UN General Assembly honors Fidel
Organized by Cuba’s permanent commission to the UN, the special tribute was requested by a group of countries from several continents
Author: TELESUR | internet@granma.cu
december 21, 2016 09:12:32
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Fidel speaking at the UN in 1979. Photo: Jorge Oller

The United Nations, New York.— On December 20, the United Nations General Assembly paid tribute to the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, who died last November 25.
The special tribute was organized by Cuba’s permanent commission to the UN, following a request by a group of countries from several continents.
Representatives speaking on behalf of global and regional organizations recalled Fidel and his legacy, according to reports by Telesur.
Venezuela’s permanent representative to the UN, Rafael Ramírez, noted that his country is eternally grateful to Fidel for his support of the Bolivarian Revolution. “I had the privilege of hearing him speak, of meeting and working closely with this globally renowned politician,” he stated.
Ramírez described Fidel as a wise, modest man, loyal to his people and his socialism. “On behalf of Venezuela we pay heartfelt tribute to a giant of Latin America and the Caribbean, as Nicolás Maduro said, Fidel has fulfilled his task, history has absolved him, and now it’s our turn to uphold his name.”
Likewise, Dominican Ambassador, Francisco Cortorreal, speaking on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), highlighted the importance of Fidel’s legacy for regional integration, based on the principles of sovereignty, peace, and solidarity among peoples, reported Prensa Latina.
Meanwhile, the Group of 77+China described the leader of the Cuban Revolution as an extraordinary statesman.
The UN’s solemn tribute to Fidel Castro began with a minute’s silence, after which Assembly President, Peter Thomson, highlighted the vision of the revolutionary leader, with his call to save the world from war, underdevelopment, hunger, poverty, and the destruction of natural resources vital to the survival of the human species.

Russian Institute grants 2016 Man of the Year award to Fidel
During a ceremony in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Orthodox Church, the Russian Biographical Institute grants award to the leader of the Cuban Revolution in memoriam

Author: Prensa Latina(PL) | internet@granma.cu
december 23, 2016 09:12:14

The Russian Biographical Institute granted its Man of the Year award to Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro in memoriam, in the category of international relations, for his brilliant contributions of international significance, diplomatic sources reported yesterday, December 22.
The ceremony took place in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Orthodox Church, according to Prensa Latina.
Cuba’s ambassador in Russia, Emilio Lozada García, received the recognition from the institution’s president, Sviatoslav Rybas, who emphasized Fidel’s role in revolutionary processes around the world, and in strengthening relations between Russia and Cuba.
He noted that the Biographical Institute’s expert council, which selects prizewinners, was planning to make the award in recognition of Fidel’s 90th birthday, when his lamentable death occurred.
The Cuban diplomat expressed gratitude for the award in the name of his people and government, and described Fidel’s November 25 death as a loss for Cuba, Latin America, and all of humanity.
For the last 24 years, the Man of the Year award has been granted to important figures in politics, culture, and science by this prestigious institution.
In the category of international relations, also recognized this year were Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation; Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China; and Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan.

Fidel’s unwavering confidence in victory
The Comandante en Jefe’s unwavering confidence in victory was recalled on the 60th anniversary of the day rebel troops led by Fidel and Raúl were reunited
Author: Darelia Díaz Borrero | internet@granma.cu
december 19, 2016 09:12:47

Photo: Martínez Arias, Rafael
CINCO PALMAS, Granma.—Cinco Palmas once again celebrated its patriotism and commitment to the Revolution, precisely at this hallowed site where rebel troops led by Fidel and Raúl were reunited on December 18, 1956.
The Comandante en Jefe’s unwavering confidence in victory was recalled, and the reality that he continues to inspire the nation reaffirmed, during an event presided by Comandantes Ramiro Valdés Menéndez and Guillermo García Frías, on the 60th anniversary of this historic event which took place here, some 30 kilometers from the municipal seat, Media Luna.
Ramiro Valdés, one of 82 rebels who arrived on the Granma yacht to initiate the armed struggle for the country’s definitive independence, recalled that after the group was separated during the battle at Alegría de Pío, the survivors overcame enemy persecution in inhospitable, unknown territory, despite the deaths of 21 comrades and the capture of others.
Although the situation had become increasingly difficult, renouncing their mission was never an option, Valdés recalled, emphasizing that their tenacity and the help of campesinos in the area, including Guillermo García Frías, made possible the reunion of troops led by Fidel and Raúl, at the farm of Mongo Pérez, in Cinco Palmas.
Upon receiving Raúl’s group, and after the two brothers embraced, Fidel immediately asked about the weapons they were carrying and shouted, “Now, yes, we have won the war!”
In addition to songs, poems, and dance, also speaking at the event was Alejandro Hidalgo, president of the Federation of University Students at Granma’s School of Medical Sciences, who reiterated the commitment of younger generations to carry forward the legacy of Fidel, and vindicate the sacrifice made by martyrs and heroes of the Revolution.
Also in attendance at the event were José Ramón Balaguer Cabrera, member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat; Federico Hernández, Party first secretary in Granma and Suselys Morfa, first secretary of the Young Communists League, both members of the Central Committee

An undefeated Fidel inspires us with his example
It was not in vain that Fidel united dozens of leaders from sister countries and more than a million Cubans in Havana, moved an entire people along the funeral procession that followed the route traveled by the Caravan of Liberty in 1959 – this time in reverse – and concentrated in this heroic city more dignitaries and friends from abroad and hundreds of thousands of Cubans from the country’s eastern provinces

Massive posthumous tribute to Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro in Santiago de Cuba’s Antonio Maceo Plaza de la Revolución.

Photo: Estudio Revolución
Santiago de Cuba.—”All the glory in the world would fit within a kernel of corn,” wrote Cuba’s national hero José Martí, but today it seems that all of the glory in the world fits in a small cedar chest draped with a Cuban flag, bearing a simple inscription: Fidel Castro Ruz, with no letters indicating military rank or position, that weighed heavy in the hearts of those present in this city’s Antonio Maceo Grajales Plaza de la Revolución.
It was not in vain that Fidel united dozens of leaders from sister countries and more than a million Cubans in Havana, moved an entire people along the funeral procession that followed the route traveled by the Caravan of Liberty in 1959 – this time in reverse – and concentrated in this heroic city more dignitaries and friends from abroad and hundreds of thousands of Cubans from the country’s eastern provinces.
“I am Fidel!” was the cry that emerged from the hearts of those moved by the national anthem, because only an undefeated Comandante en Jefe, who inspires us with his example, is able to reproduce himself in men, women, and children committed to continuing his work and making his ideas their own.
As witnesses Fidel had, along with his family and brother – a comrade in all battles – a Black brother who faithfully accompanied him in ideas and action, Juan Almeida Bosque, immortalized in a sculpture on the Heredia Theater flanking the Plaza, as well as the Bronze Titan Antonio Maceo whose likeness calls us to battle.
Thus the pain, the sadness, the silence accumulated over the days since the night of November 25, were during the final tribute transformed into the determination to honor Fidel with commitment.

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