Much of the world learned of President John F Kennedy’s death within minutes, and today, 50 years later, it still feels the loss.Across six continents, in sports grounds, statues, scholarships, streets, hospitals, bridges, parks and schools, the name of John F Kennedy is preserved in perpetuity.
Cuba
“I put on the radio, and just at that moment there was a chilling report informing us that the president had been assassinated in Dallas,” Fidel Castro wrote in a recent newspaper column. The usually voluble former president of Cuba recalled being struck dumb. “For all intents and purposes there was nothing that we could talk about.”
In Cuba, Kennedy was reviled for authorising the Bay of Pigs invasion and perceived as bellicose during the missile crisis that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.
“Every Cuban felt like that president was attacking us. You couldn’t have the slightest goodwill for him,” said Manuel Rodriguez, a 74-year-old former bank employee and militia member who was mobilised during the Bay of Pigs attack and the missile crisis.
He remembers that Kennedy’s assassination shocked Cuba and provoked fears that new tensions would roil the island. Once again he was called up for military duty.
His view of Kennedy has softened somewhat over the years; today Rodriguez believes the hostile US policy toward Cuba was set by Kennedy’s predecessor, Dwight Eisenhower, and that Kennedy had to “keep up the pace”.
Kenya
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Munene is a 32-year-old Kenyan. His mother chose that name when she gave birth to him in the US while on a student exchange programme.
He has studied the American president more than the average Kenyan, including reading Kennedy’s ‘Profiles in Courage’.
He has also studied a programme made possible by JFK through the family trust when he was a senator that took dozens of African students to the US to further their education.
One person in the programme was Barack Obama Sr, the current president’s father.
Munene, who works in information technology, likes to play soccer, wearing a jersey with ‘JFK’ emblazoned on it.
When they see it “people say, “Are you going to be Kenya’s president?” … It’s quite a fun name.”
Colombia
In Bogota, Colombia, Maria Cristina Reyes remembers exactly what she was doing when Kennedy was shot.
He had touched her life.
Reyes was 16 and newly married when JFK pulled up in a black limousine with his wife and Colombia’s president on December 17 1961.
She and her husband were among people building simple one-story red brick houses financed by Kennedy’s ‘Alliance for Progress’ initiative.
One of the homes would be the Reyes family’s, in a district which would be named Barrio Kennedy.
“We felt great joy to see someone who was not from our country come and give something to people who were really in need,” said Reyes.
Neighbour Martha Garay, now 77, remembers Kennedy’s impact: “He was dashing, attractive, impeccable, and so was his wife.”
JFK lingered, visiting a lot of the houses, “and spoke some Spanish though it wasn’t anything that was very understandable”, Garay said, chuckling.
Reyes said she was housecleaning when word of the assassination reached her. “We turned on the radio when they announced the terrible news.”
“When a person like President Kennedy comes around and tries to help, they always cut him down,” she said.
Britain
The day after the assassination, the performance of Chekhov’s ‘Uncle Vanya’ ran as scheduled in London’s Old Vic theatre. When the play ended, Sir Laurence Olivier stepped forward, raised his hands, and said that instead of applause the actors would rather stand with the audience for two minutes of remembrance. The great actor and director arranged for the silence to be broken by the playing of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’.
In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.
The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
