Jose Marti

1) His Biography:

On January 28, 1853, José Martí was born in Havana, Cuba, to poor Spanish immigrant parents. He began his studies in painting at a young age after demonstrating innate artistic ability. He then shifted his focus to writing. His poems and other works had already been published by the time he was sixteen.

Martí was forming his political conscience at the same time that he was honing his literary skills. He became enthralled by the burgeoning revolutionary movements to free Cuba from Spanish rule, known as the Ten Years’ War, and devoted his writing skills to furthering the cause. To that goal, Martí founded the newspaper La Patria Libre in 1869, in which he wrote a number of important poems, notably the dramatic “Abdala,” in which he described the liberation of a fictional country.

Martí was arrested the same year for criticising Spanish rule. He was sentenced to six years of hard labour, but was released and deported to Spain in 1871. There, Marti released the pamphlet Political Imprisonment in Cuba, which detailed his treatment in prison. He continued his schooling while publishing his political articles, studying law at the Central University of Madrid and afterwards at the University of Zaragoza, where he received his degree in 1874.

Marti relocated to Mexico in 1875, where he resumed his quest for Cuban independence. He became immersed in Mexico City’s cultural world and wrote to various newspapers there. But, after growing dissatisfied with the country’s governance, he relocated to Guatemala in 1877. Marti went on to teach literature, history, and philosophy at the Universidad Nacional. He married Carmen Zayas Bazán as well. Marti and Carmen returned to Cuba after the Ten Years’ War ended in 1878 with a general amnesty, where they had a son, José, in November of that year.

Marti attempted to practise law at first, but the government forbade him, so he was compelled to work as a teacher instead. After farmers, enslaved people, and others clashed with Spanish troops in Santiago de Cuba the next year, Marti was arrested and charged with conspiracy, forcing the revolutionary writer to flee his nation once more.

Marti settled in New York City in 1881 after wanderings that included spells in France and Venezuela. He wrote in both English and Spanish for many newspapers, including a regular piece for Buenos Aires’ La Nación. Marti was equally adept at social and political commentary as he was at literary critique, tackling a wide range of topics. As a correspondent, he shared his thoughts of the United States and authored well-received writings about poets like Walt Whitman.

He urged for Latin American countries to unify in one of his most renowned articles, “Our America” (1881). He also proposed that these countries learn from the US, but form governments that are tailored to their own cultures and requirements. During this time, he continued to produce and publish poetry, notably the volumes Ismaelillo (1882) and Versos Sencillos (1883). Marti worked as a diplomat for numerous Latin American countries, including Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina, in addition to writing. During his time away from Cuba, though, he never forgot about it. Marti formed friendships with other Cubans living in exile while travelling around the United States.

Marti joined the Cuban Revolutionary Party as a delegate in 1892 and began planning an invasion of his nation. One of Marti’s proposals for a new Cuban government was to prevent any one class or party from gaining complete control of the country. He also sought to depose the current leadership as soon as possible in order to prevent the US from meddling. While Marti loved many aspects of the United States, he was concerned that Cuba’s northern neighbour might attempt to seize control of the island.

Marti quickly teamed up with two Ten Years’ War nationalist generals, Máximo Gómez and Antonio Maceo, and solicited funding from Cuban exiles and political organisations to back their activities. Marti left New York City on January 31, 1895, to travel to Cuba, where he and his allies arrived on April 11, 1895, to begin their fight. On May 19, Marti was shot and murdered by Spanish forces at Dos Ros.

Marti served as an inspiration for revolutionaries all around the world through his life and writings. Fidel Castro, the Cuban leader, has credited him with having a significant influence on his own revolution in Cuba decades later. Marti is today regarded as a national hero in Cuba, with a commemorative statue in Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución as well as an international airport named after him. The renowned patriotic folk song “Guantanamera,” which incorporates lyrics taken from his Versos Sencillos, was made famous when it was sung by American singer Pete Seeger and then by the Sandpipers.

2) His Main Works:

Abdala:

 Marti’s first play, Abdala, was written when he was only sixteen years old. It’s a poem written by a young guy from Nubia, a Sudanese province south of Egypt, about his love for his motherland, and it was released during the start of Cuba’s first battle against Spain. Marti ends his dramatic poem as Abdala lies dying but cheerful, content that the enemy has been defeated, anticipating his own death in combat. Marti, like the young Abdala he created in his work when he was only a teenager, committed his life to his people’s cause and was there where conflicts were fought, facing the death he had predicted.

