The Bolivian Diary: Authorized Edition (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
الكتاب عبارة عن توثيق يومي من قبل تشي جيفارا للاحداث المرافقة لحرب العصابات التي شنها ضد الجيش البوليفي النظامي،و فيه تفاصيل كثيرة حول الظروف المحيطة بهذا المشروع الذي فشل في النهاية.يبدأ الكتاب بتقديم خاص بقلم الرئيس الكوبي آنذاك فيديل كاسترو يتحدث فيه عن مشروع جيفارا الثوري و الصعاب التي رافقته و دور الامبريالية الامريكية في تحطيم امكانية حدوث ثورة فعلية في بوليفيا و امتدادها عبر امريكا اللاتينيةقاطبة.بالنسبة لمشروع جيفارا الذي خطط له ليكون نسخة عن الثورة الكوبية التي خاض غمارها رفقة كاسترو و بقية مغاوير الغرانما،فإن هذا المشروع اتى بعد فشل ذريع واجهه جيفارا في الكونغو في خطوة لم يحسبها "التشي" جيدا،و يبدو ان مشروع الثورة البوليفية لم يحسب و يعد له جيدا هو الآخر،إذ إنّ ظروف الثورة الكوبية تختلف عن الظروف البوليفية خصوصا من ناحية دعم الامبريالية الامريكية للنظام الدكتاتوري الرجعي في بوليفيا اضعاف ما كانت تدعم باتيستا في كوبا،إذ اثبتت الثورة الكوبية لهذه الامبريالية توق الشعوب اللاتينيين للتحرر و التوحد و هو ما كانت تخشاه الامبريالية،إذ ان انعتاق اي دولة امريكية لاتينية اخرى عبر الثورة كان يعني امتداد الثورة لغيرها من الدول اللاتينية،و هو ما جعلها تدرب الجيش البوليفي من اجل مواجهة مغاوير جيفارا و تترصد استخباريا لتحركاته خصوصا و ان جيفارا دخل بوليفيا بعدد قليل من الرجال و لم يستطع استمالة الفلاحين او العمال الى صفه ،ناهيك عن الموقف المتخاذل من قبل الحزب الشيوعي البوليفي الذي لم يشذ عن نظرائه من الاحزاب الشيوعية البرجوازية التنظيرية التي تختبىء في الجحور عند اندلاع الثورة،كل هذه العوامل و اكثر ساهمت في انهزام جيفارا و فشل اندلاع الثورة في بوليفيا.
Its amazing to be able to read a diary and be able to actually put yourself there at that very time, especially in the jungle. Though Che has a large ego, his intentions were sincere, and Nelson Mandela once called him "a hero for anyone who truly values freedom."It was interesting to note that Che was the leader from the start, though hailing from Argentina, having success in Cuba, and assembling a guerilla army made up of men AND women from Bolivia, Cuba and Peru. At no time did Che and his crew assasinate any peasants they encountered along the way, though the Bolivian Army which pursued them had no qualms in shooting/maiming innocent persons of their own country, including women and children (and nuns!). In addition, he kept everyone motivated, though heat and lack of supplies eventually brought about a few skirmishes.Despite being outnumbered and in foreign territory, Che lost one single man in the first 7-8 months in the jungle, and this was via an unfortunate drowning. Though Che was captured and given a potential trial date, the decision was quickly made to execute him, as the fear of a worldly backlash of a man trying to assist the downtrodden poor would have been a PR disaster for Bolivia, and the United States. It is also interesting to note that the US became involved, as Che indicated, due to the formation of some type of new oil company. We know now that the CIA became in involved because Exxon/Mobil etc. were beginning to step in and suck the natural resources out of the country, and these companies could not operate under the threat of someone trying to help liberate the country (and later all of South America), while maximizing profit at the same time!Of the 4 men who made it out of Bolivia via Chile after Che was executed, all were Cuban, and 3 are still alive today. The 4th man died in 1994, long after receiving political asylum in Sweden. Overall, it takes a small while to really get a grasp of the situation, as every member, including Che himself, is referred to by 2 or 3 nicknames along the way. A helpful glossary must be referred to, but once the characters are emblazened in your mind, you easily find yourself rooting for the guerillas to come out victorious!
What do You think about The Bolivian Diary: Authorized Edition (2008)?
An introduction from Fidel Castro and the final diary of a figure like Guevara? It would qualify as worth a read on the back of that alone.The accompanying notes are very helpful as a Who's Who as you read through - I found myself referring to it frequently to keep on top of this. If you're looking to learn about the Guevara's history, there will be better books to start on. If, however, you want to get into the man's head, then what better place than his diary. It strikes me as honest and it's certainly interesting.
—Gary
67594 Reading Che Guevara’s accounts of the guerrilla warfare that led to the revolutionary victory in Cuba, one receives a romanticized description of life in the Sierra Maestra. It was violent and dirty and difficult, but it was all for a purpose, and those heroic guerrillas won in the end because they wanted to free the people of Cuba from the tyranny of the government. If Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War is an example of the triumph of Che’s guerrilla tactics and ideologies, The Bolivian Diary is its counterpart: a detailed account of their failure. The Bolivian guerrillas were disorganized and undisciplined and, because Che was executed before he could revise his diary, the truth about the mission is exposed. The Bolivian Diary highlights how much editing went into Che Guevara’s diaries, as well as the lack of true justification for being in Bolivia in the first place.
—Ellen
This diary covers the day-to-day of Che’s campaign in Bolivia in the late 60s. While it offered an interesting look at the business of conducting and leading a guerilla revolution, it lacked the political insight that could make it a universally valuable read. While Che does delve occasionally into the philosophy of guerilla revolution, the entries primarily focus on the logistics of living in the jungle, moving, and garnering supplies. Some military action is recorded, but in loose, retrospective summation only. I wished there was more philosophy.
—Sarah
