From the José Martí’s thought that children are the ones who know how to love and are the hope of the world, the Children’s Theater Company La Colmenita, together with other artists, celebrated the 98th birthday of the Commander-in-Chief with the show ¡Buenos días, Fidel! (Good morning, Fidel!).
The theater of the Sala Universal de las FAR yesterday experienced moments of intense emotion, recalling passages of the invincible giant, from images that, in a tight synthesis, went through the immense work of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution.
The tribute was attended by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, together with the members of the Political Bureau, Esteban Lazo Hernández, president of the National Assembly of People’s Power, and Roberto Morales Ojeda, secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the Party; in addition to the Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, deputy prime minister; the Commander of the Rebel Army José Ramón Machado Ventura, and other senior leaders of the Party and the Government.
The iconic image of a majestic green rose with the symbol of the ranks of Commander-in-Chief spliced in its center, presided at the beginning of the huge stage, to assume the leading role of the child-artists.
With the same strength with which her voice burst forth, the singer Tomasita Quiala provoked different emotions among those present to, from poetry, refer to the Commander’s birthday as “98 flowers hung with sadness,” and to remember Fidel in the present.
For about 50 minutes, artists and members of La Colmenita put their hearts to the test to, with the magic that always surrounds theater, reflect through art the ideas for which Fidel fought so hard.
Supported by legendary texts by Fayad Jamís, Jesús Orta Ruiz and Thiago de Mello, among others, the show spoke of love, loyalty to the homeland, commitment and fidelity; values that the Cuban leader defended and multiplied among several generations. The singer-songwriters Raúl Torres and Nelson Valdés also joined in.
The leader was present in many dimensions throughout the tribute. Because it is difficult not to admire and love Fidel, because he was a country, Cuba made voice, Fidel is for all times.
OTHER TRIBUTES ON THE ISLAND
Fidel was also honored at the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba. The activity was also presided over by Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the PCC and President of the Republic, and by Roberto Morales Ojeda, member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization.
In verses, songs and fragments of interviews, the occasion was propitious to remember how personalities of the world had Fidel as a universal reference, immortalized in the poem Ronda a la Fortuna, which its own author, Nancy Morejón, read there.
Those present also paid a heartfelt tribute to the National Literature Prize winner on the occasion of her 80th birthday.
In Santiago de Cuba, a large representation of the people of the Hero City went to the monolith that treasures the ashes of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, in the Necropolis of Santa Ifigenia, where flowers were placed on the grounds of the sacred site by Party leaders, the Government, political organizations, and the rest of those present, especially the youngest, accompanied by combatants of the Cuban Revolution, and his companion of a thousand battles, the Commander of the Revolution Guillermo García Frías, who dedicated emotional words to the Chief: “To you, eternal Commander, my unforgettable memory.”
Meanwhile, in Birán, the town in Holguín where the colossal revolutionary was born, the creation of the Provincial Commission in charge of organizing the Fidel’s Centenary was announced.