New York, November 29, 2017."This evening we are not here to mourn the death of a man but to praise the legacy of a giant ..." were the opening words, said by the Cuban Ambassador Humberto Rivero Rosario, at the Political and Cultural Ceremony held at the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations yesterday evening to pay homage to the life and work of the Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz.
The children and young people of the Mission, as heirs of the work of Fidel Castro, had a significant participation in the Ceremony, reading poems dedicated to Fidel written by Peruvian writer Arturo Corcuera; and Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, Nobel Prize winner; as well as by Cuban poet Carilda Oliver Labra.
Members of the movement of solidarity with the island living in the city, also spoke about Fidel, told anecdotes of the meetings with the Cuban leader and talked about the impact that the Cuban Revolution and the figure of the Commander-in-Chief had on their lives, among them was Gail Walker, member of the Pastor for Peace Organization
On behalf of ALBA, the Venezuelan ambassador to the UN, Rafael Darío Ramírez, told his own anecdotes about the close friendship that united Fidel and Chávez, men with similar human values and indefatigable fighters for Latin American unity.
Dayramir Gonzalez, Cuban composer and pianist, residing in the US, thanked Fidel for having allowed him to study music in Cuba, where skin color, sex or social background does not matter, just talent. The graduate of the University of the Arts of Cuba, played a potpourri of pieces of music, among them Te seré fiel, by José María Vitier, which he dedicated to the Commander-in-Chief and which brought tears and cheers from the audience.
Lissete Fernández, a young diplomat and member of the Young Communist League, said she was very young to have taken part in the Revolution, but that she was strong enough to keep its values and achievements alive, stressing that the main historical task of young people is to safeguard the legacy of the Historical Leader of the Cuban Revolution, Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz.
Afterwards, ambassador and chargé d’affaires of the Cuban Mission, Ana Silvia Rodriguez Abascal, summarized the main facts of the revolutionary life of the Commander-in-Chief. She took the opportunity to reiterate the firm commitment of Cubans not to let his example and ideas die.
The evening ended with the beautiful song Cabalgando con Fidel, by Ana Laura Sierra, Yillianne Sánchez and Lissete Fernández, representatives of the revolutionary and Fidelista young Cubans. The song was sung by all present.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations