Haydée Tamara Bunke Bider (November 19, 1937 – August 31, 1967) was an Argentine-born East German revolutionary known for her involvement in leftist politics and liberation movements.

Born to communist parents, Bunke joined the Free German Youth at fifteen and later studied philosophy or political science at university. She was recruited as an interpreter for the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, where she met Che Guevara during his 1960 visit to Leipzig. In 1961, she moved to Cuba and participated in the Cuban literacy campaign and in the Federation of Cuban Women.

Bunke was recruited for the Bolivian Campaign, Che Guevara's guerrilla campaign aimed at sparking revolution across Latin America. Using the alias Tania, she infiltrated Bolivian high society and developed ties with President René Barrientos. In 1966, her cover was blown, leading her to join the armed guerrilla campaign. During this time, she was responsible for the food and monitoring radio communications. Bunke was killed in 1967 during an ambush by Bolivian Army Rangers while attempting to escape with a leg injury and fever.

After Bunke's death, the media reduced her to Guevara's romantic partner, while others as a femme fatale. Bunke has been honoured by many people in different fields, for example, in astronomy (2283 Bunke) and films (Che). Bunke has also been subject of claims that she was a triple agent and that had a extramarital relationship with Guevara.

Early life

Born in November 1937 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tamara Bunke was the daughter of Erich Bunke and Nadia Bider. Nadia Bider Bunke, born in 1912, was a Russian communist who hailed from a Jewish family within the Russian Empire. Tamara's father, Erich Bunke, relocated to Berlin at the age of 18 to pursue studies in architecture. Both Nadia and Erich took part in left-wing activism; however, due to Nazi persecution, they were forced to flee to Argentina in 1935. Erich faced persecution for his involvement with the Communist Party of Germany, while Nadia, who was of Jewish descent, was also targeted. Shortly thereafter, they became members of the Communist Party of Argentina, ensuring that Bunke and her brother Olaf would both grow up in a Marxist-Leninist political atmosphere. Their family home in Buenos Aires was often used for meetings, helping communist refugees, hiding publications and occasionally stashing weapons. In 1952, after the end of World War II, the family came back to the newly created East Germany, specifically the town of Eisenhüttenstadt. By the age of fourteen, she joined the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany's (SUPG) youth organization, the Free German Youth (FGY), and by eighteen she joined the SUPG.

Bunke commenced her studies in philosophy or political science,

Cuba

right|thumb|140px|Bunke as she first arrived in [[Cuba in 1961.]]

After the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro dispatched emissaries to various socialist countries to garner support. In this capacity, in 1960, Che Guevara was sent to Leipzig, East Germany, as part of a Cuban trade delegation. Bunke was assigned to accompany him as his interpreter.

She first worked as an interpreter for the Cuban National Ballet. She also involved herself in voluntary work, namely teaching and participating in the construction of homes and schools in rural areas. She also worked in the Ministry of Education, the Cuban Institute for Friendship Among People, and the Federation of Cuban Women, where she made close ties with Vilma Espín, a Cuban revolutionary and politician.

Bunke worked for the Asociación de Jóvenes Rebeldes, later known as the . She assisted in organizing an international student union conference in Havana. Bunke also joined the People's Defense Militia and collaborated with various Latin American individuals who sought solidarity with their struggles, including Nicaraguan revolutionary Carlos Fonseca. She participated in the insurgency in Nicaragua, establishing connections with members of the Sandinista National Liberation Front.

Three candidates were considered to participate in Che Guevara's guerrilla expedition in Bolivia; and Bunke was eventually chosen by Dámaso Tabares, a Cuban revolutionary. Guevara's goal was to spark a continent-wide revolutionary uprising into neighboring Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Peru, and Chile.

Bolivian insurgency

thumb|320px|During her years working for the Cuban government (1961–1967), Bunke utilized various disguises. These included a Czechoslovak woman Marta Iriarte, Haydée González and Vittoria Pancini, an Italian citizen travelling in Europe. She befriended high-ranking officials, including [[Alfredo Ovando Candía|General Alfredo Ovando Candía, head of the Bolivian Army, and ultimately won the admiration of President René Barrientos, even accompanying him on a holiday to Peru.

As the campaign wore on, Bunke faced harsh conditions in the rugged Bolivian terrain. She began suffering from a high fever, a leg injury, and painful effects from a Chigoe flea infestation.

At 5:20 pm on August 31, 1967, the lead guerrilla column was ambushed while crossing the Río Grande at Vado del Yeso. Her body was then carried downstream and only recovered by the Bolivian Army seven days later on September 6. Her corpse was supposedly transferred by helicopter to Vallegrande. Days later, when her corpse was presented to Barrientos, it was decided that it would be buried in an unmarked grave with the rest of the guerrillas. However, the local campesino women said she would be given a proper Christian burial.

On September 7, when her death was announced over the radio, Guevara, still struggling through the jungles close by, refused to believe the news; suspecting it was army propaganda to demoralize him. Later, when Fidel Castro learned of her demise, he declared "Tania the guerrilla" a hero of the Cuban Revolution.

Legacy

Following Bunke's death, the media swiftly sought to reduce her to merely Che Guevara's romantic partner, thus diminishing her contributions to the Bolivian Campaign. Certain intellectuals associated her as a femme fatale, whose death was due to her extramarital affair with Che. Additionally, in 2003, Bunke's mother, Nadia, successfully had the book Tania, the Woman Che Guevara Loved by José A. Friedl removed from sale in Germany, as German courts deemed the allegations defamatory. The book repeated a debunked rumor that Bunke had an affair with Guevara while training in Prague, though records show they were never there at the same time. Desmopachria taniae, a species of diving beetle from Bolivia, is also named after her. Bunke has been depicted in numerous films, songs, and theatrical productions, most notably, portrayed by Franka Potente in the film Che. In fiction literature and games, Bunke's presence is equally notable. Additionally, during Patty Hearst's involvement with the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1974, she adopted the alias "Tania".

Further reading

  • Tania: Undercover With Che Guevara in Bolivia, by Ulises Estrada, Ocean Press (AU), 2005,

References

Bibliography

  • Images of Tania
  • Members of Che Guevara's Guerrilla Movement in Bolivia – by the Latin American Studies Organization