Cuba’s national hero conducted his life according to the precept he proclaimed on October 10,1890 in New York City’s Hardman Hall: “The true man does not look toward the side where one lives better, but toward the side where duty lies; this is the true man.” And this is Abdala, the young African hero Marti conceived with the same patriotic pride as the vaccination we carry inside.

El presidio político en Cuba:

 El presidio politico en Cuba is an account of Marti’s tribulations while imprisoned for his opposition to the Spanish system of Imperialism.

Obras Completas Volume 2:

His famous essay ‘Nuestra America,’ which comprises a variety of issues connected to Spanish America about which Marti studied and wrote, is included in Volume 2 of his Obras Completas. It should be emphasised that after Cuba, his focus shifted to Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela. General topics and international conferences; economic, social, and political issues; literature and art; agrarian and industrial concerns; immigration; education; relations with the United States and Spanish America; travel notes are among the topics covered in this essay.

La edad de oro:

“La edad de oro” was published “so that American children may know how people used to live, and how they live now, in the United States and in other countries; how many things are made, such as glass and iron, steam engines and suspension bridges, and electric light; so that when a child sees a coloured stone, he will know why the stone is coloured,” according to Marti. He continued on to say that they’ll inform them about all that goes on in industries, where odd and exciting things happen that aren’t found in fairy tales. These things are true magic, more magnificent than any other. He writes for children because they are the ones who know how to love, and they are the world’s hope, according to Marti.

 Cultivo Una Rosa Blanca:

This poem expresses Mart’s socioeconomic aspirations for his motherland. He talks about cultivating a white rose regardless of the person, whether nice or cruel, in the poem, implying that he remains peaceful. This is consistent with his idea of forging solidarity among people, particularly those in Cuba, through a shared identity, regardless of ethnic or racial distinctions.

This theory may be implemented if one treated his adversary with the same respect as a friend. Regardless of personal disagreement, one person’s goodwill should be shared with everybody. Marti’s goal of Cuban brotherhood might be realised if the moral contained in “Cultivo Una Rosa Blanca” is followed, resulting in a more peaceful society that will be passed down to future generations.

3) Main Themes in his Writings:

Liberalism:

Early encounters with Krausist liberalism and its promotion of spirituality and unity affected Marti’s political ideals. Radical liberalism in Latin America during this time period frequently took on a nationalist and anti-imperialist tinge, as evidenced by the likes of Francisco Bilbao in Chile, Benito Juárez in Mexico, José Santos Zelaya in Nicaragua, and Ramón Emeterio Betances in Puerto Rico, whom Marti admired and considered a teacher. Marti’s viewpoint remained dominated by an increasingly radicalised liberalism emphasising democratic participation, economic equality, and national sovereignty, augmented by his exposure to theories such as Georgism.

Cuban Independence:

 Marti spent a lot of time writing about Spanish colonial rule and the possibility of US expansionism in Cuba. When Cuba developed its own distinct character and culture, he thought it was abnormal that it was ruled and oppressed by the Spanish government. On February 11, 1873, he published a pamphlet titled “”Cubans do not live such as Spaniards…. They are nourished by a different system of trade, have links with different countries, and express their happiness through quite different customs,” he wrote in “The Spanish Republic and the Cuban Revolution.” There are no shared aims or goals, and no shared memories that bring the two people together. Only connections of fraternity and love can bring people together, he further said.

Slavery:

 Marti hated slavery and chastised Spain for continuing to practise it. On January 24, 1879, he delivered a speech to Cuban immigrants in Steck Hall, New York, in which he claimed that the fight against Spain had to be fought, recalled the courage and suffering of the Ten Years’ War, and declared Cuba to be a true nation with the right to freedom. Spain had refused to ratify the terms of the peace deal, had rigged elections, continued to tax its citizens excessively, and had failed to abolish slavery. Cuba had to be liberated.

Latin American identity:

 As a liberator, José Marti thought that Latin American countries needed to understand their own history. Marti also recognised the importance of a country’s unique literature. These reflections began in Mexico in 1875 and are linked to the Mexican Reform, in which renowned liberals such as Ignacio Manuel Altamirano and Guillermo Prieto positioned themselves in front of a cultural renovation in Mexico, following Esteban Echeverra’s thirty-year-old approach in Argentina.

