Introduction

Born to the Argentine aristocracy, Che Guevara became a Communist revolutionary.  He was a key member of Fidel Castro's "26th of July Movement" which seized power in Cuba.  He fought in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and died of the executioner's bullet in Bolivia in 1967.  The French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre described him as "the most complete human being of our age."  In many ways, Che's "afterlife" has been as fascinating as his biography.  This story began in a grisly way immediately after he was killed as his hands were sawed off and preserved in formaldehyde to prove that he was dead.  Not surprisingly, he was transformed into a leftist martyr.  Cuban students still salute the flag each morning with the promise that they will be "like Che."  Less predictably, Guevara has also become a pop icon.  His image, most particularly that based upon a photograph taken by the Cuban Alberto Korda at a 1960 memorial service, has been used to sell t-shirts, Smirnoff vodka, Che bikinis and Fischer Revolution skis.  An episode of "The Simpsons" even featured a Latin nightclub called "Chez Guevara."

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Discussion Questions

• How did a Marxist revolutionary become a symbol of popular culture and of conspicuous consumption?  What significance would you attach to this development?

• How does the story of Che Guevara add to our understanding of the Cold War?

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Required Reading

•   Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, "The Bob Marley Story," New York Review Of Books (April 9, 2009).

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Bob Marley And Che Guevara In The News

•   Kev Goeghegan, "Bob Marley Was 'Beyond Famous,' Says Director," BBC News, April 8, 2011.

•   Baz Dreisinger, "Fighting For Survival," New York Times, July 2, 2010.

•   "Marley Statue Unveiled In Serbia," BBC News, August 24, 2008.

•   Soutik Biswas, "Jamaican Ghetto Upholds Marley Legacy," BBC News, June 28, 2007.

•   Marc Lacey, "Reggae Fans Get Up, Stand Up For A Birthday," New York Times, February 7, 2005.

• Field Maloney, "Marley's Ghost," New York Times, February 2, 2005.

• Kelefa Sanneh, "Marley's Ghost," New York Times, May 2, 2004.

• Howard W. French, "Celebrating Bob Marley, Voice Of The Dispossessed," New York Times, May 13, 1991.

• Jo Thomas, "With Pride And Music, Jamaicans Bury Bob Marley," New York Times, May 22, 1981.

• Jon Bradshaw, "The Reggae Way To 'Salvation,'" New York Times Magazine, August 14, 1977.

•   "New Che Guevara Diary Published In Cuba," BBC News, June 14, 2011.

•   Peter Bradshaw, "Che: Part Two," Guardian, February 20, 2009.

•   Daniel Schweimler, "Che's Spirit Burns On In Latin America," BBC News, January 3, 2009.

•   Ed Ewing, "Che's Last Stand," Guardian, December 31, 2008.

•   Simon Hattenstone, "'Dammit, This Guy Is Cool,'" Guardian, November 29, 2008.

•   Rory Carroll, "Guevara Children Denounce Che Branding," Guardian, June 7, 2008.

•   "Che Guevara Hair Sold At Auction," BBC News, October 26, 2007.

•   Daniel Schweimler, "Latin America's New Look At Che," BBC News, October 9, 2007.

•   Marc Lacey, "A Revolutionary Icon, And Now, A Bikini," New York Times, October 9, 2007.

•   "Cuba Pays Tribute To Che Guevara," BBC News, October 9, 2007.

•   Michael Voss, "Cubans Honour Che As A Hero," BBC News, October 8, 2007.

•   Will Grant, "CIA Man Recounts Che Guevara's Death," BBC News, October 8, 2007.

•   "In Pictures: Images Of Che," BBC News, October 5, 2007.

• Stephanie Holmes, "Che: The Icon And The Ad," BBC News, October 5, 2007.

• Andres Schipani, "The Final Triumph Of Saint Che," Observer, September 23, 2007.

• Peter Conrad, "The Name On Everyone's Lips," Observer, June 11, 2006.

•   "Advert Shows Jesus As Che Guevara," BBC News, September 14, 2005.

•   "'My Best Friend Che,'" BBC News, May 9, 2005.

• Rob Mackie, "Motorcycle Diaries," Guardian, February 4, 2005.

• Helene Mulholland, "Don't Take Che's Name In Vain, Warns Daughter," Guardian Unlimited, October 15, 2004.

•   "Che Guevara Legacy Lives On In Bolivia," BBC News, August 26, 2004.

• Larry Rohter, "Letter From The Americas; Che Today?  More Easy Rider Than Revolutionary," New York Times, May 26, 2004.

