Date: March 5, 1960
Photographer: Alberto Korda – Photographer for the Cuban newspaper “La Revolución”
Details: The background of the famous photo dates back to March 4, 1960, when the French cargo ship “La Coubre” exploded under suspicious circumstances in Havana’s harbor, killing up to 100 people and injuring hundreds more. The following day, a large memorial event and demonstration were held at the Colón Cemetery in Havana to honor the victims. After the funeral procession, Cuban leader Fidel Castro delivered a fiery speech, explicitly accusing the United States of being responsible for the incident. During this time, Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who was serving as Minister of Industries in the new government, appeared briefly among the crowd near Castro’s podium. Photographer Alberto Korda, who was present to cover the event, took two photos of Guevara, capturing his resolute face and flowing hair from beneath his beret. These brief moments were enough for Korda to snap the shots before Guevara disappeared from view.
Despite the newspaper’s refusal to publish the photo and preference for other images of Castro and attending intellectuals like Sartre and Beauvoir, Korda, with his background in fashion photography, was drawn to one of the Guevara photos. He felt it was significant and framed it as a portrait.
For years, the iconic image remained a personal favorite of Korda, who dubbed it “Heroic Guerrilla” and displayed it on the wall of his apartment. Occasionally, he would give copies to his guests until 1967. The true rise to fame of the photo began when it appeared in the French magazine “Paris Match” alongside an article about guerrilla warfare in Latin America. After Guevara’s death in October of the same year, a large version of the photo was displayed at the Ministry of the Interior in Havana during a memorial service, establishing Guevara as a martyr of the global revolution and a symbol of rebellion. The following year, the photo gained international recognition, appearing on the cover of Guevara’s memoirs published in Italy and as the cover of a literary magazine in New York. It was also featured during riots in France and Italy. Beyond its use in protests, the image was emblazoned on T-shirts, posters, and even exploited in commercial advertisements and some artistic and musical works.
Korda recounted the moment he took the photo, saying he was positioned at the foot of the decorated platform focusing on Fidel Castro and the surrounding crowd when Che Guevara suddenly appeared above him. Surprised by Guevara’s intense gaze, Korda captured two shots of him, one horizontal and one vertical, without time for a third. Guevara then returned to the second row, and all of this happened in about thirty seconds. Korda was drawn to Guevara’s expression, which conveyed absolute defiance, anger, and pain. He remembers the day he took the photo as if it were today and remains astonished by its impact.
For decades, Korda did not earn a cent from the widespread distribution of his famous photo. However, he did file several legal claims to assert his ownership of the image, managing to halt its use in alcoholic beverage advertisements, arguing that it was an affront to the legacy of the heroic guerrilla. He claimed that neither he nor his subject consumed alcohol. He received $50,000 in damages, which he donated to the Cuban state to purchase medicine for children from the international market.
