Fidel, the root of the tree

Raúl and Díaz-Canel presided over the political and cultural event honoring the Commander-in-Chief's 99th bi

rthday. This day marked the beginning of the program commemorating Fidel's centenary

Author: Yudy Castro Morales | internet@granma.cuaugust 14, 2025 08:08:19

La Colmenita company captured the very essence of the Commander-in-Chief: human and sublime, alive and present. Photo: Estudios Revolución 

In Birán, fertile land of men who shape the future, Cuba celebrated the 99th birthday of the Commander-in-Chief on Wednesday, as it did throughout the country, a tribute that marked the beginning of a greater celebration: the commemorative program for Fidel's centenary, which is, as the poet would say, “the root of the tree.”
The celebration in the historic complex, sheltered by a leafy carob tree and the cedars that almost a century ago sheltered the birth of a symbol, was presided over by another extraordinary son of that Holguín land, the most loyal Fidel supporter among Cubans, his brother in blood and ideas, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader at the forefront of the Cuban Revolution.
Alongside Raúl, at that site which was the starting point in the history of the homeland, were First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez; as well as other members of the Political Bureau, leaders of the Party, the State and the Government, the Union of Young Communists, mass organizations, the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, and a representation of young people from the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, and Holguín.
And in a special way, the youth solidarity brigade from several countries around the world participated in this day of remembrance, reaffirming that Cuba is not alone.
With the certainty that Fidel is a country and, rather than evoking him, it is time to bring him into the present and continue his legacy with deeds, Roberto Morales Ojeda, Member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization of the Party's Central Committee, reviewed the Commander's fruitful life, which began in the batey of Birán and changed the course of history forever.
In his words, he assured that his proven sense of justice and Cuban identity germinated precisely in Birán, “where he was born to be a light in dark times, to be the voice of those who had none and the hope of those who, in the face of adversity, could only aspire to a better world. His birth marked the beginning of a life devoted to the tireless struggle for the freedom and emancipation of Cuba.”
He spoke of the brilliant statesman, the sincere friend, his universal stature, the feelings of solidarity he fostered in our people, his defense of peace and all just causes, the spirit of resistance and victory he instilled in us, and his deep conviction that safeguarding unity was the only way to achieve victory.
A transcendental moment in his speech was the announcement of the commemorative program for the centenary of Fidel's birth, approved at the 10th Plenary Session of the Party's Central Committee, which took place last July.
Morales Ojeda said that this is a celebration of respect and commitment, with the participation of the entire people and a prominent role for young people, and that its deepest essence is to promote the study of his work, the investigation of his thinking, and the promotion of his convictions and ideals. It is about “turning his teaching that ‘indeed, we can’ into concrete actions.”
The tribute, according to the party leader, will emerge in every timely and supportive action we undertake, in every advance in science, in every cultural work of decolonization, every sporting feat or contribution to production; it will be in our ability to “embody, with a critical and creative spirit, his transformative spirit.”
Honoring him, he said, “is also doing things right, banishing apathy, facing one's own mistakes, always alongside the people and the humble for whom this Revolution was made.”
And there, in the land that saw the birth of the vigorous child who later became a paradigm for all time, the tribute continued with a beautiful performance by La Colmenita company, which went to the very essence of the leader, human and sublime, alive and present.
The children retraced, through the language of music and poetry, the life of Fidel, seed of Revolution and triumph, dream of victory fulfilled.
Through excerpts from the book Todo el tiempo de los cedros (All the Time of the Cedars) by writer Katiuska Blanco, the beekeepers used words to describe several births: the birth of love between Ángel and Lina, and that of their extraordinary children, destined to conquer Cuba's definitive freedom.
The work highlighted the stern yet sensitive spirit of Don Ángel, the whirlwind that was Lina, her fortitude, and Fidel's childhood among humble people, those with whom another Cuban, also of universal stature, had previously sworn to share his fate.
Fidel, said the children, is greatness, inexhaustible intelligence, the conquest of all impossibilities, optimism in the face of adversity, the accompaniment, courage, and resistance of a people, the impulse to always do good.
The staging was also a confirmation of those words of Che, which the Army General endorsed with depth: “If we are here today and the Cuban Revolution is here, it is simply because Fidel entered the Moncada first; because he was the first to disembark from the Granma; because he was the first in the Sierra; because he went to Playa Girón in a tank (...) because he has, like no one else in Cuba, the moral authority to ask for any sacrifice in the name of the Revolution.”
After loud applause and exclamations that brought all the voices together in a “I am Fidel!”, the Army General and President Díaz-Canel went up on stage to thank the children “for such a revolutionary, beautiful, and charming show.” A hug to everyone, said Raúl.
On August 13, a country that is home to all celebrated its birthday, and its children sang to Fidel, aware that the best tribute is to defend Cuba, to which he dedicated all his energies; it is to love it well, it is for each person to do their part; it is to sustain and continue the Revolution; it is to never give up.
The best tribute to Fidel is to win.  

 Donation from China makes Havana’s rehabilitation of public transport possible.

Equipment donated will support the renovation of a hundred vehicles currently out of service in the Cuban capital.

Yesey Perez Lopez, internet@granma.cu

First of August 2025

In an official ceremony the government of the Popular Republic of China provided supplies. parts and equipment required for the rehabilitation of close to one hundred buses part of the public transport system of Havana. The ceremony took place in Caisa, Guanajay, at the Buses Factory “Evelio Prieto Guillama.”

Yunier de la Rosa Hernández, general director of Transport Havana, described the donation as “strategic and indispensable” as it would allow them to re-establish high demand routes once more that connect hospitals, schools and communities.

The director thanked China for  having destined needed resources to this Project through CIDCA (China’s International Development Cooperation Agency).

Hernandez pointed the importance of China’s collaboration in a challenging market with limited supply of parts and other limitation caused by the economic, commercial and financial blockade of US government against Cuba.

 

Hua Xin, ambassador of China in Cuba, explained that his country is willing to continue providing its support and cooperation in the area of transport and is focus in implementing additional projects in benefit of the Cuban people. He thanked the ministers of Transportation, Foreign Commerce and Foreign Investment, as well as to Chinese and Cuban enterprises in charge of implementing the project(s) as it is thanks to their work that the provision of materials has been possible.

 

The equipment included will provide essential support for the renovation of close to 100 vehicles currently out of service in Havana. The donation includes engines, tires, batteries as well as replacement pieces, tools and maintenance equipment. The rehabilitation of the mentioned vehicles is taking place together with CAISA, the Cuban Provincial Company of Transportation and the General Direction of Transportation of Havana, with support and directives from the Ministry of Transportation and the provincial government of La Havana.  

 

Prior to the arrival of the mentioned donation, some sheet metal work and painting had been completed in the buses -60 of which are rigid and 40 articulated. Iosvany Frías Álvarez, director of CAISA, had explained to the press that the pieces and parts arriving will be distributed among different productive processes, mechanical, electrical and quality control. Once the structural stage is concluded, the work will move to reconditioning the interior of each unit «to ensure they recover capacity to return to functioning».   Frías Álvarez also added that the process will start with five buses per month and it projects to be able to return 40 to 50 units back to work before the end of this year.

Present during this official ceremony were Luis Roberto Rosés Hernández, first vice-minister  of Transportation, Deborah Rivas Saavedra, vice-minister of Foreign Commerce and Foreign Investment, as well as representatives of the government of Havana, of the Chinese company, Yutong, and members of the factory collective. 

Translation NSCUBA (Nova Scotia)

 Gathering led by Hague Group countries meets to formulate legal and diplomatic measures against Israel's war in Gaza and West Bank

Representatives from more than 20 countries gathered Wednesday in the Colombian capital Bogota for day two of an emergency summit to decide on legal and diplomatic measures against Israel's ongoing violations of international law in its war in Gaza and the West Bank.

The summit is being led by the Hague Group, a coalition of eight countries -- Colombia, South Africa, Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, and Senegal -- founded in the Netherlands in January, which is working to hold Israel accountable under international law.

Also attending are delegates from other countries, including Türkiye, Brazil, Portugal, Algeria, Lebanon, Oman, Uruguay, Bangladesh, Chile, Djibouti, Indonesia, Nicaragua, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Palestinian representatives.

Several countries have signed an agreement committing to a series of measures.

The signatories have agreed to take actions including preventing the provision or transfer of arms, munitions, military fuel, related military equipment and dual-use items to Israel and preventing the transit, docking, and servicing of vessels at any port, especially if there is a “clear risk” of the vessel being used to carry arms, munitions, or related military equipment to Israel.

To secure compliance, the signing nations have ordered that all vessels carrying arms, munitions, military fuel, and related military equipment to Israel be “de-flagged.”

They also announced an urgent review of all public contracts to prevent public institutions and funds from supporting Israel's “illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territory.”

Since the Israeli army launched its brutal offensive in Gaza in October 2023, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has been a fierce critic of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, labeling the onslaught a genocide.

"Gaza is simply an experiment of the mega-rich trying to show all the peoples of the world how to respond to a rebellion. The plan is to bomb us all, at least those of us in the South," said Petro.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 58,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

The Minister of Transportation informs us about summer projects, a time of increased demand for public transportation services.

Cubadebate | internet@granma.cu

June 28th, 2025

The Cuban Minister of Transportation, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, through his Facebook profile informed of actions geared at dealing with seasonal increase of need for services, summer in Cuba, while confronting the economic limitations affecting most sectors in the country.

«Provision of local services is most affected, particularly the services provided by provincial corporations. We are talking about essential services that ensure basic access to Cubans to a variety of destinations and if diminished they directly affect the daily life of Cubans», said the minister.

A portion of the initiatives are geared at mitigating these effects, explained Rodríguez Dávila, for instance the spread of services with electric tricycles, «a process we have been following and showing to everybody step by step from its beginnings. These vehicles are an acceptable alternative and are functioning already not only in Havana but in Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Matanzas, Cárdenas, Ciego de Ávila, Las Tunas, Holguín, Gibara, Bayamo, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Baracoa y Nueva Gerona».

