¡Hasta la victoria siempre!

by Raúl Castro Ruz

Granma | 26 November, 2016

“Dear people of Cuba:

It is with deep sorrow that I come before you to inform our people, and friends of Our America and the world, that today, November 25, at 10.29pm, Comandante en Jefe of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro Ruz passed away. In accordance with his express wishes Compañero Fidel’s remains will be cremated. In the early hours of the morning of Saturday 26, the funeral organizing commission will provide our people with detailed information regarding the posthumous tributes which will be paid to the founder of the Cuban Revolution.

¡Hasta la victoria siempre!”

SOURCE: http://en.granma.cu/cuba/2016-11-26/hasta-la-victoria-siempre

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Thousands of Cubans Flock to Honor Fidel Castro in Havana

Telesur | 28 November, 2016

Thousands of Cubans are flocking to Havana’s Revolution Square Monday to pay final respects to revolutionary leader and former President Fidel Castro, who passed away Friday night at the age of 90.

A long line of supporters snaked through the vast square as Cubans walked by a memorial to the former leader. Some mourners were in tears, others saluted a flower-flanked nearly life-sized photo featuring Fidel dressed in his iconic army fatigues.

Elsewhere in the square, a massive banner of the revolutionary icon was draped across the facade of the Cuban National Library — the same place graced by an image of Jesus during Pope Francis’ historic visit to the island last year.

Cuba Enters Second Day of Mourning After Fidel Castro’s Death

Telesur | 27 November, 2016

Fidel Castro’s ashes will travel across the country on the route that marked the revolution’s triumph over the dictatorship in 1959.
Cuba entered its second of nine days of of mourning Sunday over the death of revolutionary leader and former President Fidel Castro.The period of mourning, announced Saturday by the Cuban government following news of Fidel’s passing in a hospital late Friday night, will see planned public events suspended and flags flown at half-mast as Cubans pay their respects to the late leader. Officials have said scheduled travel to the island will not be interrupted.

Fidel’s Commitment to Women’s Emancipation Unparalleled

Telesur | 27 November, 2016

The beginning of the Cuban Revolution in 1959 marked a remarkable political, economic and social change in Latin America’s history, especially for Cuban women, who did not just participate in the military victory but also have played a prominent role throughout the building of the socialist nation.

As the revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro believed that the emancipation of women was intrinsically tied to the socialist revolution.

Only one year after the triumph of the revolution, the new government created the Federation of Cuban Women, led by Vilma Espin — committed revolutionary fighter during General Fulgencio Batista’s dictatorship and President Raul Castro’s partner.

International League of Peoples’ Struggle Pays Tribute to Fidel

by Jose Maria Sison

Telesur | 27 November, 2016

Fidel’s death has rendered tributes from all corners of the world.

We, in the International League of Peoples’ Struggle, express our most heartfelt condolences to the Castro family, the Cuban people, the Communist Party of Cuba and government of Cuba over the passing away of Comrade Fidel Castro, the great revolutionary leader of the Cuban people and founder of the Communist Party of Cuba.

Venezuela Honors Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez’s Friend and Mentor

Telesur | 27 November, 2016

Late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez saw Fidel Castro as a mentor and a comrade in revolutionary struggle.
As leaders around the globe offer their condolences to Cuba and commemorate the internationalist legacy of former President Fidel Castro, Venezuelan President Nicolas paid homage to the deceased revolutionary figure in the Caracas Revolution Museum near the mausoleum of late former President Hugo Chavez, who had found a lifelong friend and mentor in Fidel.

Fidel Castro: A Remarkable Life in Pictures

Telesur | 26 November, 2016

IN PICTURES: On Nov. 25, the leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro died at the age of 90. Fidel, as he was commonly known around the world, lead Cuba’s July 26 Movement which fought the U.S.-backed Batista dictatorship until achieving victory over Batista’s forces in 1959.

For decades, from Venezuela to South Africa, his words and actions have inspired thousands around the world.

During his five decades of statesmanship, he also earned the ire of the United States, surviving more than 600 assassination attempts.

teleSUR takes a look at a remarkable life that has left en indelible imprint on Cuba and Latin America.

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born on August 13, 1926 at out at his father’s farm in Oriente Province. At age six, Fidel was sent to live with his teacher in Santiago de Cuba.
Photo:Archive

As a youth, Fidel took an interest in sports – something that he would retain for rest of his life. He also became politically involved as a student, campaigning for the presidency of the Federation of University Students and later travelling to the Dominican Republic to support anti-Trujillo movements as well to Colombia for a continental meeting of students.
Photo: Archive

Raúl Castro (far left), Fidel Castro (centre) and other Moncada rebels released from prison, May 1955. While in law school, Fidel organized a movement that sought to inspire a rebellion against the Batista regime. Their armed assault on the Moncada police Barracks failed, but the speech Fidel gave at his hearing lead to his pardon and propelled him to the national stage.
Photo:Archive

SOURCE: http://www.telesurtv.net/english/multimedia/Fidel-Castro-A-Remarkable-Life-in-14-Pictures-20161126-0003.html

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Fidel is Cuba

by Enrique Ubieta Gómez

Granma | 26 November, 2016

He walked with difficulty but without help. His assistants advanced at his side, aware of every step, but I imagine he had ordered them to leave him alone. He sat in his seat, forever his, although he was no longer formally a member of the Central Committee. The last session of the 7th Party Congress was underway.

He spoke. The voice of the Comandante en Jefe again reflected the exact tone of his great speeches, although at times it thinned, like the sound of a radio station that fades in and out. There is something, however, that was never extinguished: his penetrating eyes, irradiating light. The photos of him taken by his son, collected in a beautiful, supposed-retirement, album confirm this. Fidel was already an old man, a grandfather who was a bit hunched, but his eyes continued to be young. He spoke, and we all felt he was bidding us farewell:

“Soon I should be having my 90th birthday, such an idea would never have occurred to me, and was never the object of my efforts, it was a whim of chance… We will all have our turn, but the ideas of Cuban Communists will endure, as proof that on this planet, if one works with fervor and dignity, the material and cultural goods that human beings need can be produced, and we must wage a relentless struggle to obtain them. We must convey to our brothers and sisters of Latin America and the world that the Cuban people will triumph.

Photo: Archive

Fidel Castro: The life of a revolutionary icon

RT | 26 November, 2016

Soviet hero, pilot-cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, Prime Minister of Cuba Fidel Castro (left), and Cuban President Osvaldo Dorticos Torrado at the presidential palace. A 1961 photo reproduction © RIA Novosti

Fidel Castro with Soviet children during a visit to Moscow. Winter of 1963 © Baltermants

Cuban leader Fidel Castro (left) talking with sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich (right), the sculptor who designed the Mamayev Hill memorial, 1963 © Aleksandr Smirnov

Fidel Castro — Beyond Words

by João Pedro Stédile

MRzine | 26 November, 2016

We lost Fidel. We gained a history of examples and wisdom.

The story of Fidel is beyond words — we cannot describe it with words alone. So I would like to just give a testimony.

He used all his wisdom, knowledge, leadership, and dedication to build, over 60 years, a united and organized people, who have become invincible, faced with the most powerful economic and military forces of the 20th century: the capital of the United States.

For all those years the people have learned how to face the worst adversities, be they natural, like their hurricanes, storms, and lost harvests. They have faced an intolerable economic blockade. They have faced a permanent war, including a military invasion — the Bay of Pigs in 1961.