In life stories it is not common to find a Holguin man who is 108 years old and with incredible vitality sings, dances, plays harmonica, improvises décimas and narrates anecdotes with prodigious memory. He lives in Buenaventura, municipality of Calixto Garcia, in Holguin.
His first name is Jose Alejandrino Martinez and he was born in Arroyo Blanco de Cueto on December 26, 1916. This man loaded sugar cane for the extinct Cupey sugar mill when he was only nine years old.
Then he moved to the town of La Rosal, in the municipality of Cacocum, about six kilometers from the town of Mir, dedicating himself mainly to agriculture and cattle raising. He has 18 children from three marriages, the oldest of whom is 90 years old.
He says that the assassination of Jesús Menéndez was a hard blow for the workers, he had known him since 1940 and sympathized with him as a workers’ leader.
He joined the insurrectional struggle as a secret fighter alongside Clara Castillo and under the orders of Comandante Delio Gómez in 1958 he carried out action and sabotage activities against Batista’s tyranny.
He recalls that he visited Fidel Castro’s house in Biran and there he exchanged with Lina Ruz, mother of the leader of the Cuban Revolution and an energetic and enterprising woman.
He met with Fidel during his trip to the former Oriente province after the devastating cyclone Flora jad hit the region, nearby La Rioja River; they shook hands when the Chaparra sugar mill was nationalized, he participated in the celebration for that occasion and enjoyed Germán Pineli’s locution.
Of medium height and blue eyes, Pinto, as he is affectionately called by family and friends, participated as a machetero (sugar cane cutter) in the 1970 harvest.
This versatile man toured places with singers offering serenades to beautiful women, performing several classics such as La mujer de Antonio (Antonio’s wife).
Cuban and proud of his country, he does not smoke or drink alcoholic beverages, in love with women and the life he has led with sacrifice and decency. He is not afraid of leaving this world because he is certain that he always goes hand in hand with God.
With information from Enma Colina Bruzon
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