Marti’s perspective, which was basically Latin American, can already be seen in the second “Boletin” he published in the Revista Universal (May 11, 1875). His desire to create a national or Latin American identity was not new or exceptional at the time; yet, no Latin-American scholar had approached the challenge of creating a national identity as explicitly as Marti did.

He emphasised the importance of creating institutions and laws that reflect each country’s unique elements, recalling the failure of applying French and American civil codes to the emerging Latin American republics. Marti felt that “el hombre del sur,” or “the man of the South,” should adopt a growth strategy that matched his personality, the uniqueness of his culture and history, and the natural forces that shaped his being.

United States:

 Marti was an outspoken anti-imperialist from a young age, believing that the United States constituted a threat to Latin America. Marti drew analogies between the American Revolution and the Cuban nationalist movement while criticising the United States for its preconceptions of Latin Americans and concern with capitalism.

Simultaneously, he recognised the benefits of European or North American civilizations, which were more open to the reforms that Latin American countries required in order to break free from Spain’s colonial legacy. Due to the intervention dangers that loomed over Mexico and Guatemala, and indirectly on Cuba’s destiny, Marti developed a scepticism of North American politics in the 1880s. Marti was increasingly concerned about the US’s plans for Cuba over time.

Because of the economic crisis, the United States sorely needed new markets for its industrial exports, and the media was buzzing about Spain’s purchase of Cuba. Cuba was a prosperous, agricultural nation with a key strategic location on the Gulf of Mexico. Marti believed that Cuba’s future interests were aligned with those of its Latin American neighbours, not with those of the United States. Despite his opposition to US action in Cuba, Marti thought American society was so magnificent that Latin America should consider imitating it.

4) His influence on Cuba:

Marti has become a hero for all Cubans, a symbol of togetherness, the “Apostle,” and a great leader, thanks to his unwavering commitment to the cause of Cuban independence and his fervent belief in democracy and justice. His writings have provided a platform for all of the events that occurred during this time period. His ultimate objective of establishing a democratic, just, and stable republic in Cuba, as well as his devotion with seeing that goal realised, made him the most charismatic leader of the 1895 colonial revolution. His work with the Cuban émigré community, which included securing the support of Cuban workers and socialist leaders to join the Cuban Revolutionary Party, sparked the Cuban revolution.

His foresight into the future, demonstrated by his warnings against American political objectives in Cuba, was validated by the United States’ rapid takeover of Cuba following the Spanish–American War. His belief in the inseparability of Cuban and Latin American sovereignty, as well as his expression of that idea in his writings, have shaped the current Latin American identity.

Cuba revolted against erstwhile allies due to his ideals in Cuban and Latin American sovereignty. This is why Cuba became a sovereign state. His writings are considered classics of Latin American and political literature, and he has made significant contributions to journalism, poetry, and prose.

Despite Cuba’s experience as a Communist state after 1959, it has been accepted that Marti’s ideology is the fundamental driving force of the ruling Cuban Communist Party. Several landmarks in Cuba are dedicated to Marti, who is known as Cuba’s “martyr” and “patron saint.”

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who played a key role in boosting Marti’s image in Revolutionary Cuba, was buried close to Marti in Santiago after his death in 2016. Marti’s writings on Cuban nationalism fuelled the revolution of 1895 and continue to shape opposing conceptions of the Cuban country. Fidel Castro’s Cuban nation-state recognised Marti as a major source of inspiration for its Communist revolutionary administration. During Castro’s presidency, the politics and death of Marti were used to explain the Cuban government’s activities.

Marti allegedly endorsed a single-party system, setting a precedent for a communist administration, according to the Cuban authorities. Marxist interpreters have seen a class war between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie as the fundamental focus of Marti’s works, while others, such as the Cuban diasporic communities in Miami and elsewhere, have detected a liberal-capitalist emphasis.

These Cuban exiles continue to regard Marti as a symbol of optimism for the Cuban country in exile, and they criticise Castro’s administration for distorting his works and inventing a “Castroite Marti” to excuse its “intolerance and abridgement of human rights.” As a result, his writings remain a crucial ideological weapon in the fight for Cuba’s survival.