He added that in what is left of this year, the goal is to add 150 more tricycles to this program, to ensure that the provinces that are not yet included, and some additional municipalities, will be included and will have opportunity to contribute to the expansion of this initiative which has been widely accepted by people everywhere in Cuba.

At the same time, the minister noted that we are advancing with a Project to install renewable energy sources with capacity to store and accumulate energy so we ensure a total energy back up no longer dependent on our Electro-energetic National System (Sistema Electroenergético Nacional, SEN).

The new 100 microbuses will begin to operate in many provinces of Cuba. This flotilla will be distributed as follows -50 microbuses to the capital, 20 will go to Santiago de Cuba, 10 to Holguín, 10 to Camagüey, 5 to Villa Clara and 5 to Ciego de Ávila. We will inform you of the specific routes the microbuses will follow in each territory in the coming days.

The Minister added, in the specific case of Sancti Spíritus, a service of electric microbuses adapted to transport up to 11 passengers has been implemented and received with enthusiasm. «Actually, there are 28 in function now while the program continues on its first stage -until completing 50 units, and from there on expansion to other localities is planned and will follow».

The railway system is also in the process of revitalization. We have trains departing every four days, he said, and local services have been reactivated with high demand in particular in provinces in Center and Eastern Cuba. This Project has been possible because of the incorporation of new “ferro-buses” and the recovery of motor cars.

«For instance, the route Morón-Esmeralda, Holguín-Alto Cedro (benefitting five municipalities and seven rural communities), the Manzanillo train, or the local routes of Boquerón, Caimanera, Manuel Tames, Honduras and Cuneira in Guantánamo all fit the case. There is also the Pinar del Río-La Habana train offering service too. Soon we will have the train to Expo-Cuba and to Eastern Beaches in Havana. We already have train services to Morón-Camagüey, Guantánamo-Holguín and Morón-Perea starting this July», he explained.

According to Rodríguez Dávila there are plans for 45 additional trains warranting transportation of other organisms and ensuring people are not affected by train departures. Additional trains will increase general capacity and will help increase people's transportation through an accommodating waiting list.

Regarding sea transportation, he explained that the ferry “Perseverancia” goes every other day to Nueva Gerona and Batabanó, and that while there is room a catamaran is added to the service. The service is awaiting the addition of a second catamaran soon coming into service.

He also added that flights shared with foreign flying companies are back in place, connecting Havana with Holguín, Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba, as well as with Nueva Gerona.

«Summer is here, we need to make twice the effort to ensure proper transportation. The Ministry, with other organizations, has also designed a plan to ensure capacity to move 15 000 students, teachers and workers to their provinces in July, as well as their return planned for the end of August and beginning of September», explained the Minister. The plan, he said, will be centered mainly in using trains and buses from the Automotor Empresarial Group (Grupo Empresarial Automotor (GEA), with support from the Ministry of Tourism (Ministerio del Turismo (MINTUR) and the Company of Tourism Transport (Empresa de Transporte del Turismo (TRANSTUR S.A).

«There will be support for interprovincial transportation of people in general, but we have to be aware that it will have limitations and may not be able to completely cover the demand during these months», he explained.

Similarly, intermodal services connecting Youth Island with the Eastern provinces and Pinar del Río, to and from Batabanó, as buses of TRANSTUR and TRANSGAVIOTA will ease evacuation of terminals at critical times, in return trips transporting tourists, explained the Minister.

He also pointed out that during July Cuba will have the Student Games, which will require transporting more than 10 000 student-athletes at national level. Locally the priority will be transport towards beach and recreative centers, depending on fuel availability.  On the other hand, he pointed out, we have also been transporting towards camping centers by GEA, a fundamental of transportation this summer as it is the rule.

«Despite obstacles, like fuel availability, lubricants and other essential elements, with the initiatives we have been developing we pretend to confront this summer stage with capacity to transport the highest number of passengers as possible. All this is always linked to fundamental security measures, as always, to avoid incidents attempting against the physical integrity of passengers and transporters», finalized Rodríguez Dávila.

Translation NSCUBA (Nova Scotia)

 

Medicines and farm machinery, a cooperation with concrete results

Díaz-Canel visited scientific and industrial institutions that support and increase collaboration with the Island

Author: René Tamayo León | internet@granma.cu

June 27, 2025 09:06:55

MTZ is one of the eight largest producers of tractors in the world, and covers around 10% of the world demand for this agricultural equipment. Photo: Estudios Revolución

MINSK.- The cooperation between Cuba and the Academfarm biotechnological company and the strengths and obstacles still facing these exchanges were analyzed by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.
The Head of State visited on Thursday morning the facilities of a scientific center promoted since 2009 by President Alexander Lukashenko to generate and produce new medicines, all of them innovative.
The entity has maintained relations with Cuban scientific institutions since 2023, after signing a Memorandum of Collaboration with BioCubaFarma in November of that year, in the context of the reception of Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz at the institution.
Since then, the relationship has evolved, including dialogues for the constitution of the Academsol joint venture with the Cuban MedSol, which will be a closed joint stock company, created for an indefinite period of time and operating as a commercial organization in accordance with the Civil Code of the Republic of Belarus. Both partners will have a 50 percent share in this partnership.

