The history of Cuba continues inspiring love with brushstrokes that simply impress by the dedication and sacrifice with which they were signed up.

Passages of this history are those that make us proud to be Cuban and to carry a cultural heritage full of unforgettable moments.

On May 7, 1869, just 150 years ago, the newspaper El Mambí circulated for the first time in Guáimaro; about this important event told us in a warm conversation the historian of this municipality full of history, Desiderio Borroto Fernández.

“Ignacio Mora and his wife Ana Betancourt bring to light in Guáimaro the first newspaper of the Republic, its name: El Mambí.  They bring to the place a mobile printing press that they called “Libertad”.  They make the first number on May 7, 1869, they thought to follow, but they have to go to the mountains.

With this mambí newspaper the press of the government of the Republic in Arms begins, besides of the history of this in Guáimaro, because the cultural development of the place still had not arrived at the point to generate a newspaper by itself. “

Exciting story

In his eyes you can see the emotion provided by the history of his homeland, thus Desiderio continues telling…

“Thanks to the conditions of the war, it was propitiated that the first shooting occurred on May 7, but three days later they had to carry everything, because of the threat of the Spaniards and then the Guáimaro fire.”

Before my question if can we find a copy today, in full year 2019, he replied.

“Yes, there are copies, in the National Archive they treasure with sellotape 10.”

He explains that thanks to Ana Betancourt’s efforts and her incessant will, this newspaper was born, which is part of our nation’s historical heritage.

Ana Betancourt miraculously managed to print 300 copies and distribute them in the insurrectionary field and also she sent it for emigration, because she was the amanuensis of the newspaper; and you add to this that she managed the whole issue of printing and distribution.

“Besides being an extraordinary patriot, she was a very executive woman, because to make an impression like that in the conditions of the mountains, is a merit.”

A little more history

The words of Desiderio Borroto prompted me to continue searching for information about this insurgent newspaper and in an article by Ana Rosa Perdomo Sangermés, published on the website of Radio Encyclopedia; I found some excerpts about the publication that I share today:

“… Spanish journalism in Cuba, wants to make believe – and deludes itself with that idea – that the Revolution has ended, and in its impotence appeals to surname the patriots, mambises and other insults with which it believes to offend us …”

“… The word mambí will be composed by the word man, in English man, and by the Latin adverb bis, who means twice.The substitution of n for m is no more than the observance of the Spanish orthographic rule of not writing before b, but m instead of n “.

And it continues pointing: “Anyway, then, we will have the epithet mam-bis or mambis, with which the sparrows qualify the Cuban who sustains his independence, attributing to him his true importance as a man twice.”

In love with our patriotic values, I conclude this page in which I am sure you also got excited knowing a little more about the treasures of our history.

Photo: taken from www.periodico26.cu

Translated into English by José Carlos García Cruz