A book by Ernesto "Che" Guevara

Title: The African Dream: The Diaries of the Revolutionary War in the Congo
Author: Ernesto "Che" Guevara
First Copyright: 1999
ISBN: 1 86046 847 0
Paperback
******************
Between December 1965 and January 1966 Ernesto "Che" Guevara spent time in a small upstairs room of what was and still is the Cuban Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and compiled his daily "war diaries" of a military expedition he led in the eastern part of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1965 and 1966 in support of a coalition of Congolese rebel forces against the mercenary-supported army of Congolese leader Moises Tshombe.

The campaign ended in failure and these journals reveal an honest appraisal and analysis of the arena of operations and the conditions that fed the weaknesses that led to the failure. His criticism of some of the 100 Cubans he led, of the Congolese allies he trained, and of his own shortcomings, is unsparing.

A native of Argentina and a hero of the Cuban Revolution, Guevara relinquished his ministerial position in the Cuban government, traveled incognito through Dar es Salaam and proceeded by road to Kigoma, and then crossed Lake Tanganyika to the combat area in eastern Congo.

The journals provide an insight into the thoughts and motivations of an individual described as one of the twentieth century's most influential figures.

In this book Tanzanian readers will find reference to familiar names and settings.