Fidel, the most visionary Cuban of the 20th century
On the occasion of the anniversary of Fidel’s birth, Granma shares excerpts from a speech by First Party Secretary Raúl Castro Ruz, December 3, 2016

Author: Raúl Castro Ruz | internet@granma.cu
august 13, 2019 09:08:51

Photo: Yousuf Karsh/Camera Press
Fidel’s authority and his close relationship with the people were key to the country’s heroic resistance during the dramatic years of the Special Period…

At that time few in the world would have bet on our ability to resist and overcome in the face of adversity and the intensification of the enemy blockade. Our people, however, under the leadership of Fidel, provided an unforgettable lesson in resolve and loyalty to the principles of the Revolution.

Recalling these difficult moments, I think it right and fitting to return to what I said about Fidel on July 26, 1994, one of the most difficult years, on the Isle of Youth, over 22 years ago, I quote: “The most illustrious son of Cuba this century, he who showed us that the attempt to capture the Moncada Garrison was possible; that we were able to turn that loss into a victory,” which we achieved five years, five months. and five days later, on that glorious January 1 of 1959 – this last comment added to the words I spoke on that occasion.

He showed us, “Yes, it was possible to reach the coast of Cuba in the Granma yacht; that yes, it was possible to resist the enemy, hunger, rain and cold, and organize a revolutionary army in the Sierra Maestra following the Alegría de Pío debacle; that yes, it was possible to open new guerilla fronts in the province of Oriente, with ours and Almeida’s columns; that yes, it was possible to defeat the great offensive of over 10,000 soldiers with only 300 rifles,” after which Che wrote in his Campaign Diary, that with this victory the backbone of the army of the tyranny had been broken: “That yes, it was possible to repeat the feats of Maceo and Gómez, extending with Che and Camilo’s columns the struggle from the east to the west of the island; that yes, it was possible to defeat, with the support of the entire people, the tyranny of Batista, backed by U.S. imperialism. Continue reading Fidel, the most visionary Cuban of the 20th century →