Academfarm executes five of the seven projects implemented by Biocubafarma and its Belarusian counterparts within the framework of the 18 projects between the island and the National Academy of Sciences of the sister nation, whose President Vladimir Karanik hosted the head of state during his stay at the center on Thursday.
Among the projects is that of Medsol for the finishing stage of medicines registered in Cuba, and another one on the supply of drugs through Medicuba; a third one is on the joint development of innovative preparations for the treatment of HIV, cancer, schizophrenia, anemia and other diseases.
The fourth project deals with regulatory authority registrations; and the fifth is about joint research with the Center for Molecular Immunology on the Simavax lung cancer vaccine.
Díaz-Canel underscored the relevance of his meeting with managers and specialists of the scientific institution as part of his official visit to the Republic of Belarus "to strengthen and expand the historic relations between our peoples".
He stressed the importance of knowing what is being done here. He described this cooperation as an interaction in the science and innovation sector, which, he explained, is one of the pillars of government management in the largest island of the  Antilles to solve the main problems it faces.
It is a management of science and innovation, he said, which also includes external cooperation. "And what could be better than to develop these links with a friendly country, a brother country", he emphasized.
The president reaffirmed his conviction that Cuba and Belarus can further deepen their ties in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, as he verified the day before at the Belmedpreparaty company and the exhibition organized for him at the headquarters of this institute by the local state-owned pharmaceutical holding company.

The Caribbean statesman recalled words he shared the day before with President Alexander Lukashenko, who said that our two countries, despite being punished by the hegemonic powers, cannot stop at the sanctions they suffer, but must move forward in cooperation and find solutions to our problems. And it is this concept - emphasized Díaz-Canel - that should guide us to advance also in science and innovation.
The head of state pondered how Belarus has its own innovative technologies for the generation of biopharmaceuticals, which can be complemented with Cuba's development in these areas.
He referred to "the many expectations, hopes and satisfaction" that come from the fact that the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and several Cuban institutions have 18 projects to manage the challenges of the economy and society, due to their holistic approach.
These are projects -he added- that are going well and that in a short time will yield important results. These are samples -he added- that speak of the political will and the potential we have to work together. What we cannot do," he warned, "is to stop, what we cannot do is to stop".
Yuriy Mikitski, General Director of Academpharm, explained that the origin of the scientific-pharmaceutical company lies in a recommendation of President Lukashenko to the National Academy of Sciences to face an acute flu epidemic in 2009, whose best palliative was a highly expensive drug of U.S. origin. "And in two years," he recalled, "we managed to produce a drug for the welfare and health of our people.

HOW TO START UP A BIG MACHINE                                                                                                                                                                                          On Thursday, during which he also took part in the high-level segment of the 4th Eurasian Economic Forum, the Cuban President visited the Minsk tractor factory, the iconic industry producer of MTZ tractors, of which there are about 45,000 in Cuba that, acquired over half a century, due to their age require major repairs and restorations.

Founded on May 29, 1946, MTZ is one of the eight largest tractor producers in the world. It covers around ten percent of the world's demand for such agricultural equipment.

The Minsk Tractor Works, which employs about 30,000 people, has produced more than three million tractors, of which more than 500,000 have been exported to about 100 countries.
Today they have more than 60 models of different types of machines, in more than one hundred variants for all climatic and operating conditions, according to their managers informed the President of the Island.
The Belarusian specialists described as positive the recent experience with the assembly of a dozen MTZ tractors at the Empresa Mecánica Héroes del 26 de Julio, in Holguín (Holmeca), an initiative that will now be expanded with about fifty of these machines. The purpose is for this to be the beginning of a much broader cooperation.
Taking advantage of Díaz-Canel's visit to the tractor plant, where the Cuban delegation was accompanied by the Minister of Industry, Alexander Yefimov, the authorities prepared an exhibition attended by about a dozen entities that lead the powerful Belarusian industry for the manufacture of agricultural machinery and implements, work vehicles and specialized transport.
Along with the president, toured the exhibition the member of the Political Bureau and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla; Emilio Lozada García, Head of the Department of International Relations of the Central Committee; Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, and Santiago Pérez Benítez, Cuban Ambassador to Belarus, among other members of the delegation.
In the voice of their main managers, the Cuban visitors were informed about the productions of several legendary companies, such as Belaz, with its large trucks for the transportation of minerals; MAZ, a well-known brand in Cuba; Amkomp, specialized in equipment for the construction sector; GZPD, manufacturer of diesel engines for different uses; and GOMSELMASH, producer of simple and complex equipment, such as large grain harvesters, among others.
The managers of the Belarusian companies, many of which have a long history of collaboration with Cuba, expressed their interest in maintaining and increasing these links and thus complying with the agreements reached by Presidents Alexander Lukashenko and Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.

        

Producing can have an impact in the farm, the municipality and the country.

Villa Clara has shown a notable capacity for recovery and growth in an economic line of vital importance to the country, like tobacco.

Freddy Pérez Cabrera | internet@granma.cu

The tobacco sector in Villa Clara has generated a considerable number of working positions, fundamentally for women and youth. Picture by Endrys Correa Vaillan.

