First International Colloquium “Fidel: Legacy and Future” Opens in Havana

On Monday morning, as part of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, the First International Colloquium “Fidel: Legacy and Future” opened in the Cuban capital. The opening session was attended by more than 1,500 delegates, including more than 900 foreigners from 63 countries, who braved threats and dangers to join the Cuban people in this tribute to the historic leader of the Revolution.

Díaz-Canel: “Fidel taught us that dreams are achieved by defending our ideas”

Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, delivered the opening address at the First International Colloquium “Fidel: Legacy and Future” with an extensive and profound speech in which he traced the life, thought, and enduring relevance of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, as part of the commemorations marking his centennial.

Díaz-Canel began his remarks by placing the tribute owed to Fidel in the context of pre-1959 Cuba, “a country marked by injustice, inequality, and dependence”—a painful reality that Fidel began to change.

The Cuban leader painted a detailed portrait of pre-revolutionary Cuba: 600,000 unemployed Cubans, three million people without access to electricity, 37.5% of the population illiterate, 60% of children in rural areas without teachers, an extremely high infant mortality rate, and a very low life expectancy.

“Eighty-five percent of small farmers paid rent for their land, while a single landowner controlled 46 percent of the population,” he explained. He noted that most of Cuba’s public services, banks, businesses, refineries, and prime farmland were owned by U.S. companies.

Against this backdrop, Díaz-Canel highlighted Cuba’s current indicators in health, education, science, culture, and sports, which—even under the U.S. economic, financial, and commercial blockade—remain superior to those of other countries on the continent. He mentioned that Cuba has the highest ratio of doctors per capita—more than nine per thousand—and ranks among the top ten countries in the Americas for life expectancy, at 77.7 years. “And it is the country that has contributed the most to the health and education of its own population and that of other nations,” he added.

The president then cited one of Fidel’s most accurate insights into the world’s problems, expressed in September 1960: that these problems would worsen with the disappearance of the socialist camp and the imposition of the USSR. “Since the dawn of humanity, they have arisen fundamentally for one reason: the desire of one to overthrow another for their own interests. Let the philosophy of the mirror disappear, and the philosophy of war will have disappeared. Let the colonies disappear, let the exploitation of countries for their territories disappear, and then humanity will have crossed a true threshold of indefinite progress,” he recalled from the Commander’s words.

Díaz-Canel then shared what he considered to be Fidel’s fundamental legacies: “He bequeathed to us the certainty that dreams are achieved by defending our ideas. He left us with the conviction that internationalism is an attitude that must set us apart. He taught us the conviction that socialism is the only path to lift humanity out of poverty.”

He recalled that Fidel was the first to denounce neoliberal globalization as “the empire of death” and also the first to advocate for “a world for everyone.” He also highlighted Fidel’s legacy in the areas of the environment, the unity of revolutionaries, and science in the service of the people.

He also emphasized Fidel’s legacy of poverty and ethics: “He led by example. He did not accumulate wealth, he did not betray his principles, he lived as he thought, and he died as he lived.”

Díaz-Canel also addressed the legacies of internationalism, revolutionary optimism, and military strategy. “Fidel led the Cuban Revolution as its sole driving force; for him, the homeland was Cuba. That is why he supported the causes for the liberation of the African peoples and of Palestine, denounced genocide, and raised his voice against war and against the colonial occupation of any people in the world,” he stated.

Díaz-Canel recalled the achievements of the Revolution: the literacy campaign that mobilized more than 150,000 people, the most advanced universal healthcare system in the Third World, the more than 600,000 healthcare professionals sent to 165 countries, the free education system from elementary school through university, and the cultural and sports system that serves as a model for the world.

The president then set the stage for the current context. “The world is in a state of crisis. A climate crisis and a crisis of non-renewable resources, a financial crisis, forced migration that turns the seas into graveyards, and a social divide where the wealth of the poor is accumulated at the expense of the misery of many. The international order is in crisis. Imperial multilateralism seeks to impose its will by force, but the multipolar world is here to stay,” he stated.

He denounced that the empire is stepping up its attacks and that Cuba remains one of the prime targets of imperial fury, with the intensification of the blockade, its arbitrary inclusion on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and massive media campaigns.

He denounced that the United States has allocated millions of dollars to promote regime change, and cited statements by the U.S. Secretary of State that he considered an “open threat by the U.S. government against the entire people if they do not submit to the yoke of the empire.”

However, he affirmed that Cuba has responded “with the dignity that characterizes us, the resilience that is inherent to us.” He acknowledged the hardships: “the power outages that disrupt family life, the water shortages, the erosion of the purchasing power of wages, the fuel shortages that paralyze the economy and transportation, and the difficulty in obtaining the basic food ration.” But he emphasized that “we are not here to lament these hardships, but to change the things that cause us pain.”

He highlighted the achievements made amid the crisis: the sovereign response to the pandemic, the strengthening of urban and suburban agriculture, and the ability to turn adversity into opportunity.

Díaz-Canel announced that more than 30,000 professionals have graduated in recent days, including 705 from other countries.

The president emphasized that it is necessary to produce and generate wealth in order to distribute it with as much social justice as possible and to preserve the historic achievements of the Revolution. He clarified that the economic restructuring process “is intended to revitalize the economy, not to restore capitalism. There will be no privatization of enterprises; key sectors of production will remain under the control of the people, and the country’s sovereignty and independence will be fully preserved.”

Díaz-Canel called on the symposium participants to discuss the truth about Cuba and all the peoples of our America. “We call on you to discuss the truth about Cuba and all the peoples of our America in a world where great challenges lie ahead, and as those who come from outside, you have the responsibility to be the ones to face them,” he stated.

He concluded with a statement of principles: “The future of our children, the dreams we must achieve, are in our hands.” And he closed by quoting Fidel: “We are prepared to resist the imperialist blockade with dignity and on a grand scale for as many years as necessary. Cuba will remain true to the example of a Revolution that does not surrender.”

(EMBACUBADOMINICA)