• Elizabeth Armstrong, "Che Chic," Christian Science Monitor, March 5, 2004.

•   "Cuba Honours Comrade Che," BBC News, June 15, 2003.

•   "Comrade Che Keeps An Eye On British Workers," BBC News, October 24, 2002.

•   "Che Guevara Photographer Dies," BBC News, May 26, 2001.

•    "Artist Turk Opens Guevara Fortnight," BBC News, January 15, 2001.

•   "Guevara's Image Saved From Drink," BBC News, September 15, 2000.

•   "Che Guevara Photographer Sues," BBC News, August 7, 2000.

•   "Jesus Ad Campaign 'Not Blasphemous,'" BBC News, January 7, 1999.

• "Bolivia Woman Guerrilla's Remains Found," BBC News, September 22, 1998.

• Richard Bernstein, "Critic's Notebook; Looking Back With Cooled Passions At Che's Image," New York Times, November 26, 1997.

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Articles

• Steed V. Davidson, "Leave Babylon: The Trope Of Babylon In Rastafarian Discourse," Black Theology: An International Journal, 6 (January 2008): 46-60.

• Mikal Gilmore and Annie Leibovitz, "Bob Marley: How He Changed The World," Rolling Stone (March 10, 2005): 68-78.

• Mark Jacobson, "Bob Marley Live," Natural History, 104 (November 1995): 48-53.

• Time 100: Che Guevara:  A three-page profile of the revolutionary by Ariel Dorfman.

• John Lopez, "'Che's' Guerrilla Oscar Campaign," Vanity Fair (December 15, 2008).

• Jeff A. Larson and Omar Lizardo, "Generations, Identities, And The Collective Memory Of Che Guevara," Sociological Forum, 22 (December 2007): 425-51.

• Fernando Bueno, "Motorcycle Diaries: The Myth Of Che Guevara In The Twenty-First Century," Confluencia, 23 (Fall 2007): 107-114.

• Alvaro Vargas Llosa, "The Killing Machine: Che Guevara, From Communist Firebrand To Capitalist Brand," New Republic (July 11, 2005).

• Paul Berman, "The Cult Of Che: Don't Applaud 'The Motorcycle Diaries,'" Slate Magazine (September 24, 2004).

• Brook Larmer, "Che Chic," Newsweek (July 21, 1997).

• "Che: A Myth Embalmed In A Matrix Of Ignorance," Time (October 12, 1970).

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Audio Sources

• Bob Marley, "400 Years," You Tube.

• Bob Marley, "Africa Unite," You Tube.

• Bob Marley, "Babylon System," You Tube.

• Bob Marley, "Buffalo Soldier," You Tube.

• Bob Marley, "Get Up, Stand Up," You Tube.

• Bob Marley, "One Love," You Tube.

• Bob Marley, "Redemption Song," You Tube.

• Bob Marley, "Zimbabwe," You Tube.

•   "Bob Marley," NPR Music:  An anthology of features, interviews and performances from the American public broadcaster.

•   Che Guevara, On Point, October 7, 2004.  The life and contemporary popularity of the 1960s-era Argentinian revolutionary.

• "The Sunday Feature: Che," BBC Radio 3, March 30, 1997.

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Video Sources

• "Bob Marley -- Prophecies And Messages":

• Part 1; Part2; Part 3; Part4; Part 5; Part 6

• "Bob Marley And The Wailers -- Catch A Fire" (1999):

• Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

• "True Story Of Che Guevara":

• Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8; Part 9

• "Che" [A feature-length movie]:

• Section 1: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8; Part 9

• Section 2: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8; Part 9

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Web-Sites

•   Bob Marley:  The official web-site.

•   Bob Marley , Wikipedia:  An entry from the on-line encyclopedia.

• "Bob Marley," Rolling Stone Artists:  A short biography from the music magazine.

•   Che Guevara, Wikipedia: A detailed biography from the on-line encyclopedia.

•   Che Guevara:  A 2007 gallery of annotated images from the British Guardian newspaper.

• Che Guevara (1928-1967) -- BBC Historic Figures:  An extremely condensed biographical introduction.

•   Che Guevara (Photo), Wikipedia:  A brief entry about the famous Alberto Korda image.

•   Che-Lives.Com  :  A web-site dedicated to the memory of the Latin American revolutionary.

• Motorcycle Diaries:  The companion web-site for the recent movie about Che Guevara's early trip through Latin America in the 1950s.