 

Villa Clara.–In La Puntilla, a farm located in Falcón, lives Linner Marrero Turiño, fairly considered the main producer of tobacco in Cuba, candidate to the title of Man Cigar in 2024.

Thirteen years ago, motivated by tradition received from his father, Juan Marrero, he began to develop links to the cultivation of tobacco, first through the technology of sun and stick, extended after to tobacco covered, in which nobody does better than he does in Cuba, because of the mastery he achieved.

For best results, he faced challenges, including the removal of the marabú, an invasive thorny plant, to ensure sufficient area for the cultivation of tobacco and other plants.  During the harvest, Linnel’s focus is producing more than 175 000 tobacco beams, which represent 13 per cent of the tobacco to be harvested in this territory. These numbers point to Linnel’s quality as tobacco producer and to his application of science and technical knowledge to it, something he believes in deeply.

«I do not believe I am superior to anybody just because I produce a bit more tobacco; I hope we become all very good at this because if we do Cuba wins», he says humbly, and adds that he would like to help others, particularly youth who begin to work in this area.  

His routine at work, he explains, includes being up at 5 in the morning and sometimes not finishing until after 9 pm, his farm is demanding because it produces not only tobacco but also beans, yuca, corn, sweet potatoes, and he raises animals too. And yet, it is mainly because of this that he has been able to become self-sufficient and sustainable.

 

To have an idea of the magnitude of the Project young Linnel Marrero started, it would be enough to say that he not only contributes extraordinarily to tobacco export but that the past year he has also produced 20 tons of beans and 30 tons of corn, besides yuca and sweet potatoes in line to feed people and animals. 

«I have 200 workers who help me in many ways, who I pay a decent salary and tried to ensure they enjoy good living conditions as required by the work we do», he explains. Fortunately, he is not the only one capable of ensuring proper tobacco for our cigars, there are others who have been following his steps and are prominent like him in this province.

The path to recovery.

Only four or five years ago, the Start Tobacco Company (Empresa de Acopio y Beneficio del Tabaco La Estrella) was in the red for more than five million pesos,  and the number of producers were below 25, both indicators speaking about the challenging situation of the company but also of Villa Clara itself as a province.

Changes in direction and a new integrated strategy of development, have made possible to achieve what people wanted, that is transforming this territory into one of the main producers of tobacco in the country. In fact, it is now prominent in producing tobacco layers crucial in producing cigars for export.

Antonio Subí Pérez, general director of the above name company, has been instrumental and in charge of such transformations -or as he correctly says, change is never the work of one person in particular but of the tobacco family who follow and support that person implementing changes needed, and turning the company around making it successful and productive.

«We count 72 tobacco producers and 400 using the sun and stick technology, " he explains, "motivation is high, particularly among tens and tens of youth incorporated into this work and attracted by the successful results of more experienced, older producers."

Three years ago this province delivered 9 000 handfuls of layers for export but at the end of last year's campaign it was able to deliver more than  200 000, most of them of top quality for the making of cigars for export to the most demanding markets. From an economic perspective, The Star concluded the first quarter of 2025 with more than 16 million pesos in utilities.

According to the Director of The Star, there are visible increases in territory dedicated to the plantation of tobacco under cover in this area, which went from 100 hectares four years ago to more than 346 hectares today. The total area of tobacco cultivation, planned to be 1500 hectares soon, is proof of the sustained growth in this area. This year we harvested 1 million 800 thousand tobacco beams, the plan is to finish with 1 million 850 thousand, which means more than a ton per hectare, a number never achieved before in the province.

Currently, 30 producers from Villa Clara are responsible for more than 10 000 tobacco beams, while 11 producers respond for more than 20 000 tobacco beams, four respond for  more than 50 000 tobacco beams and 3 respond for above 100 000 tobacco beams.  Among these last producers are Noel Rolando Benitez, Linnel Marrero and Orelvis Peñate who are at the head of tobacco production in the province.  

Applying the newest science and technology has been crucial in fomenting and ensuring tobacco production in Villa Clara. Many houses are helping the processing, tunnels are destined to produce tobacco postures and also photovoltaic panels used by producers to favor irrigation and tobacco treatment, among other things.     

Thanks to all this focus and work and the sustainable growth of this area of production Villa Clara has been able to warrant 66 percent of tobacco layers demanded by our country, according to Subí Pérez, who spares no praise to the men and women working this sector in the province. Tobacco production has created an important number of jobs mainly for women and young people.

 

It is much more than tobacco.

The growth in income generated by tobacco cultivation was shared to other communities and centers of social  interest -like hospitals, senior homes and children homes. In solidarity with people the tobacco family shared awareness that many were facing need during these challenging times Cuba is facing. Equipment needed, utensils, food, toys and other articles were provided that contributed to improve living conditions in hospitals attending children and oncological patients. Help was also provided to vulnerable seniors for example. Equally important has been the sector contribution to territorial development -a one percent that is sent directly to local governments, like the city of Placetas which received more than 3 million pesos for that concept last year.  Important too has been the sector contribution to employment generation in communities, and within a variety of work within tobacco production. For example 30 selected in diverse areas of Villa Clara include those where more than one thousand women and youth work who were until then unemployed and not studying. 

