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Che Guevara remembered 50 years after his execution

Artists, activists and Guevara’s descendants gather to commemorate the death of the revolutionary.

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Cubans wave photos of Che Guevara to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his death in Santa Clara, Cuba. [Sven Creutzmann/Mambo photo/Getty Images]
Published On 10 Oct 2017

Thousands gathered on Monday in a small town in southern Bolivia, where the leader of the Cuban revolution Ernesto “Che” Guevara was executed by CIA-backed Bolivian soldiers 50 years ago.

Bolivia’s President Evo Morales camped in a sleeping bag and tent and welcomed dignitaries from allies Cuba and Venezuela during the commemoration ceremonies. 

“Fifty years later, the legend of Ernesto Che Guevara lives in the young people, in their unquestionable struggle for equality and liberation,” Morales wrote on Twitter before his scheduled speech on Monday.

Over the weekend artists, activists, veterans of the Cuban revolution and Guevara’s descendants gathered to commemorate the revolutionary hero in Vallegrande, where he was buried in a hidden, unmarked grave in 1967 before his remains were moved to Cuba 30 years later.

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People place photos of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara and offerings of cigars and cigarettes at his memorial in Vallegrande, Bolivia on the 50th anniversary of his execution. [Aizar Raldes/AFP/Getty Images]
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Susana Osinaga Robles, a nurse who washed Che's corpse 50 years ago, in the laundry room where his body was displayed. [David Mercado/Reuters]
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A street sweeper pauses her work to look at posters of Che Guevara on a wall in Vallegrande, Bolivia, on the 50th anniversary of his execution. [Aizar Raldes/AFP/Getty Images]
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Bolivian President Evo Morales and Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera commemorate the death of Che Guevara 50 years after his execution [David Mercado/Reuters]
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Aymara women attend a ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Che Guevara's death in Vallegrande, Santa Cruz, Bolivia. [David Mercado/Reuters]
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People attend a ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara's death in Vallegrande, Bolivia. [Aizar Raldes/AFP/Getty Images]
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A woman sits in the schoolroom in La Higuera, Santa Cruz, Bolivia where Ernesto 'Che' Guevara was executed [David Mercado/Reuters]
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Cuba's President Raul Castro salutes military officers before an event paying tribute to Cuban Revolution hero Ernesto 'Che' Guevara on the 50th anniversary of his death. [Desmond Boylan/AP Photo]
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Chilean supporters pose on a statue of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara during an event to commemorate the anniversary of his death in La Higuera, Santa Cruz, Bolivia. [David Mercado/Reuters]