The memory of Latin American Marxist revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara
is being honoured in Cuba 40 years after his capture and summary execution.
About 10,000 people are attending a ceremony at his mausoleum in Santa
Clara, the town where he once fought a battle during Cuba's revolution.
Raul Castro, brother of ailing Cuban leader Fidel, is at the event.
Other commemorations are being held in Bolivia and Venezuela, countries
where the Argentine-born hero was active.
He had travelled to Bolivia to help lead an uprising but was tracked
down and killed by soldiers in 1967.
Che's ideas and looks have been captivating young people across the
world since the late 1960s, his bearded face and beret acquiring iconic
status.
His critics describe Che as a brutal man who ordered the execution of
dozens of his opponents and helped move Cuba further towards communism
in the early years of the revolution.
'Infinite revolutionary'
The ceremony in Santa Clara opened with the reading of a message from
Fidel Castro, who paid tribute to Che as an "exceptional soldier".
Suffering from intestinal illness, the 81-year-old Cuban leader handed
over power to his brother Raul 14 months ago.
Evo Morales, Bolivia's leftist president, lavished praise on the dead
revolutionary ahead of his country's commemorations.
"It is impossible to eclipse the life of Che," he told Reuters news
agency in an interview.
"Nobody could do that. One could consider themselves the successor of
Che only if they give their life for humanity."
In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez described Che as an "infinite
revolutionary" in a speech on TV.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/7033880.stm
Published: 2007/10/08 15:24:04 GMT
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