Translation  NSCUBA Canada

Cuban President Honors Fidel Castro in Russia 

 

As a child honoring the legacy of his father, our president and his delegation, on an official visit to Russia for the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, visited the statue of the Cuban Commander in chief in the district of Sokol, Moscow. 

 With this sculpture of Fidel, the Russian people pay homage to who they described as a paradigm of Latin America and the world. The sculpture was inaugurated on November 22, 2022 by President Putin and President Diaz-Canel. 

 During the inauguration President Putin described Fidel, who he met, as someone able to consider not only the people of Cuba but of the whole Latin America and the world. President Putin also mentioned Fidel’s preoccupation for the common welfare and justice, a unique personality that Latin America gifts us all with. (Find the exact words of his speech below). at the time included below. 

 During that act President Díaz-Canel explained that Fidel understood well “the links of fraternity that have united both our nations” and he also admired “the greatness of the soviet people during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), its humanism and its capacity for sacrifice to save the entire humanity from fascism." 

The square also has Fidel’s name since 2017, the sculpture made of bronze, measures 3 meters in height and represents the bearded Young man with military uniform and his traditional beret, standing on a block of Stone with the map of Cuba. According to the architect and the sculptor of the monument, Andrey Beliy y Alexey Chebanenko respectively, the sculpture represents the heroic path of a man who defends the rights of people in his country. 

 Prior to this stop, President Diaz-Canel participated in the act celebrating the 65th anniversary of the re-establishment of Cuban-Russian relations in may 8th, 1960. During this celebration he confirmed that the Cuban-Russian friendship has overcome the trials of time and the most complex and diverse international circumstances. “History has taught us that in the middle of challenges, cooperation and solidarity are fundamental values of our relations. Today we still have many challenges and motivation to continue together in our path of freedom and in defense of peace, human development and the future of our peoples.” 

This Wednesday morning also included the Act by which comrade Guennadi Zuganov of the Communist Party of Russia honored the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, President Diaz-Canel, with a medal commemorating the 80th anniversary of the great victory. 

Diaz-Canel, together with more than 20 chiefs of state and government, will be part of May 9th celebrations of the Victory over Fascism and the end of WWII parade which traditionally takes place in historic Red Square in Moscow. 

Prensa Latina, May 7, 2025.

Translation NSCUBA

November 22, 2022.

Fidel Castro monument in Moscow. 

Discourse of President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

“Mr President, Cuban guests, Muscovites, friends,
We have gathered here, on a square named after Fidel Castro, to unveil a monument to this outstanding statesman and political figure, the founder of the modern Cuban state.
Fidel Castro dedicated his life to the selfless struggle to advance the ideas of goodness, peace and justice, for the freedom of oppressed peoples, for a decent life for ordinary people and social equality.
He is rightfully considered one of the most colourful and charismatic leaders of the turbulent and dramatic 20th century, a truly legendary person and a symbol of an era of national liberation movements, the collapse of the colonial system and the creation of new independent states in Latin America and Africa.

Fidel and his associates have selflessly defended the sovereignty of their native country; they did not allow it to be broken by the intervention of mercenaries, sanctions, financial or economic embargo, or attempts at external isolation; they upheld Cuba’s right to its own development model in accordance with national rather than externally imposed values; and made sure that the world takes into account Cuba’s opinion and respects its interests.

For many generations of our fellow citizens, the image of the Comandante has always been shrouded in romantic glory, courage and victories. The lyrics of the well-known Soviet song Cuba, My Love! reflected our sincere and enthusiastic feelings not only for the Island of Freedom and the entire Cuban people, but also directly for Fidel, whose strength, energy and unbending will attracted and still attract people like a magnet.

Friends, I was lucky enough to meet with Fidel Castro on several occasions, and I still remember many hours of conversations with him, especially our last conversation in July 2014.
He talked about the things that were surprisingly consonant with the time –- the time of the development of a multipolar world – saying that independence and dignity cannot be put up for sale and that every nation is entitled to develop as it sees fit and to choose its own path, and that a truly fair world has no place for dictatorship, plunder or neo-colonialism. His encyclopaedic knowledge, deep understanding of the underlying causes of events, sharpness of mind, and accuracy of assessments were striking.

Fidel was a true friend of our country and often came to see us. In 1963, he travelled around almost the entire Soviet Union. He was always a welcome guest in Moscow and loved it very much. As Fidel said, he was willing to come to Russia any time, summer or winter, with or without snow.
Our country has always supported the freedom-loving Cuban people and the leadership of the Republic. And we know it is a mutual feeling. Cuba has been, is and, I am sure, will always be our consistent strategic partner and ally in international affairs.
Friends,

The Russian-Cuban friendship that was bequeathed to us by Fidel Castro is the common legacy of our peoples. Mr President, you represent the new generation of Cuban leaders and you are making an enormous contribution to promoting friendly and trust-based relations between our countries.
We will join efforts in order to strengthen our alliance and to defend the great values of freedom, equality and justice.
Thank you for the attention.

