Over the last half century, Fidel's "battle of ideas" shaped the course of the Cuban Revolution, if not world history, writes Faiza Rady Located in the Palace of the Revolution, Fidel's office is a large and austere room, with high ceilings and large bay windows overlooking one of Havana's major avenues. The entire back wall is taken up by a huge bookcase, in front of which stands a massive wooden desk, covered with neatly stacked piles of books and documents -- a remarkably well-organised work space. Placed on small shelves and two end tables on either sides of a large leather sofa are sculptures of Fidel's heroes. A bronze sculpture of the celebrated "apostle" of Cuban independence, writer and revolutionary José Mart�, who was killed in battle with Spanish troops in 1895 during the nation's independence War against Spain, stands next to Simon Bol�var, remembered as the Venezuelan el Libertador. Bol�var dreamt of Latin and South American unity and defeated the Spanish in 1825, achieving independence for Greater Bolivia: present day Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Peru. Besides these Latin and South American freedom fighters, stands a bust of Abraham Lincoln -- the US president who led the Civil War for the abolition of slavery. A more personal touch is conveyed by a dedicated photo of Ernest Hemingway, an oil portrait of Camilo Cienfuegos, one of Fidel's main lieutenants in the guerrilla struggle against the Batista dictatorship in the Sierra Madre, and a photo of his father, Don Angel, who emigrated to Cuba from Galicia, Spain, in 1895. Fidel's choice display of Latin and South American liberation heroes clearly expresses his political commitment: an unswerving focus on the struggle for independence from imperialism. With only a handful of other revolutionary leaders of the 20th century, Fidel is regarded as an icon of Third World liberation struggles. "Few men have become historic legends in their lifetime, Fidel is one of them," says Ignacio Ramonet. "He is the last hero of international politics. Along with South Africa's Nelson Mandela, North Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh, Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah, the Congo's Patrice Lumumba, Guinea-Bissau's Am�lcar Cabral, Morocco's Medhi Ben Barka and Che Guevara, he belongs to a mythical generation of insurgents who, after World War II, were driven by the ambition and the hope to change a world marked by inequalities and racism." Notwithstanding his legendary stature in Cuba and in other Latin and South American nations, as well as among progressive people around the world, Fidel remains a refreshingly modest man. "If you think in material terms, it is undeniable that Fidel is extremely modest. Unlike most political leaders, he never accumulated any personal fortune while in office," says Cuban Ambassador to Cairo Angel Delmau Fernàndez. In 2003, his presidential salary amounted to the equivalent of $30. Like all true socialists, the leader of the Cuban Revolution sees himself as part of a collective -- a man among other women and men who joined him in the struggle. Fidel expressed this perception of himself in his recent letter of retirement, saying that he would continue to address the Cuban people in his articles "Reflections by Comrade Fidel". "Perhaps my voice will be heard", he wrote with disarming humility, adding that he had instructed newspaper editors to stop publishing his "Reflections" on their publications' front pages. Ramonet also describes Fidel as remarkably modest. Contrary to Northern media accounts, there is no official personality cult around the Cuban leader. "Though Fidel's image is very present on street posters and in the media, there is no official painting of him, no statues, no coins in his effigy; no streets, buildings or monuments bearing his name -- or the name of any other living revolutionary leader, for that matter," says Ramonet. During interviews with Fidel, Ramonet was delighted to discover a courteous, almost shy man -- someone who knows how to listen and give his interlocutors full attention. "He never raises his voice and I haven't heard him give an order to anybody, yet he does exert an undeniable aura of authority." Ramonet believes that Fidel's authority derives from his remarkable oratory skills and his charisma. "No show on earth can compare with Fidel Castro's speeches," he says. Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Fidel's close friend, describes the show: "He starts with an almost inaudible, hesitant voice, slowly exploiting the smallest leeway to gain ground, step by step, then he delivers a blow to his audience and inspiration takes over. It is a state of grace, luminous and irresistible that can only be questioned by those who never lived it." Fidel, on the other hand, believes that his authority is rooted in his revolutionary legacy. "Sure, I have authority and influence because of historical reasons," he says, "but I don't take personal decisions. Unlike in the US, executive power in Cuba isn't vested in the presidency, but in the Council of State, whose rule is based on collective decision-making. Therefore I cannot rule by decree and I don't give orders." This collective decision-making process is the reason most Cubans deride the Northern media's description of Fidel as a dictator. What's more, it is the Council of State and not the Cuban president who appoints ministers and ambassadors. "Cuban law doesn't allow me to appoint a single public sector employee," says Fidel, "not even at the lowest level of government." Like Fidel's office, his lifestyle is austere, almost Spartan, says Ramonet who describes him as having the habits and the discipline of a "monk-soldier". He enjoys no luxury; eats healthy, frugal, macrobiotic meals; works seven days a week and sleeps an average of four hours a night. "Fidel has a tremendous amount of energy," says Fernàndez. "I remember a work session with him, where we started at 11pm and finished in the early morning hours. He remained as fresh as a rose, while everybody else was falling over from fatigue." This kind of energy feeds into his quest for knowledge. "Like no other person I know, Fidel believes in learning, from the cradle to the grave -- for him it's an ongoing process." Fidel often says, "Just like tools transform matter, ideas transform the world." This "battle of ideas", this translation of words into facts, motivated him to transform Cuba into a vast university, where everybody goes to school -- young and old, workers and intellectuals, scientists and artists, athletes and the handicapped. "Fidel is driven by an infinite curiosity," says Ramonet. "He never stops thinking, speculating, imagining the unimaginable, reinventing the revolution." This article is based on Fidel Castro: Biografia a Dos Voces by Ignacio Ramonet who, in 2003 and 2005, spent 100 hours interviewing President Fidel Castro in preparation for his book.