5) His Legacy:

Cuba’s national hero is Marti. This is true since, in his brief life, he rose to the position of masterminding societal transformation in Cuba. Marti took command of and was in charge of the revolution’s planning in order to achieve national independence. In another sense of the word, he was a master to Cubans because he was their instructor. He approached it with a seriousness that was uncommon among political figures at the time.

Marti was a powerful political organiser, made possible by his experience, expertise, skills, and commitment to justice. He had been shaped by the colonial force imprisoning him as a young man and by his exile in Spain, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, and the United States for 15 years. He began his extensive travels in the eastern United States, the Caribbean, and Central America in 1890, evangelising Cuban exiles.

He had a key role in the creation of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, which served as the uprising’s and independent Cuba’s political platform, in 1892. The party’s publication, Patria, which Marti founded, edited, and wrote for, became a crucial weapon for agitation and recruitment. Importantly, Marti resolved differences between rebel generals Antonio Maceo and Maximo Gómez. They agreed to civilian leadership for the independence revolution thanks to his pestering.

José Marti outlined the principles that underpinned the revolution. He advocated for racial equality in Cuba, land rights for workers and small farmers, and respect—not hatred—for Spanish soldiers in his writings and lectures. “With all and for the good of all,” he famously declared. Cuban revolutionaries have since taken to heart Marti’s warnings about threats to the island nation’s independence from the US. Marti also looked into connections between Cuba’s struggle for independence and emerging tendencies toward regional unification in Latin America and the Caribbean. In a well-known 1891 article of the same name, he promoted the idea of “our America,” urging Latin Americans to respect their cultural and historical diversity and set themselves apart from European traditions and, implicitly, from the pretentious American culture.

Marti was a teacher as well as a revolutionary leader, and he has continued to be one through his legacy. As a lecturer and author, he taught. He made translations, published books of poetry, a novel, and hundreds of articles and essays for publications in Latin America. The texts of his lectures were also preserved. He covered current political events in the United States, the daily lives of regular Americans, and historical and contemporary figures from the worlds of art, literature, and politics.

According to editor José Olivia Jimenez, Marti became “the most widely read writer in Spanish in the Hispano-American world in the 1880s” as a result of his writings appearing in La Nación in Buenos Aires and being reproduced in local newspapers.

Marti taught nighttime Spanish classes for two years in a public school in New York. He organised courses for exiled black Cuban and Puerto Rican workers—some being recruited for the independence struggle—and shared in teaching them.  He searched for academic programmes that combined study with work and placed an emphasis on science and technology.

Marti emphasised moral and ethical values as well as cultural enlightenment in his works and talks. Cubans were being prepared by him for a new society. In fact, Marti claimed that “the only way to be free is to be cultured.” He studied Cuban culture to help others better understand what it means to be Cuban—”cubanidad.” Marti was outlining concepts of national identity.

José Marti’s essay “On Education” was published by Monthly Review Press in 1979. The volume includes 35 of Marti’s articles on Educational Theory and Pedagogy, which were edited by Philip Foner. “Education—who can deny it—is above all a labour of infinite love,” he writes in one of them.

He noted that “teacher and student do not share that warmth of affection that enlarges to giant size the student’s desire and aptitude for learning, and which remains in their souls as sweetly as a vision of paradise” in New York schools. There, students graduate from school without having developed any refined preferences, charm of childhood, ardour of youth, or a thirst for knowledge, he said.  A “niggardly sense of life which is a national cancer [in the United States]” is the cause of that, he further stated.

In 1889, José Marti started publishing a monthly magazine for kids. The Age of Gold was a short-lived four-issue publication that Marti wrote. It had fables, poems, translations, tales of Latin American heroes, an overview of the Iliad, articles on native American cultures and French colonialism in Southeast Asia, among other things. According to a literary critic Philip Foner cites, “The Age of Gold is the best-written book for young people in the Spanish Language.”

Another person claims that Marti’s writings for The Age of Gold are the most straightforward and accurate ever written in Spanish for children and young adults.  It is so understandable why Marti’s busts can be seen in Cuba at school gates all around the country, including small schools in remote places..

The communist nation’s highly recognised tradition of worldwide solidarity bears Marti’s imprint. “Homeland is Humanity,” the heading of his essay in Patria on January 26, 1895, was published four days before he left for military struggle in Cuba. Home is “that part of humanity that we see up close and into which we happened to be born,” according to Marti. Given Marti’s deep care for all peoples and places, so-called proletarian internationalism grew strongly in Cuba.