 

Cuba remains Russia’s reliable ally in Latin America — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister added that Moscow and Havana as members of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter "advocate for the consistent rather than selective use of the principles enshrined in this foundational UN document"

MOSCOW, May 7. /TASS/. Cuba is Russia’s reliable ally and priority partner in Latin America, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an article for Cuban media titled "Russia and Cuba: Celebrating brotherhood through the years and across distances," dedicated to the 65th anniversary of reinstating diplomatic relations between Russia and Cuba:  "Regular contacts at the top level have always been the driving force of Russian-Cuban relations. President of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez is visiting our country as of this writing to participate in the celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War," the top Russian diplomat pointed out.

"Russia has always deeply appreciated Cuba’s contribution to the fight against Nazism, including the assistance provided by the island’s democratic, workers’ and trade union organizations, which sent essential supplies to the Soviet Union during the war," Lavrov noted. "We honour the memory of Cubans who fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War far from their homeland. Among them are Jorge Vivo, who fought in a partisan unit near Leningrad, his brother Aldo Vivo, who died on Nevsky Pyatachok (Neva Bridgehead), and Enrique Vilar, who died in the battles for Poland’s liberation," the Russian foreign minister added.

"Cuba is Russia’s reliable foreign policy ally and top priority partner in Latin America. Our Cuban friends stand in solidarity with us on the vast majority of international issues. We support the world majority’s focus on forming a fairer multipolar world order that takes into account the interests of all nations - medium-sized and small ones - without exception," Lavrov stressed.  Moscow and Havana as members of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter "advocate for the consistent rather than selective use of the principles enshrined in this foundational UN document," the top diplomat recalled.

Fight against neo-colonialism

Russia and Cuba are closely cooperating in the fight against neocolonial practices. "Thanks to the efforts, including those of our two countries, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on eradicating colonialism in all its forms and manifestations last year, which fully meets the world majority’s key interests. We look forward to continuing joint work in order to declare December 14 the International Day against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations already in 2025. Adopting such a decision in the year that marks the 65th anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples will hold significant symbolic meaning," Lavrov said.

Against sanctions
"Both Russia and Cuba oppose illegal unilateral sanctions, which not only contradict international law, but also hit hard the most vulnerable groups of the population," the top Russian diplomat’s article said. "Russia has consistently advocated bringing an immediate and complete end to the US trade embargo on Cuba. The adoption of the resolution titled ‘Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba’ at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly once again confirmed the near unanimous solidarity of the international community with the demands of the Cuban people and the rejection of this illegal and unfair policy," the Russian foreign minister said.
According to him, Russia "also insists on unconditional removal of Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism."

Unwavering support
"We are grateful to Havana for its unfailing support amid the hybrid war being waged by the West against Russia. The Cuban leadership has repeatedly and rightly pointed to NATO’s longstanding expansion towards Russia’s borders as the root cause of the conflict over Ukraine," the top diplomat said.
"It is no less important to achieve full respect for human rights in the territories remaining under the control of the Kiev regime, which, after the violent power grab in 2014, set out to exterminate everything associated with Russia and the Russian world, including the Russian language, culture, traditions, canonical Orthodoxy, and Russian-language media," Lavrov added.

 From TASS, May 7, 2025: https://tass.com/politics/1954219

International Workers Day in Cuba

May 1st 2025

 Our doctors are the pride of Cuba, and of many nations of the world.

What bothers those who implement this campaign against Cuban medical collaboration is the example we are capable of being.  

René Tamayo León | internet@granma.cu

April 18, 2025

After the earthquake in Türkiye we helped.

What is behind the attack the US Administration is promoting against Public health in Cuba, and in particular against Cuban export of medical services? What does this attack consist of? What Cuban medical services contribute to Cuba and to the world?

At a time when almost all Cuban access to markets and financial resources, indispensable for any economy, imperialism is targeting particularly our export of medical services, denounced Cuban president from the Presidential House, they also show awareness that the formation and training of health personnel is a strength of Cuban society.  

The president talked with the Minister of Public Health, José Angel Portal Miranda, with the secretary general of the Cuban Red Cross, Carlos Ricardo Pérez, and with Luther Castillo, Minister of the Honduran Cabinet and a graduate of the Cuban Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM in Spanish).

The podcast focus was the campaign against Cuba, noted our president, trying to diminish the merit of the service Cuban doctors provide the world, calling it “slave work,” and accusing our government of not paying them and therefore exploiting and even enriching itself with their unpaid work. It was an attempt to intrude in, or try to contaminate, traditional press and social nets with messages of this kind, it was part of a very cynical plan devised by extreme right Cubans outside our country.

The actual meaning of the Cuban Brigades

«What do the Cuban Medical Brigades have that bother the American government so much?  That was the initial question of the Cuban president to the director of MINSAP (Ministry of Public Health). The director explained the structure of international health cooperation, its history and the use they give to the financial resources obtained.

In first place, he said, the Cuban Medical Brigades have international recognition because of the training of our health professionals in general as well as because of what they have managed to transmit to the world in terms of solidarity.

There is also, he explained, the contribution that our international cooperation can bring to the sustainability of the Cuban Health system, services that are free of cost but that do cost the Cuban state, and services that require resources in foreign exchange.   

