Photo taken from Prensa Latina
Havana, August 13 (RHC) -- Various voices on the island and the world evoke today the political, moral and human stature of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, on the occasion of the 98th anniversary of his birth.
His legacy of sovereignty and emancipation has been highlighted since previous days, whether in public squares, work collectives, educational institutions or solidarity groups within or outside the Caribbean country.
Fidel Castro became a living legend since his triumphant arrival in Havana, on January 8, 1959, at the head of the guerrilla forces who defeated the regime of Fulgencio Batista (1952-1958). With his thoughts and work, this revolutionary process transcended the borders of the Cuban nation.
This was helped by the genius and political acumen of the leader, who was the backbone of the unity of the people in the face of the permanent hostility of successive administrations of the United States, which, in retaliation, has since applied a strict blockade to the island.
The world recognizes the Cuban military strategist against the bandits in the Escambray mountains, the mercenary aggressors at Playa Girón (Bay of Pigs, 1961), and during the October Crisis, or Missile Crisis, in 1962.
Despite the policy of economic asphyxiation, political pressures, as well as numerous assassination attempts, the leader of the Cuban Revolution preserved national sovereignty and independence, and instituted social benefits that are today unattainable for many nations in the world.
The island's dignitary promoted the revolutionary process and charted the course towards Socialism, strengthening economic progress, social justice, the development of education, health, sports, culture and science, among other areas.
Thus, Fidel Castro's Cuba became a paradigm for Latin American revolutionaries and progressive movements in various parts of the planet, which relied on his solidarity, Latin American and Third World vocation to achieve independence in their countries.
The contributions of the Cuban statesman to the strengthening of leftist forces in Latin America and the rest of the world are widely documented, and the Cuban contribution - with Fidel Castro at the helm - to the anti-colonialist struggles in Africa, to the defeat of Apartheid in South Africa, and to the unity of poor nations is epic.
The commander-in-chief, described by his brother and comrade-in-arms, Army General Raúl Castro, as “the most illustrious son of Cuba in the 20th century,” stands out for his ability to turn setbacks into victory, the firmness of his ideals and the certainty of the triumph of just causes.
The physical existence of Fidel Castro (Birán, Holguín, August 13, 1926-Havana, Cuba, November 25, 2016), was marked by transcendental events for the island; among them, the preparation and consummation of the attacks on the Moncada barracks in Santiago de Cuba and the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks in Bayamo.
From this context, his historic self-defense before the court that judged him also transcends, and where he delivered the speech known as History will absolve me, which outlined the program of the future Revolution in Cuba.
Likewise, his 15-year prison sentence, his subsequent amnesty in 1955, his exile in Mexico, and his arrival with his brothers in the struggle on the eastern coast of the island on December 2, 1956, stand out as episodes in the life and actions of Fidel Castro that are inescapable for Cuba and the world. (Source: Prensa Latina)
