Carlos Baliño: Marxism, Justice and Independence.
Remembered for his accurate political projection in pursuit of social justice, anti-imperialism and the emancipation of the island, Carlos Benigno Baliño y López is one of the most lucid precursors of Marxist thought in Cuba.
Born in Guanajay on a day like today, but in the year 1848, this tobacco worker, who in his beginnings had dabbled in the teneduría, architecture and the plastic arts, excelled in his most fruitful revolutionary action once the independence outbreak of 1868 was conceived, for the freedom of the country and the welfare and development of the working class.
His journey included being a member of the Tobacco Pickers Guild in Key West, the foundation, in Tampa, of two lodges and the first workers’ guild «Knights of Labor», his leading role as editor of the newspaper «La Tribuna del Pueblo» and his responsibility as president of the Francisco Vicente Aguilera Clubs, Enrique Roig, 10th of April, Leopoldo Turla, Fermín Salvoechea, among others, where he stood out for his intense propagandistic work together with José Martí and other figures of the emigration, in order to raise funds and unite the masses to undermine the colonial yoke that oppressed the Island.
As an intuitive and self-taught follower of Marxism, Baliño conceived the libertarian struggle of the nation as a transcendental moment for the future redemption of the working class and the progress of the incipient socialist current that was then emerging and with which not many sympathized.
To that end, he collaborated with the Apostle in the creation and performance of the Cuban Revolutionary Party and, once the war with Spain was over, with the Obrero, Obrero Socialista and Socialista de Cuba parties and the so-called Agrupación Socialista Internacional, organizations where he distinguished himself for his patriotism and union activism, while his journalistic talent stood out in important publications such as El Productor, El Obrero Cigarrero, Justicia, Lucha de Clases and the magazine Juventud, among others.
And as a bridge between the independence ideal that in life protected the Master and the emancipation of the proletariat that nested in the youth of the early twentieth century, in his last years, he was linked to the student leader Julio Antonio Mella to give life to important organizations such as the Anti-Imperialist League, the Cuban Section and, mainly, the first Communist Party of the nation.
Sadly, Baliño died in Havana on June 18th, 1926 at the age of 78, remaining in the collective memory of the Island for his tireless political and revolutionary trajectory and standing as an example of justice, honor and dignity for present and future generations.
Written by Yadiel Barbón Salgado.