The truth, Portal Miranda added, the history of our medical collaboration with the world started from the beginnings of the Revolution. In 1960, he reminded us, Cuban doctors arrived in Chile, and from here we sent teams, equipment and resources; that action of solidarity was not considered our first mission, historically we defined our first mission our collaboration in Argelia in 1963 with the arrival there on May 23 the first permanent brigade.

After that, Cuba started the formation of professionals, in Cuba and outside of Cuba, and medical collaboration with other regions expanded free of cost and based on international solidarity, helping countries that most needed it. It was an extension of the principle that our Commander in Chief, Fidel Castro Ruz, taught us, we share what we have.

During those years, more than 605 000 health workers (many have done this many times, as each mission counts like one mission) have cooperated in 165 countries in which they have provided more than 2300 million consultations.

At this moment we are present in 56 countries, with more than 24 000 collaborators. Medical cooperation these years includes the formation of more than  87 980 students from 150 countries, inside and outside of Cuba, 31 236 at ELAM.

Portal Miranda reminded that Cuban medical cooperation includes not only doctors but many nurses, dentists, epidemiologists, electro-medicine specialists, technologists of many differing specializations and workers of service. The World Health Organization has developed a model to consider our National Health System and Cuban medical cooperation as a referent to the world. And we have been present, I highlight, not only in friendly countries but we have provided service to nations with which we did not even have diplomatic relations.

And all this, reflected our Minister, is what bothers those who campaign against Cuban medical collaboration: the example we set; the recognition we have from the governments where we provide such cooperation, from the professionals with whom we work but especially from the entire populations we serve.

Our doctors, he said, sometimes are the only ones managing the hospitals where no other professionals go; often our doctors are the only ones providing service to entire populations that would not have doctors otherwise, often because of the regions where they live.

¿What use is given to the foreign exchange resources obtained?

Díaz-Canel asked about the use given to the foreign Exchange resources obtained thanks to the medical collaboration, and the director of MINSAP explained that they are fundamentally designated to the Cuban Health System, to provide services to our own population.

Sometimes, as you have explained, the country has faced financial challenges, and to ensure for example that our children can access milk, or fuel required, a share of those foreign Exchange resources is used. But, fundamentally, these resources are the income of our Health Care system and cover the needs in foreign exchange of the health sector and of the Health System required to support the health sector and keep it free of cost to Cubans. To provide our services, the Minister explained, a percentage of foreign exchange is needed but this does not cover all so the state dedicates 26 percent of GDP to health.

The challenging situation our country faces, Diaz-Canel explained, has obligated us to use some of the income received from medical services exported to buy medicines, to support our basic family basket program and at times to support our energy sector. 

Diaz-Canel reflected that there is “no doubt the campaign against Cuban medical brigades is desperate to block Cuban cooperation and has two clear goals: to close any path of access to income for our country, including even this noble activity, so needed by the receiving countries, as health services are. The other reason is political-ideological: to put an end to the Cuban example.”

«Slaves» of solidarity and love for humanity.

Doctor Carlos Ricardo Pérez, secretary general of Cuban Red Cross, a doctor who himself has served more in these missions, some solidarity missions and some including cooperative payment, explains that calling “slave” a free man is both offensive and disrespectful.” To respond to such offences, we need to remember the Hippocratic Oath, signed by doctors and in which they commit to perform their duties with dignity and consciousness, giving priority to the needs of life and health of our patients and honoring the noble traditions of the medical profession.  

Doctor Perez explained how medical brigades are integrated in Cuba, how contracts are made, stipends for services provided and allocated while outside our country, deposits in Cuba for accruals regarding their cooperation, and respect for monthly salaries in the health centers, also respect for the position they had prior leaving in their mission outside of Cuba.   

In regards to the words expressed by Dr. Perez, our president noted that before such testimonies the enemies of our Revolution still fail to understand the vocation of service, detachment and altruism, at the root of professions connected with health services. In relation with the medical brigades or missions the president invited to share experiences with the doctor from Honduras, Luther Castillo, from the Garifuna community, Africa descendants and original people in many regions of the Caribbean, Minister of the government of Honduras and graduated in ELAM. Luther made a touching evaluation of the Cuban cooperation in health and in the formation of medical personnel in countries of the global South and even in the United States.   

Works are Love

«If anything has lasted as long as the blockade, it is the Cuban cooperation on Health. For more than 6o years, they have provided services in 165 countries, attending millions of people and saving lives in situations of emergency and natural disasters», noted our president. «and, in the majority of cases, he said, not only cooperation was provided without cost, as long as we were able to do so, but its continuity warranted forming schools for the training and preparation of local human resources».

«A government interested in profits, he noted, would not form professionals that would compete with them. A health system looking at itself as a business, would have never gotten involved, as others avoid doing, in humanitarian crises like the Ebola epidemic or the COVID 19 pandemic outside of its borders.

«Works are Love. Lies do not kill truths as powerful as the noble mission of Cuban medical brigades», added Díaz-Canel, because, he said, this works «only provoke in us feelings of pride and thankfulness. They are the creation of a humanistic genius like our Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, who considered Cuban medical cooperation a genuine example of solidarity and humanism».

Translation NSCUBA