Aleida Guevara March ( Guevara; born 24 November 1960) is the eldest daughter of four children born to

Ernesto "Che" Guevara Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quoted ...

and his second wife,

Aleida March Aleida March Torres (born 19 October 1936) is a Cuban revolutionary who was Ernesto "Che" Guevara's second wife, and a member of Fidel Castro's Cuban army. Life Aleida March was an active combatant in Che Guevara's Lightning Campaign in ...

. She is a

doctor of medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

, based at the ''William Soler Children's Hospital'' in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. She has also worked as a physician in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

, and

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

. She is interviewed about the philosophy behind

universal health care Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...

in Michael Moore's film ''

Sicko ''Sicko'' is a 2007 American political documentary film by filmmaker Michael Moore. Investigating health care in the United States, it focuses on the country's health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry. The film compares the for-profit no ...

''. Guevara has been an advocate for

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

and

debt relief Debt relief or debt cancellation is the partial or total forgiveness of debt, or the slowing or stopping of debt growth, owed by individuals, corporations, or nations. From antiquity through the 19th century, it refers to domestic debts, in particu ...

for developing nations. She is the author of the book ''Chávez, Venezuela and the New Latin America.''

Early youth

Although Aleida was only four and a half when her father left Cuba to foment revolution in the Congo, and almost seven when he was executed in Bolivia, she still has fond memories of him. One such story that she has shared publicly is that her father (Che) would make up animal stories for his faraway children, stating:

Her father's influence

Guevara refers to her father Che as a source of personal inspiration. When giving speeches throughout the world, she often mentions his writings, remarking that she finds his diaries particularly helpful for their "political insights and emotional maturity". She has also stated that she finds herself occasionally exclaiming: "Caramba! If only we'd put in practice this or that suggestion we would be in a better position now." In reference to her father's widespread use as a symbol of rebellion, she has stated that when she sees a child carrying his image on a march and the child says, "I want to be like Che and fight until final victory", she feels elated. In discussing her father's legacy, Aleida has remarked that:

Angolan medical mission

Guevara cites her time as part of a Cuban medical mission in Angola as leaving a lasting mark. She describes the impact of this experience with these words:

''Chavez, Venezuela, and the New Latin America''

Aleida Guevara interviewed former

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n president Hugo Chávez for the book ''Chavez, Venezuela, and the New Latin America'' in February 2004. The book was turned into a documentary and includes excerpts from the interview with Chávez discussing the

Bolivarian Revolution The Bolivarian Revolution is a political process in Venezuela that was led by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, the founder of the Fifth Republic Movement and later the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). The Bolivarian Revolution is ...

, interviews with Cuban humanitarian doctors working for the poor in Venezuela, an interview with General Jorge Carneiro about the April 2002 coup attempt, as well as scenes of life and support for Chávez in Venezuela.

Current work and personal life

As of 2009, Guevara helps run two homes for disabled children in Cuba and two more for refugee children with domestic problems. As a pediatrician specializing in childhood allergies, she has also been involved in medical support for a community in the flooded area around Río Cauto in eastern Cuba, while she has announced plans to work on the Island of Youth, which was devastated by several 2008 hurricanes. She also participates as public intellectual and activist in conferences, debates and festivals, such as the Subversive Festival from 4 to 8 May 2013, in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

, Croatia. There she was guest speaker next to other notable public thinkers like Slavoj Žižek and

Tariq Ali Tariq Ali (; born 21 October 1943) is a Pakistani-British political activist, writer, journalist, historian, filmmaker, and public intellectual. He is a member of the editorial committee of the ''New Left Review'' and ''Sin Permiso'', and con ...

. She has two daughters, Estefania (aka 'guapísima') and Celia.

References

External links

'I Grew Up with Extraordinary People'
by Aleida Guevara March (January 2017)

by Terri Judd, 16 October 2004, ''The Independent''.
Che, My Father
by Angelique Chrisafis, 3 May 2002, ''The Guardian''.

28 June 2003.

2 July 2003.
On the Motorcycle Behind my Father, Che Guevara
by Aleida Guevara, 12 October 2004, ''International Herald Tribune''.
Che's Daughter to Rally Reds for May Day March
by Andrew Picken, ''Edinburgh Evening News'', 11 April 2009
Dr. Aleida Guevara Speaks at 2010 International Che Guevara Conference
by ''

The Vancouver Observer ''The Vancouver Observer'' is an independent online newspaper. The site was founded in 2006 by journalist Linda Solomon as an online platform for Vancouver bloggers, writers, reporters, photographers and filmmakers. Novelist Ruth Ozeki was inv ...

'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guevara, Aleida 1960 births Living people Cuban pediatricians Che Guevara Cuban people of Basque descent Cuban people of Spanish descent Cuban people of Irish descent Cuban people of Argentine descent