December 5 marked the third anniversary of the death of Faure Chomón Mediavilla, who was -for a decade- the first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) in Las Tunas. This is how the outstanding Cuban intellectual remembers him, in this unpublished testimony for a book about the admired leader, written by Las Tunas researcher Frank Arteaga Pupo.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- In 1956, Faure and I walked through different worlds. I was a young "society" girl, without any experience, but in love with José Luis Gómez Wangüemert, a man of aplomb who knew how to take me by the hand to walk the realities of my country, submerged in an implacable dictatorship. By then, Faure was already a great fighter, popular for his bravery and much feared by his adversaries.
I met Emilio through Wangüemert. I remember that I went to bring them my salary because they needed money for the rent of an apartment and when José Luis introduced us, I was shocked by his seriousness. Turning to him, Emilio commented: "Where did you get this little girl from? And there began my first confrontation with one of the many interrogations that my boss, Commander Faure Chomón, a real name that I got to know after the attack on the Presidential Palace, gave me.
He was upright, brave, and cultured, with a deep knowledge of Marti's thought, a worshipper of the history of our independence struggles. He was one of those who guided me in difficult moments, who brought firmness to my life and instilled in me fierceness in the face of the unknown. Our friendship was one of great respect; he was very polite and incredibly affectionate with his companions. He always accompanied us and never stopped worrying about our problems and those of the family.
He never forgot the female sacrifice and abnegation in the insurrectional struggles. I remember that, in 1958, on the occasion of the events of April 9, the Revolutionary Directorate launched a manifesto, signed by him, which in its seventh call for unity expressed: "Cuban women, who have been heroic in this process and who have suffered so directly the horrors of the dictatorship should be represented by the United Oppositionist Women and the Civic Front of Martianas Women."
I remember that in the 1960s, when I was director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Faure caught me racing on my scooter along the Malecón with my daughters on my back and immediately stopped me and confiscated the motorcycle because he said I was going to kill myself from racing so much. That protective gesture, like many others, I always thanked him.
When he was appointed secretary of the Party in the then Victoria de las Tunas, he came to the Numismatic Museum, which I directed, to ask me for guidance and cultural support in his new task. I made many trips to the province. I do not forget that I lived in a train carriage and to top it off, in the backyard there was a cage with a lion... I never understood what that animal was doing there and the scene impressed me.
In Las Tunas he developed a wide sociocultural program, brought exhibitions of great plastic artists, and musicians of the stature of Adolfo Guzmán, consolidated the Cucalambeana Day, founded clubs, museums, galleries, and art school, and, with his power of persuasion, persuaded my cousin, the outstanding sculptor Rita Longa Aróstegui to build the Fountain of the Antilles. This beautiful and majestic monument is one of the attractions that represent the town as the Capital of Cuban Sculpture.
Faure Chomón Mediavilla was an honest, honest, and kind man. Until the last moment of his life, he worked tirelessly. On one occasion he came home to finish a piece of writing he was doing and during a break, we sat down to have lunch. That night I had not slept well, I told him to keep working, and that I would sleep until noon. Although laughing was not his forte, he smiled, looked at me, took my hand, and, without further ado, said: "Natalia, don't forget that I am your boss." He is no longer physically here, but to this day and forever, Faure will remain, Emilio, my boss.
