Fidel Castro - CASTRO ADDRESSES SOVIET TECHNICIANS lyrics

Something significant is taking place here tonight. It is very important for you of the new generation in our country, particularly for you young people. We are here to say good-bye to several contingents of young people. some of them are soviet technicians who have been imparting to us their experience and knowledge of agriculture for a year. Those 350 Soviet youths are going to take the ship to return to their country after having worked hard in our country for one year. (Applause) The same ship will carry a contingent of Latin American youths who are members of the delegations of several countries to the World Youth Festival in Helsinki. On the same ship there will be 400 Cuban delegates to that same international event. We come to say farewell to all of them with gratitude, emotion, and pride. Gratitude to the youths who worked in our country, who left their families and their country for long months to come here to help us; emotion toward all of them, thinking of the thoughts these youths must have tonight, the feelings of those who are going home, the feelings of the Latin American youths who are going to Helsinki from countries where the exploitation of the workers and peasants prevails--youths who are pa**ing through our American country, our free territory of America; (applause) and the feelings of our young patriots who are leaving our country for some time, crossing the ocean to meet with youthful representatives from the entire world. We understand the mixture of emotion, enthusiasm, and, at the same time, sadness. We come to bid farewell to everyone warmly and fraternally. As Cubans we are proud of our representation to the Helsinki festival. We can say that our youth is sending a magnificent representation. Our youth can send a high quality representation because our youth has had in the past, has now, and will have in the future a very important role in the Cuban revolutionary process. Our youth has paid a high price in this revolution because our youth has written brilliant pages in the defense of the country and in the realization of revolutionary tasks our youth is the best of our country, the greatest hope of our country, the future of the country. "We know that in our youth we have an extraordinary treasure. We know that in your youth we have the greatest wealth of the country. We know that if our difficulties are great today, if our obstacles are great, if our sacrifices are great, if our country was poor in industry and economy--an exploited country for 60 years, plundered by the imperialist freebooters who plunged this country of ours into backwardness, lack of education, vice, and poverty--and if today we must face up to that backwardness, that poverty with they left as a legacy, and struggle against our shortages, struggle against material difficulties while we are working for the future, while we are making efforts to create the means of production to make possible better living conditions, there is one field in which we have gained more territory than in any other--there is one field in which we have made giant strides. There is one field in which we can already see the fruits of our revolution; it is in you, the youth, the new generation, the contingents of technicians which are being trained, (applause) in the storehouse of experience, knowledge, education, and technology, which our youth in accumulating." That is why our youth will represent our country in Helsinki. It is moving to think that our country can send such contingents to old Europe, such contingents to the capital of a European country where such a magnificent youth event is to take place. Who are the ones who will take the Soviet transatlantic vessel? Not the sons of the wealthy, the sons of the owner of the sugar central or of the factory. Those are the ones who used to go. A worker on a boat to Europe? Never! The workers could not even dream of going to Helsinki or even, in many cases, to the capital of the republic. It used to be the wealthy who dominated our country and who, therefore, claimed to be the representatives of our country everywhere. Today it is the youth who are going, children of the working cla** and of our peasants, humble youths because today those who dominate, those who are masters of the destiny of the country are not the powerful, the parasites, the millionaires, but rather the humble, the workers, the peasants, the working people. "Therefore, this act cannot but be moving for us because we are sending out of the country, to represent our country, a contingent of working youths, of the best of our people. Who was selected to go to Helsinki? The best workers, the best students, the most devoted, the most responsible were selected to go to Helsinki. Who selected them? They were selected by their own comrades (applause) in each factory, each school. With them are going a group of young Cuban athletes and artists. (Applause) Because of their efforts and abilities they were also selected to go to Helsinki. With them also goes the representation of our revolutionary armed forces (applause), youths, who, because of their achievements in the defense of the revolution were selected to be part of the Cuban delegation. Simple youths, humble youths, voluntary workers of those who made possible the success of our harvest, female comrades who cut more than 200 arrobas of cane. Finally, we can feel satisfied and proud of the youths who make up this delegation. They were not arbitrarily chosen, they were selected on the basis of merits, democratically. (Applause) "Possibly none of these youths thought they would receive this distinction, this honor, this recognition, this prize. When in their schools, their work centers, and their factories they were doing their duty, when they were among the best producers, or students, or the most devoted to discipline and danger, they were not thinking of Helsinki. They were not thinking of receiving honors. They were not thinking of any prize. The thing that makes them worthy of the honor they have received is the fact they have known how to do their duty disinterestedly. (Applause) "It is society which decorates them. It is society which distinguishes them. When privilege has disappeared, as it should, this can happen; and only when privilege has disappeared can this happen. It is then that each individual knows that society will recognize his merits, prize his