From Publishers Weekly
"This is the history of a failure." With these words, Guevara, the Cuban revolutionary and leftist icon killed in Bolivia in 1967, launches into a brutally honest account of Cuba's disastrous 1965 intervention in Congo. Guevara traveled to Congo to foment a Communist revolution in a country that then as now was in a state of anarchy. But as he readily admits, he was unable to mobilize his Cuban forces and Congolese allies into a cohesive force. Much of the blame he lays at the feet of the Congolese, "the poorest example of a fighter that I have ever come across to now." But Guevara's ruminations about the frustrations of his insurgency are only part of these "war diaries." Guevara's correspondence with Congolese guerrilla leaders is also included, as are his often negative comments on these leaders. Throughout, Guevara, who was trained as a doctor, displays the analytical mind that made him famous. For example, in hindsight, his prediction that Laurent Kabila was the only guerrilla leader with the potential to rise to the top looks prescient, since Kabila ruled the Congo for a time in the 1990s. Readers looking for an introduction to Che will want to consult the recent comprehensive biography by journalist Jon Lee Anderson but no matter their ideology, readers will find that these writings further their understanding of one of the late 20th century's most intriguing historical figures. 8 pages b&w photos not seen by PW. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In June 1960, the Congo gained independence from Belgium following dramatic events led by left-wing Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. Following the assassination of Lumumba, Cuban revolutionary Guevara traveled incognito to the Congo to put his guerrilla theories and tactics to work for the Congolese people. These brutally honest, unabridged journals illuminate a two-year period (1965-67) during which he trained left-wing soldiers fighting to wrestle the Congo from the imperialists. Trained as a physician and a member of Fidel Castro's government, Guevara understood the limitations that life imposes on humans and the sacrifices demanded in guerrilla warfare. Here he shares his experiences in Congolese training camps, chronicles the challenge (and ultimate failure) of spreading Cuban political ideology, and sheds light on his relationships with fellow revolutionaries, including a young Laurent Kabila and Fidel Castro. An honest, detailed account of the life and work of a great 20th-century revolutionary, this work completes Guevara's life story. Recommended for specialized collections in large public and academic libraries. Sylvia D. Hall-Ellis, Denver P.L. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Secreted in his personal archives for more than 30 years, Guevara's personal account of Cuba's expeditionary force in eastern Congo in 1965 recalls a period of turmoil when the Congo figured in world geopolitics and set the stage for aggravating tensions between the U.S and Cuba in the African arena. Guevara led 100 Cuban guerrillas to fight imperialist interests in Congo's natural resources. Although the foray was a disaster, the lessons Guevara learned in the Congo were used by Cuba in later expeditions in Africa and South America. In his account, Guevara unsparingly analyzes the expedition, its expectations, struggles, and ultimate failure--he also turns a spotlight on his own shortcomings as a revolutionary leader. The account was meant as a report to Castro, analyzing "experiences to be extrapolated for the use of other revolutionary movements." It also serves as a firsthand view of a troubled nation, including the emergence of a young Laurent Kabila, later Congo's ruthless ruler. A foreword by Guevara's widow, Aleida Guevara March, includes correspondence between Guevara and Castro. Vanessa Bush
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Book Description
Ernesto "Che" Guevara was one of the greatest exemplars of the revolutionary 1960s, a man whose heroic adventures were essential to the success of the Cuban Revolution and whose legend fired the imaginations of a whole generation. In 1965, amid worldwide conjecture, Guevara left Cuba, where he was a minister in Fidel Castro's postrevolutionary government, and traveled incognito to the heart of Africa. People's hero Patrice Lumumba had recently been assassinated, and Guevara was to put his theories of guerrilla warfare to use helping the oppressed people of the Congo throw off the yoke of colonial imperialism. The first task was to assist the young Laurent Kabila in his struggle against Mobutu and Tshombe, the two key figures in the newly independent nation. For the first time, The African Dream collects Guevara's unabridged journals of the expedition. They are the record of the bitter failure of a political and ideological dream, and a telling complement to the subsequent rise of Kabila and his recent demise. Most of all, the diaries afford the reader a very personal insight into the thoughts and emotions of Che Guevara, the twentieth century's great revolutionary martyr.
