Sabino Pupo: Hero of the Cuban farmers

Became an enthusiast for the rights of the Cuban peasantry because of his courage, strength and heroism, the history of the country remembers Sabino Pupo Milián as one of its main revolutionary leaders and activists.

An enthusiast for the rights of the Cuban peasantry due to his courage, strength and heroism, the history of the country remembers Sabino Pupo Milián as one of its main revolutionary leaders and activists.

Born on March 19th, 1895, this Tunero found early protection in the agricultural work and, precisely, when he experienced and witnessed the injustices against those who worked in this sector, he channeled his socio-political actions towards the rights of farmers and the improvement of their living conditions.

This systemic struggle for the development of the Antillean peasantry led him to join the Álvaro Reynoso Valdés and Santa Lucía Associations, and he was elected leader of the latter in 1948 in the Camagüey territory of Nuevitas.

Likewise, he demonstrated his integrity and fortitude when, in spite of the persistent eagerness of the U.S. Manatí Sugar Company to keep the lands he lived and worked with other families because of their obvious fertility, he rejected the company’s offers, saying that there was no money capable of buying neither the shame nor the prestige of the farmers.

Precisely, his vast leadership capacity turned him into an obstacle for foreign sugar companies, which saw his demands as a threat to their economic interests. It is not surprising then that the Manatí Sugar Company itself, as an alternative to silence his activism, ended up undermining his existence by shooting him on the tragic October 20th, 1948 in the Camagüey town of Camalote.

Although his life was unfortunately short, Sabino Pupo Milián managed with his revolutionary journey to lay the foundations for the social and economic progress of the nation’s agricultural workers, while his tireless attachment to justice and social causes made him one of the most recognized heroes of our Island.

Written by Yadiel Barbón Salgado.