merits, even if he does not aspire to the prize, even if he does not make efforts to be honored. But in his way the highest concept of work is created, of duty, of the spirit of sacrifice, of honesty. Our people will be more discriminating as time goes on. There is nothing more honest or just than the judgement of the ma**es because the ma**es are just. Therefore, we know that the comrades have selected those whom they consider the most worthy to represent them in that event. "The ma**es are honest. The ma**es are against privilege. Everything that is privilege irritates the ma**es. All favoritism irritates the ma**es. That is why everything that is just pleases the ma**es, everything that is honest pleases the ma**es. (Applause) "This fact, the method used to select the comrades, is a great step forward; it is a great achievement of the union of Cuban communist youths. (Applause) And it will invigorate the youth movement. it will raise the view of our people regarding merit, sacrifice, and work. A work cult is needed. A merit cult is necessary. A sacrifice cult is needed. The history, the future of the peoples, the progress of the peoples is not created by the lazy or the corrupt, or by those with vices, or by the parasites." The history of the fatherland, who wrote it in the past? Was it the volunteer who fought alongside the Spanish troops? Was it the plague of parasites who,k while the Mambises were fighting in the jungle, were demanding the execution of the students? Was it those who stayed home? No, the history of the fatherland was written by the selfless men, those who sacrificed themselves, those who died on the battlefields,k those who followed Maceo and Marti during 30 years of struggle, (applause) those who walked barefoot and experienced hunger in the jungle. They were the ones who wrote the history of the fatherland. And every page of the history of the fatherland has been written by the most selfless, the best men. The history of our labor movement was not written by strikebreakers but by the firmest, most honest, and most sacrificing workers. Social advances were won by the most worthy and devoted workers. The history of our country at all times was written by the most selfless, and most sacrificed men. Those who are writing the history of the fatherland today are not the cowards, the traitors, or the parasites: they are the most devoted, the most loyal. "Without the hands of the worthy men and women of our country, the traitors would have removed from its masthead the sovereign flag of the fatherland. Those bought by Yankee gold, the rabble, who, rather than earning their bread honestly and sweating for it, go to get a crumb from their imperialist bosses, would have torn down the sovereign flag of the fatherland. Without the firm and vigorous hands of our workers, our militiamen, our soldiers, our peasants--who not only made our flag free and unfurled it with pride, but have also defended, defend, and will defend it against all aggressions, and at all times--against the cowards, those who have been bought, the parasites who would destroy the sovereignty of the fatherland. "That is why our people must worship sacrifice, work, and merit, because it is those who work and make sacrifices who have made possible the victories achieved by our people, who have defended the sovereignty of our country, and who are building a better tomorrow." This is why the adoption of that method of selecting the comrades who are going to represent our youth is correct and why it will be of great benefit to our country. In this way you have shown the 70,000 scholarship students and the young workers the right road. In selecting the best, the most disciplined, and the most studious workers, you are recognizing that you must study, work, and do your duty. And every youth must try to act in this manner. Every youth will try to have everyone think highly of him. That is how it will be in the future. It will be the opinion of society, based on the merits of each individual, which will indicate to each one his post in life, his place. It will not be a pointed finger, the will of anyone, or the favoritism of anyone, or the friendship of anyone, or the whim of anyone. So it will be for each of you. So we must try to make it. Each person's place, each person's concept, each person's responsibility must be determined by his merit, his conduct, his actions." Comrade Soviet technicians, Comrade Latin American delegates: Our people bid you farewell with emotion and gratitude. Our people will always remember you and this ceremony full of symbolism, meaning, international solidarity, warmth, and human fraternity, after which you will leave, together with our youthful compatriots. Cuban delegates to the Helsinki congress: Our people bid you farewell at this time (applause) with warmth and enthusiasm. We feel infinite satisfaction in thinking of your happiness, emotion, and satisfaction over the high honor you have received from our people. And we know that you will represent our country worthily. Take with you, therefore, the pride of leaving a revolutionary country, the pride of bearing the name of the country and people of America who today arouse the admiration of the world. It is outside Cuba that one really learns the value of the name of the fatherland, the value of the concept the world has of our fatherland. The concept the world had yesterday was that of the unknown island submissive to the Yankee empire, a country without independence, a Yankee semicolony. The country you today represent, the Cuba that the world knows, is the Cuba that was able to free itself from the Yankee yoke, (applause) the Cuba that has been able to resist three and one-half years of Yankee aggression, the Cuba that defeated the imperialists at Playa Giron. (Applause) When one is outside the country one can feel much pride over the high opinion that the world has of Cuba. You will feel it there in its highest degree when, with your heads high, you present yourselves before the representatives of all the youths of the world. We know that your pride in your country will increase. Workers, exemplary workers, exemplary students: Take with you the name of the fatherland and the flag of the nation whose right to create its own future has been won with so much sacrifice by our people. And there in Helsinki you can say that your country will be loyal to the slogan of Fatherland or d**h, We Will Win! -END-