The similarities between Cuba and Eritrea are too many to list. To put is simply Eritrea is the African Cuba, with both countries being uniquely revolutionary, independent and socialist.
Cuba is the only country in Latin America to come to power through armed struggle, just as Eritrea is the only country in Africa to come to power out of the barrel of a gun.
Both Cuba and Eritrea are genuinely socialist, with both spurning the corrupt system of electoral “democracy” which is the main tool of Western social control in the neo-colonial era.
Being socialist, Eritrea and Cuba own the means of production in their countries with all land belonging to the people through their governments. Individual shareholders are allowed use of the land registered under their names but the land—the basic means of all production—belongs to the state.
Land cannot be bought or sold in either country because the land belongs to the people in its entirety. This is the first most essential step in the development of genuine socialism, not the phony variety claimed by the electoral fraudsters in the West and internationally.
Both Cuba and Eritrea are independent and non-aligned internationally and both are subject to onerous sanctions by the U.S. and its minions at the U.N. Both countries have been maliciously accused of supporting terrorism and have seen their people suffer due to the blockades—both official and unofficial inflicted—on their populations.
Both countries have a long history of being attacked and slandered by the U.S. While both countries are trying to normalize relations with the U.S. so far only token offers of peace have been proffered by U.S. imperialism. Real change, such as the lifting of sanctions has not been delivered yet, despite international pressure for the U.S. to do so.
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Cuba and Eritrea both share the socialist goal, as we say in Eritrea, of a “rich Eritrea without rich Eritreans," a hallmark of real socialism and a long-term process that will absorb the energy of many generations to come.
Both countries actually practice social justice where the needs of the neediest have priority and education and medical care are accessible, universal and paid for by the state.
Life in both countries remains hard for the people, with blockades and sanctions crippling their economies and limiting the ability of their governments to provide a better standard of living.
But in both Cuba and Eritrea, the people support their governments despite the difficulties of daily lives. That's the best testament to the two country's socialist road.
Thomas C. Mountain is an independent journalist, living and reporting from Eritrea since 2006. His speeches, interviews and articles can be viewed on facebook at thomascmountain or he can best be reached at thomascmountain@gmail.com