By Roberto Morejón

Santiago de Cuba, the country's second largest city, welcomed with its usual vitality the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the assaults on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Barracks in that city and Bayamo by revolutionaries of the Centennial Generation.
 
Determined to fulfill the ideas of National Hero José Martí one hundred years after his birth, the young people led by lawyer Fidel Castro ignited in 1953 the spark of rebellion against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.
 
Although the military actions did not culminate in victory, the subsequent insurrection, at the cost of much sacrifice, changed the history of Cuba after 1959.  
 
Seventy years later, the remembrance of the Day of National Rebellion was a spur in a country that is struggling to alleviate the current difficulties.

Cuba faces a notable shortage of foreign currency and material resources and a slow economic recovery after the virtual paralysis during the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
All of this is framed within an intensified blockade by the United States, which has a marked effect on the fact that the titanic efforts of the population are not materializing in the expected rescue of the economy.
 
The largest of the Antilles, with a growth of 1.8 percent in 2022, shows an asymmetric recovery by sectors.
 
The largest declines are reported in primary activities linked to production, such as agriculture and livestock, manufacturing, commerce and electricity, a situation associated with a year-on-year inflation rate of 45 percent.
 
In the midst of the limitations, the government reiterated that it is not standing idly by, reaffirmed the validity of the food sovereignty plan and expressed that it is trying to temper inflation.
 
For the second half of the year, the Cubans have among their guidelines to link more micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, which are currently booming, with local development and to achieve a revitalization of many state-owned companies.
 
Fortunately, social activities, health, education, culture and sports have been recovering after the pandemic, but the main emphasis in the future should be on the revival of productive activities.
 
Cubans must increase export revenues, insist on recovering the tourism industry and continue to pay attention to segments of society affected by inequalities.
 
In the memory of the sacrifice of those who played a relevant role in history, Cubans today find the strength to work hard and focus on development.