Argentina pays belated homage to "Che" Guevara

By Helen Popper

ROSARIO, Argentina (Reuters) - A bronze statue of Ernesto "Che" Guevara was unveiled on Saturday in the Argentine city where he was born exactly 80 years ago, the first such monument to the revolutionary in his homeland.

Thousands of students, leftist activists and residents marched through Rosario to pay homage to the long-haired guerrilla fighter, who left his country as a young man to lead armed struggles including Cuba's 1959 revolution alongside Fidel Castro.

"I believe in the revolution, that's why I love Che," said Monica Nielson, 49, wearing a soldier's beret with a single star like that worn by Guevara in a photo that turned him into a 20th Century icon.

"El Che," a national hero in Communist Cuba, is one of Argentina's most famous sons. But he has been slow to get recognition as a national figure at home.

For years after CIA-backed troops executed him in the Bolivian jungle in 1967, he was still too controversial for public recognition in Argentina.

The leaders of the country's 1976-83 "dirty war" dictatorship banned his image, and attackers bombed the middle-class Rosario apartment building where Guevara was born in 1928 after the local council put up a commemorative plaque there.

A handful of high schools bear Guevara's name, and a small museum opened in one of his former homes in 2001. But in a country with a penchant for naming streets and avenues after obscure Spanish viceroys, his absence is notable, said leftist historian Felipe Pigna.

"It's disgraceful that in a city like Buenos Aires ... there's not a single street named after Doctor Guevara," he said.

'HISTORICAL FIGURE'

Members of Rosario's socialist city council, which organized Saturday's events, say controversy over Guevara has eased after 25 years of democracy.

"Che is more of a historical figure nowadays," said Horacio Ghirardi, organizer of the tribute in Rosario. "He was always very controversial in the country, especially among the right, which couldn't stand him or even tolerate debate about him."

In Cuba, where a series of acts have taken place during the week to mark Saturday's anniversary, Vice President Carlos Lage praised Guevara as "a mythic icon."

The Cuban commemorations included days of unpaid voluntary labor -- something advocated by Che, who is remembered for toiling shirtless on building sites and cutting sugar cane.

Guevara's daughter, Aleida Guevara, arrived in Rosario to cheers and chants of "Viva!" when she visited a makeshift campsite set up for the celebrations, which culminated in the unveiling of the 2.7 tonne, 12-foot (4-metre) statue made out of thousands of donated, melted-down keys.

Guevara was depicted in his typical military uniform, striking a defiant pose.