In memory of Didi, Dirceu Travesso Martin Ralph, International Socialist League. 16 September 2014 It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that Didi, Dirceu Travesso, an international leader of CSP-Conlutas and a leader of the Brazilian PSTU and International Workers league-Fourth International passed away today (at about 3pm, Brazil time, Tuesday 16 September) after struggling with cancer for many years. His death is a shock he remained very active, travelling and organising across the world while struggling with cancer. He never talked of his cancer, and always replied to every question, except questions about his health. A great comrade and a great friend, Didi was, one might say, larger than life because of his dedication to the working class, Marxism and Internationalism. His strength also came from the knowledge that without the struggle for Marxism and the revolutionary international, no initiative would be successful. His energy and his devotion was to the class struggle and he contributed so much to Trotskyism. He took into his soul what Engels said about Marxism, that it is above all a guide to action. On a number of occasions he devoted his time in helping his comrades in Britain to build the International Socialist League. For Didi no meeting was too big or small, what was important was its purpose. He had a special style, he could relate the international class struggle to many who experienced it in one country. Didi’s style was a direct expression of his Marxist thought and his experience. And he could bring the struggle against capitalism and the labour bureaucracy to life. We know that as a student he lived under the dictatorship, and with many of his generation he took to the streets to help bring it down. He was a founder member of the Workers Party and of the CUT. Later he was expelled from both and helped form and lead a new union and social movement federation that is now CSP-Conlutas and a new party, the PSTU. What kept him going in his struggle with cancer was his belief in internationalism, and his struggle for the workers of the world, which meant travelling across the world to build a genuine international militant union movement. He met many activists in England including the Liverpool dock workers during their dispute in 1996 and 1997, later he met RMT leaders and fighters, and activists from the anti-blacklisting campaign. He was the only person I knew who received a standing ovation from Liverpool TUC,, even though at the start of his speech he informed them that the English language was likely to be severely harmed by him! His last visit was in June, to a meeting of 70 people in London to discuss the struggle of metro workers and many others fights during the period of the World Cup. Just before that he met a group of railway workers from the RMT. Both meetings were successful. He then travelled back to Paris from where he had come 10 hours before, in order to catch the plane back to the struggle in Brazil. He knew how to speak to experienced trade unionists, workers, students and young people and he would always make people laugh. Didi - Dirceu Travesso, comrade, friend, revolutionary. A life to the celebrated as much as his loss is to be mourned.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 17:44:08 +0000