This enthralling documentary plots the intensive Cuban support for African revolutionary movements: beginning with Che Guevara’s mission into the Congo to avenge the death of Lumumba and Cuba’s support of Amílcar Cabral’s uprising in Guinea-Bissau, the film traces the pivotal role played by Cuba’s international policy in helping independence struggles on the African continent.
France/Algeria/Cuba, 2007, 190min
documentary in English, Spanish, French, Russian and Portuguese with English subtitles
directed by Jihan El-Tahri
This revealing documentary adds to our understanding of the Cold War through its least-known context–Africa. From 1961 to 1991, the African continent was a battleground for four competing interests. The Soviet Union wanted to extend its influence into a new continent; the USA lusted after Africa’s natural resources; former European empires felt their grip on the area weaken; and newly formed African nations fought to gain and/or defend their recently won independence. When the latter called on Cuban guerillas to aid in their struggle, Fidel Castro stepped in to build a new offensive strategy, which would have long-lasting influence on developing countries in their battles against colonialism. From Che Guevara’s efforts in the Congo to the triumphant battle at Cuito Cuanavale, Cuba: Une Odyssee Africaine tells the story of those internationalists who fought for freedom with little means but much vision and heart.
“Cuba: An African Odyssey” is a well-made and extremely exciting experience for anyone with the slightest interest in how we came to be what we are in this continent in particular, and in the world as a whole. - COSATU Daily News
The French-financed doc by Egyptian filmmaker/activist Jihan El-Tahri sets out to recover the forgotten contributios of the Castro regime to anticolonial struggles in Angola, Guinea-Bissau and the Congo. The film will thrill Che Guevara cultists unto the last fiber of their hempen T-shirts, but is superabundance of cool and arcane Cold War archival footage (e.g. from Congolese TV) should hold the attention of less partisan viewers as well. - Time Out Chicago
Jihan el Tahri directs this comprehensive documentary on Che Guevara’s role in Africa’s revolutions of the 1960s and ’70s. CIA and Sovie insiders are interviewed, along with frontliners. – Chicago Sun-Times
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