The Tale of Ernesto Guevara

10 months ago 08th Jan 16:31

Ernesto Guevara’s life is extraordinary. More famously known as ‘Che’, the Argentinean revolutionist traveled around South America with communist troops in the hope of overthrowing the Cuban Government, and his story is still very much a part of Cuban life today.

His ventures have been documented through his personal journals and manuals, such as The Motorcycle Diaries and Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War, and his biography has also been presented on film.

For many people, however, passively learning about Guevara’s accomplishments is simply not enough, and enthusiasts often take the initiative to travel the ‘Che Trail’ around America in an attempt to experience his historical journeys first-hand.

At the wake of the release of director Steven Soderbergh’s two part film series, simply titled Che, Kay Taylor outlines the most influential aspects of Guevara’s life, including his development of guerilla warfare, attempts to invade Cuba and his eventual capture and execution in Bolivia.

Ernesto Guevara was born in 1928, and in 1953 he began traveling around South America on a motorbike, following his graduation at university. Taking the more un-traveled paths of Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemala, Guevara witnessed the immense poverty of the American people living there.

The sights and experiences of this trip largely affected him, as the inhumane conditions that people were forced to live in was something that he hadn’t personally encountered growing up in middle-class Argentina.

He was also angered by the fact that Cuba’s army General, Fulgencio Batista, had overthrown the Cuban president, and vowed to do something to rectify the situation.