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NEWS
CUBAN COMMUNITY | AGUSTIN TAMARGO, 1924-2007
`An apostle for
the freedom of Cuba'
 Hundreds
gathered Saturday to pay homage to Cuban exile journalist Agustín
Tamargo, a critic in print, radio and TV of Fidel Castro's government.
BY ALDO NAHED
anahed@MiamiHerald.com
Hundreds of mourners broke out in tears Saturday as Eva Tamargo read her
father's emotional exchange with God in an unpublished column that
popular Cuban exile journalist Agustín Tamargo had written years back.
He was 82.
''Why did you deprive me of my history?'' she read in Spanish from a
long philosophical passage, which closed with her father's signature
refrain: ``Cuba first, Cuba next and Cuba always.''
In a standing ovation, the crowd then burst into a patriotic chant:
``Cuba Libre, Viva Cuba.''
From members of Congress to his most humble fans, some dressed in
T-shirts, they came to St. Kieran Catholic Church to pay their respects
to Tamargo, a Spanish-language commentator who passionately led Miami's
Cuban-exile community with calls for a Cuba free from communism.
Several held small placards with the Cuban flag and a call for ''Ya es
hora,'' or ''Now's the time,'' a reference to the changing dynamics in
communist Cuba where an ailing Fidel Castro turned over authority to his
brother Raúl in July.
Tamargo, who fought throat cancer for many years, recently fell ill for
the sixth time with pneumonia and died of a heart attack Wednesday at
Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach.
U.S. Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart said Tamargo's memory and lessons will
live on with future generations. His brother, U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart,
also attended the services.
''He was an apostle, not only for the freedom of Cuba, but of the search
for truth. He was a teacher in many ways,'' Lincoln Díaz-Balart said.
``A teacher of love for the fellow man, of justice and freedom. He
always rejected oppression, censorship and discrimination.''
Tamargo's roundtable discussion show on popular Radio Mambí 710-AM, a
mixture of political opinions and news, was on the air for more than two
decades.
Pedro Yanes, a fellow journalist and friend for more than 50 years, said
he often drove Tamargo around town on errands. Tamargo never drove
himself.
''He was a defender not only of Cuba, but also of Puerto Rico, while he
lived in New York,'' Yanes said in Spanish. ``He was a great Cuban, had
an exceptional memory and was a great friend.''
A respected journalist in Cuba, both in print and television, Tamargo
wrote for the weekly Bohemia magazine, criticizing the dictatorship of
Fulgencio Batista until he had to flee to Argentina in 1958. He returned
a year later excited about Fidel Castro's revolution, but within a year,
he left Cuba for the last time in 1960 to escape what he called ``the
scourge of communism.''
''His articles were so powerful and critical of the Batista government
that Bohemia magazine had to let him go,'' Yanes said. ``His roster of
friends included the most influential leaders in Washington and in Latin
America.''
Before moving to Miami in 1980, he worked at magazines and newspapers in
Venezuela, Argentina, the Dominican Republic and New York City, where he
was editor of Spanish dailies El Tiempo and Diario La Prensa. He also
wrote columns for El Nuevo Herald, and many of them ran in The Miami
Herald over the years.
Auxiliary Bishop Agustín A. Román began the funeral Mass with a
description of Puerto Padre, Cuba, Tamargo's hometown.
His wife of 64 years, Rosalba Nápoles sat sobbing near Tamargo's coffin
-- which was covered in a white mantle -- wearing dark shades and
comforted by her daughter.
''He wanted to return to see Puerto Padre,'' Román said of Tamargo's
dream. ``But it was not possible. His dream will remain alive.''
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