Fidel remains eternal because he epitomizes the anti-colonial and anti-imperialist struggle of the peoples.

On Aug. 13, marking the 99th anniversary of the birth of Commander Fidel Castro, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel highlighted the contemporary importance of the Cuban Revolution’s historic leader.

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In a message published on Wednesday, Diaz-Canel evoked Castro’s legacy as “an infinite compendium of lessons” that reflect the tenacity of the revolutionary spirit of the people. Below is the full text from President Diaz-Canel:

“And We Will Prevail!”

In Fidel’s history, from his student years to his undeniable presence today, there is an infinite compendium of lessons, all converging on one point: he never allowed himself to be defeated by circumstances.

Fidel Castro Ruz, historic leader and Commander in Chief of the Cuban Revolution, turns 99 today in full afterlife.

I write this in the present tense because that is how I feel it, and because that is how the celebration is taking place — marking the beginning of a symbolic year for Cuba and for all those in the rest of the world who recognize the significance of his revolutionary leadership.

I speak of the centenary — or the eternity — of a man who remains alive in time, even when the physical, the material, nearly a decade ago turned to ashes, and he stated he wanted no statues or monuments in his memory.

What even he could not decree was the impossible — namely, his oblivion. And there he remains, alive and present, as only the eternal can be. Because that destiny, as history has proven time and again, is decided not by anyone’s will but by the imperishable power of the ideas of those who have led hundreds, thousands, millions of human beings to achieve their dreams of emancipation and justice.

Fidel is eternal not by his own decision or by the decision of those of us who strive to follow in his footsteps and continue his immense work of social justice.

He attained that condition by interpreting, synthesizing and making his own the magnificent accumulation of Cuban, Latin American, Caribbean and universal independence, anti-colonial, anti-imperialist and Marxist thought that preceded him — placing himself in the vanguard for all time.

In his impassioned public speeches or in his lengthy private conversations, he displayed complete command of that boundless wealth of knowledge, dazzling the most diverse audiences from the first to the last word. But what has truly immortalized him is everything he said that brought about transformation — every action turned into lasting achievement.

In these markedly Fidelista days, when each of us shows — in books, videos, traditional media or social networks — the Fidel who accompanies us, that eternity is being confirmed, to the deep emotion of those who feel the same, or to the hateful denial of those who cannot bear the brilliant vitality of his ideas.

In my case, as might be expected, Fidel is not just present. He is a constant. A guide and a challenge. An example and a source of vigilance.

I feel he remains at the vanguard, as in the Sierra Maestra or at Giron. Whenever threats grow, necessity demands, or the blockade seems to close every exit, the question arises spontaneously: What would Fidel do?

The fortune of having known him, seen him in action and received his guidance many times makes the answers easier: they are in the people, in their inexhaustible reserves of dignity and talent. And in the essential unity of all revolutionary forces around the Marti-inspired ideal of achieving complete justice.

It was with those certainties that we conceived of science and innovation as pillars of government management. And with the talent, the solid material foundation he created, and the audacity of a country of men and women of science and thought — which he shaped for the future that is now the present — we confronted and overcame the pandemic, and we continue to aim to overcome even seemingly insurmountable obstacles such as the blockade and our own internal inefficiencies.

In Fidel’s history, from his student years to his undeniable presence today, there is an infinite compendium of lessons, all converging on one point: he never allowed himself to be defeated by circumstances. Even the adversary’s greatest blows only served to raise his stature as a leader to a higher level.

Examining each of his battles reveals the deep motivation that this leader, born of the Cuban people’s own fiber, always inspired in this courageous nation to turn setbacks into victories.

Then we can fully understand the meaning of the farewell Che Guevara dedicated solely to him before leaving for other lands of the world — a farewell that the Cuban people turned into an unrenounceable pledge: Hasta la victoria, siempre!.

Never forgetting the ‘Patria o Muerte’ that makes it possible. Nor the optimism in one word: We will prevail!”

teleSUR/ JF

Source: Cuban Presidency

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