ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA Born = 1928 Died = 1967 (39 years old when he was killed) Born to an upper-middle class family in Argentina. Studied Medicine at the University of Buenos Aires. He suffered from asthma, yet was very athletic and played rugby in college. 1) Fuser = El furibundo (the rager) (Rugby nickname) + Serena (his mothers surname) = FUSER 2) Che = Argentinean slang word for buddy/friend Ches dad was a leftist conservative, and Che was brought up with a conservative, sheltered view of the world. While studying at the University of Buenos Aires, he became interested in the politics and social aspects of South America. In , he decided to take a one year leave from his studies to travel around South America, on a motorcycle. He went with his friend, Alberto Granado. They planned a 5,000 mile, 9 month trip across S.A. They planned to spend time volunteering at the San Pablo Leper Colony in Peru. During the trip, Che kept notes in a personal diary. The movie Motorcycle Diaries is based on his diary entries: On their trip, Che and Alberto were exposed to the realities of the world. It was on this trip that Che began to form his revolutionary ideas. He witnessed extreme poverty, racism, and unfair political systems. After the trip Che decided to dedicate his life to fighting for the poor and fighting against corrupt and unfair governments (especially dictatorships). In the early 1950s, after his S.A. roadtrip, Che travels to many other countries in South and Central America and continues to form his ideas. He finished his medical degree in 1953 He believes: That Capitalism creates poverty and is unfair To bring about change populations must arm themselves and fight for what they believe in In 1954 Che meets Fidel Castro, who is preparing a group of people to take over Cuba. At this time in Cuba the dictator Batista was in power. In 1959 Fidel, Che, and a group of revolutionaries forcefully take over Cuba (The Cuban Revolution) . Che was Fidel Castros right hand man and helped Fidel establish the political system of Cuba after the overthrow of Batista. In the 1960s Che travels around the world, and works extensively in Africa. In 1966 Che weno to Bolivia to build up and train a guerrilla army to fight against the Bolivian government. In 1967 Che was captured by the Bolivian government, with the help of the U.S. CIA. He was captured, imprisoned, and ultimately executed. After his death, Che became a hero and iconic figure. To this day he considered a hero to many for what he believed in and fought for. However, others do not support him and think he was too violent and too extreme. Ches image is a recognizable symbol of revolution throughout the world (especially in Central America, South America, and Cuba). The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall. What does the life of one man matter when the future of humanity is in jeopady? It's a sad thing not to have friends, but it is even sadder not to have enemies. I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves. Better to die standing, than to live on your knees. -Ernesto Che Guevara Diarios de Motocicleta