For the clandestine fighter Antonio Agustín Fontes Carbajo, the Escambray and the battle of Santa Clara is a privilege to have been close to the Lord of the Vanguard in his last two visits to Camagüey.

Recalling those hours of Camilo with the people of Camagüey, more than six decades ago, for him, is accompanied by a thrill that honors and, at the same time, invites to know.

Since that first day of May 1959, Fonte feels much prouder of being from Camagüey: Many wrong things were said about this land and its young people, and all of them were rectified by Camilo in the massive concentration of people that gathered at the Casino Country.

Remembering

He closes his eyes and can still feel the murmur in the streets, he relives that unique moment. He comments that until that moment there were no parades. It was not convenient for Batista to have scenarios for the conspiracy or for them to gain strength. May 1st always ended in a confrontation, mainly between the young people who dared to go out and the army of henchmen that tried to neutralize them.

The dawn of that May 1st, 1959 surprised everyone awake. People were waiting for Camilo. We were all attentive to his arrival and then to his march through the streets. It was a sea of ​​people that had gathered to share with him.

The day started from Méndez Square, a sacred and historical place for the people of Camagüey, until reaching the Martyrs Avenue. Then he went down Republic Street to Ignacio Agramonte and there, in the Workers Square, Camilo suddenly stopped to say a few words.

Afterwards, the passionate people took Cisneros Street, to cross over the Charity Bridge, approach the wide street that is in front of the Álvaro Morell pre-university stairway and finally lead to the legendary Casino Campestre Park, after 11:30 a.m. the morning where Camilo would deliver his speech.

«Camilo encouraged not to stop the march, to continue it. He only stopped the tour at a time when he felt that he should say something to that town that cheered him as he passed. That was when I understood his humility, because someone else would have only waited for the ceremony, but he couldn’t. Because for Camilo the first thing was the people who were in the streets supporting the Revolution and Fidel».

Approximately 15 minutes lasted the speech of the Hero of Yaguajay that May 1st, 63 years ago. They were the most enlightening minutes that up to that moment they had heard in their entire life, according to Fontes and other fighters, who remember and keep that historic moment in their hearts.

Camilo’s words to the people of Camagüey

With pride and security, Antonio emphasizes that in Camilo’s heartfelt words there was never any offense, but an immense affection for this land and for all his children.

«With his ideas, he clarified all the badly said and ill-intentioned that were pointed out about what happened on his way through the extensive Camagüey landscapes, during the Invasion in 1958, and also denied the people who had been sowing false rumors about our country.”

The commander with the wide-brimmed hat also explained how difficult that journey was, and praised the figures of Alfredo Álvarez Mola and Mario Herrero Toscano, because despite their illnesses and what they suffered, they did not give up on their task and because of their courage they must always be remembered.

The tribute

For Antonio Fontes, Camilo is one of the most genuine figures of the Cuban Revolution, as we approach the platform that shelters the stage itself, where his meeting with the people took place, 63 years ago at the Casino Campestre, I see tenderness in his eyes.

Camilo’s words with that call for unity that is maintained today with the same force for Cubans, claimed that it was time to march in a tight square, he raised the problems to be solved and expressed that “we had to move forward with the Revolution.”

In that noisy meeting, the brave people of Camagüey applauded Camilo with admiration and respect, it was an exchange between equals, nobody imagined that he would return only a few months later for his eternal farewell, this was the other moment in which Fontes was close to Camilo.

Standing in front of the simple monument, which perpetuates the celebration of that May 1st in Camagüey after the Triumph of the Revolution, the morning passed, reliving so many memories and emotions, the fighter is still searching in his thoughts and pointing to the plaque asserts: Men and women from Camagüey proud of our history, we must ask ourselves every time: Am I on the right path, Camilo?

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García