The African Dream: The Diaries of the Revolutionary War in the Congo FROM THE PUBLISHER
Ernesto "Che" Guevara was one of the greatest exemplars of the revolutionary 1960s, a man whose heroic adventures were essential to the success of the Cuban Revolution and whose legend fired the imaginations of a whole generation. In 1965, amid worldwide conjecture, Guevara left Cuba, where he was a minister in Fidel Castro's postrevolutionary government, and traveled incognito to the heart of Africa. People's hero Patrice Lumumba had recently been assassinated, and Guevara was to put his theories of guerrilla warfare to use helping the oppressed people of the Congo throw off the yoke of colonial imperialism. The first task was to assist the young Laurent Kabila in his struggle against Mobutu and Tshombe, the two key figures in the newly independent nation. For the first time, The African Dream collects Guevara's unabridged journals of the expedition. They are the record of the bitter failure of a political and ideological dream, and a telling complement to the subsequent rise of Kabila and his recent demise. Most of all, the diaries afford the reader a very personal insight into the thoughts and emotions of Che Guevara, the twentieth century's great revolutionary martyr.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
"This is the history of a failure." With these words, Guevara, the Cuban revolutionary and leftist icon killed in Bolivia in 1967, launches into a brutally honest account of Cuba's disastrous 1965 intervention in Congo. Guevara traveled to Congo to foment a Communist revolution in a country that then as now was in a state of anarchy. But as he readily admits, he was unable to mobilize his Cuban forces and Congolese allies into a cohesive force. Much of the blame he lays at the feet of the Congolese, "the poorest example of a fighter that I have ever come across to now." But Guevara's ruminations about the frustrations of his insurgency are only part of these "war diaries." Guevara's correspondence with Congolese guerrilla leaders is also included, as are his often negative comments on these leaders. Throughout, Guevara, who was trained as a doctor, displays the analytical mind that made him famous. For example, in hindsight, his prediction that Laurent Kabila was the only guerrilla leader with the potential to rise to the top looks prescient, since Kabila ruled the Congo for a time in the 1990s. Readers looking for an introduction to Che will want to consult the recent comprehensive biography by journalist Jon Lee Anderson but no matter their ideology, readers will find that these writings further their understanding of one of the late 20th century's most intriguing historical figures. 8 pages b&w photos not seen by PW. (Oct.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
In June 1960, the Congo gained independence from Belgium following dramatic events led by left-wing Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. Following the assassination of Lumumba, Cuban revolutionary Guevara traveled incognito to the Congo to put his guerrilla theories and tactics to work for the Congolese people. These brutally honest, unabridged journals illuminate a two-year period (1965-67) during which he trained left-wing soldiers fighting to wrestle the Congo from the imperialists. Trained as a physician and a member of Fidel Castro's government, Guevara understood the limitations that life imposes on humans and the sacrifices demanded in guerrilla warfare. Here he shares his experiences in Congolese training camps, chronicles the challenge (and ultimate failure) of spreading Cuban political ideology, and sheds light on his relationships with fellow revolutionaries, including a young Laurent Kabila and Fidel Castro. An honest, detailed account of the life and work of a great 20th-century revolutionary, this work completes Guevara's life story. Recommended for specialized collections in large public and academic libraries. Sylvia D. Hall-Ellis, Denver P.L. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
A firsthand account of an ill-fated Marxist revolution in the Congo, with an introduction by historian Richard Gott and an afterword by Aleida Guevara March, daughter of Guevara. Those who romanticize the life of Guevara (d. 1967) will do well to read these unabridged journals. "This is the history of a failure," he writes of his months of frustration in the jungles of central Africa. In 1965, Guevara brought a hundred or so Cuban guerillas to the Congo with the intent of training the forces of the then-26-year-old Laurent Kabila, who ruled the country recently (until his assassination earlier this year). His mission foundered because of Kabila's lack of organization. Page after page describes the ineptness of the antigovernment forces, well armed but untrained in the use of their weapons. In describing the revolutionaries' inexperience, Guevara employs images that recall Joseph Conrad, as when he sees a group of Rwandans manning an artillery piece on a hillside, completely exposed to enemy fire and not in a position to hit any target. In the few battles Cuban forces join, most of their African comrades run at the sound of the first shot or fire their rifles into the air with their eyes closed. In their one success, when the Cubans and Africans manage to ambush an enemy supply column, the victory is bittersweet. The supply trucks carry alcohol; the soldiers become drunk, argue among themselves, and wind up shooting a peasant they believe is a spy. Guevara is constantly outlining how the Africans might improve their campaign. The journals are a literal guidebook for any revolutionary seeking to mount a military campaign against a government in mountainous terrain. How to dig trenches,organize fighting groups, and distribute munitions and medical supplies, all are given a soldier's attention. Despite the problems, however, Guevara maintains an optimism that mitigates his otherwise dreary tale. An important document that evokes the heat in a little-known theater of the Cold War.
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