 7 years old when he was executed in Bolivia, she still has fond memories of him. One such story that she has shared publicly is that her father (Che) would make up animal stories for his faraway children, stating:
My father didn't have the opportunity to enjoy our childhoods. But when he was away, which was most of the time, he would send us stories and drawings on postcards. My brother Camilo was told off at nursery school for using swearwords, and my mother confronted Che because he had a habit of swearing – as all Argentinians do. He was in Africa and he wrote to Camilo telling him that he couldn't swear at school, or Pepe the Caiman [invented by Guevara] would bite off Che's leg. So he had to stop swearing to protect his father.
My father's writings are like those of José Martí, the values they encapsulate are everlasting.
Guevara refers to her father Che as a source of personal inspiration. While giving speeches throughout the world she often mentions his writings, while remarking that she finds his diaries particularly helpful for their "political insights and emotional maturity". She has also stated that she finds herself occasionally exclaiming: "Caramba! If only we'd put in practice this or that suggestion we would be in a better position now." In reference to her father's widespread use as a symbol of rebellion, she has stated that when she sees a child carrying his image on a march and the child says "I want to be like Che and fight until final victory", that she feels elated.
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