Today we mark the 96th anniversary of the birth of Fidel Castro, legendary leader of the Cuban Revolution and Cuba's revolutionary nation-building project. In a tribute to Fidel at the time of his death, millions of Cubans signed the oath to the "Concept of Revolution" which Fidel declared on May 1, 2000. The oath concludes; "Revolution means unity; it is independence, it is fighting for our dreams of justice for Cuba and for the world, which is the foundation of our patriotism, our socialism and our internationalism."

This is what we see every day as the Cuban people unite to face the difficulties caused by the U.S. blockade of Cuba and it is what we witnessed as they fought the fire in the oil storage tanks in Matanzas and as they mourn for the dead and fight for the living. The Cuban people are turning their profound sadness at the loss of their compatriots and their frustration at the loss of the oil they need so badly into greater strength and unity in their fight to defend their independence and sovereignty against imperialist interference.

Fidel presents his "Concept of Revolution" during 2000 May Day speech in Havana.

Facing the increasingly brutal economic and financial blockade of the U.S., Cubans are united in overcoming all difficulties and safeguarding the revolution. Fidel's revolutionary spirit and profound generosity lives on in the workers, youth and students, health professionals, intellectuals and teachers who have proven their revolutionary mettle as they overcome any difficulty to continue living a life of dignity and freedom.

Fidel's example and fidelity to principle continue to inspire the Cuban people on the path of independence, self-determination and human dignity. 

It has been shown in deeds that the life and work of Fidel Castro also live on in the hearts and minds of millions of people throughout the world who are fighting for justice, dignity and freedom. Worldwide opposition to the illegal U.S. economic and financial blockade of Cuba once again confirms that the world stands with Cuba and it is the U.S. which stands alone, not Cuba.

"The permanent teaching of Fidel is that yes, we can; that man is able to overcome the harshest conditions if his will to win does not yield, he makes an evaluation of each situation and does not renounce his noble and just principles," Raul Castro pointed out. It is this revolutionary spirit that continues to guide the Cuban people on the road to guarantee their sovereignty and independence.

¡Hasta la Victoria Siempre, Comandante! ¡Venceremos!

Left: Fidel at the Vivac Prison in Santiago de Cuba, detained following the attack on the Moncada Barracks.  Right:  In the Sierra Maestra, 1957.

Fidel Castro and the victorious rebel forces are welcomed in Havana, January 8, 1959.

 Fidel Castro, while leading the Cuban people to defeat the U.S. attempted invasion at Playa Girón, makes the historic declaration establishing the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution, April 16, 1961.

Cuba defends its sovereignty. Mass rally in Havana in defence of the revolution, July 17, 2021.

[...] We must say how we see things. It is perhaps the principle of sovereignty, is it perhaps the law, that has protected and continues to protect our country in the face of Yankee invasion? No one believes this. If it were the law, if it were the principle of sovereignty that was protecting our country, it is certain that this revolution would have disappeared from the face of the earth.

What has protected this revolution, what made it possible, was the blood of the sons of this country, the bloody fighting against the bailiffs and against the armies of Batista, the bloody fighting against the mercenaries, the willingness here to fight to the last man in defence of the revolution -- as shown in the October crisis -- and the conviction of the imperialists that here they will never be able to execute a manoeuver or military parade. What defends this revolution is not a simple abstract legal principle that is recognized internationally.

What defends this revolution is the unity of our people, their revolutionary consciousness, their combative spirit, and their decision to die to the last man in defence of the revolution and the country. I do not believe that even our enemies have any doubts about the mettle and the spirit of this people. What defends the sovereignty of a country or a just cause is a people who are capable of feeling this cause as its own, capable of having a profound conviction about the justice of this cause, and the decision to defend it at any price. This is precisely what protects our revolution and what protects the sovereignty of our country in the face of the imperialist threat that has always existed here.

(Comments on Czechoslovakia, August 24, 1968)