https://tankie.tube/videos/watch/2381d60e-b54d-4de4-a90a-b12f6ef8c230 JAMES EARL JONES ON CUBA We celebrate the life of the renowned US-born African actor James Earl Jones (1931-2024) who joined the ancestors this week with a throwback to 1988, when he collaborated with filmmaker David Hoffman in documenting Cuba’s then-30 years of revolutionary socialism. Jones’ trademark baritone narration beautifully captured the emotion of Cuban troops returning from their 13-year mission in Angola, where they had gone to fight for the revolutionary ruling party, People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), against the US- and South Africa-backed the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA). About 10,000 Cuban troops reportedly gave their lives in the struggle for African liberation in Angola. Many of the Cubans who served in Angola were descendants of enslaved Africans shipped to Cuba between the 16th and 19th centuries. Cuban leader Fidel Castro alluded to this in a December 1975 speech, ‘African blood flows freely through our veins.’ He also warned US and South African imperialists, ‘We are part of the world revolutionary movement, and in Africa’s struggle against racists and imperialists, we’ll stand, without any hesitation, side by side with the peoples of Africa.’ During a 1988 speech to South Africa’s parliament, Castro said 381,432 Cuban soldiers and officers fought in Africa against imperialist intervention. As part of Castro’s policy of internationalism, Cuba sent tens of thousands of Cuban doctors, dentists, nurses, academics, teachers, and engineers to Africa and elsewhere, despite bearing the weight of US-imposed sanctions since 1960. Do you agree with Jones’ verdict that Cuba is ‘a nation to be reckoned with, a major player on the world stage?’ Video credit: ‘The Portrait of Cuba,’ David Hoffman (@davidhoffmanca on X and @davidhoffmanfilmmaker on IG), @CNN (1989) Thu, 09 Apr 2026 03:12:12 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://tankie.tube https://tankie.tube/lazy-static/avatars/3ba3ff73-a8b6-49c9-add8-9653ef090c7f.webp https://tankie.tube/videos/watch/2381d60e-b54d-4de4-a90a-b12f6ef8c230 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://tankie.tube/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.