Holguín, Cuba.- The commemorative program for the centennial of the birth of Cuba’s historic leader, Fidel Castro (1926-2016), began yesterday with a political and cultural event for his 99th birthday, led by Raúl Castro and President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

The Secretary of Organization of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), Roberto Morales, explained aspects of the program, which involves Cuban society and the country’s friends around the world.

He stated that this is a call for remembrance, respect, and commitment, whose official celebration will be in one year, on August 13, 2026, and will be preceded by a vast plan of popular actions that will strengthen the revolutionary work that Fidel Castro left behind.

In its development, he asserted, the idea that “Fidel is a country” that continues the path he forged will prevail. Among its objectives, Morales stated, will be to promote the study of his work, the research of his thought, and the promotion of his convictions and ideals.

To this end, he called for the creation of a broad political movement in the physical and digital space that will foster international mobilization around the figure of the leader who transcended borders.

This, he argued, will be a celebration featuring young people who, through their actions, aspire to become the generation of Fidel’s centenary, proudly keeping the flame of the Revolution burning.

He highlighted the participation of organizations, institutions, provinces, and municipalities that will embrace this celebration with their own activities filled with patriotism, beauty, and symbolism.

In this regard, he urged that simplicity and economic rationality prevail at all times, in tune with the complex situation the country is experiencing.

The party leader emphasized that Fidel Castro will be honored in many ways and in multiple venues, especially at the Ninth Congress of the PCC, scheduled for April 2026. In that context, the Cuban leader’s teachings regarding the unity of the nation around the Party will be present, he emphasized.

This important gathering of Cuban communists constitutes an opportunity to preserve, update, and project Fidel’s political work and his decisive contribution to the revolutionary process. In that setting, the unity and commitment of the Cuban people to the ideals he defended will be reaffirmed, he affirmed.