Pretoria, July18th, 2019.- Cuba celebrates today, along with millions of people around the world, the birth of Nelson Mandela, of whom the Comrade Raul Castro said that "he was recognized as the supreme symbol of dignity and the unwavering consecration to the revolutionary struggle for freedom and justice, as a prophet of unity, reconciliation and peace.”
Only one month after his release, in March 1990, Mandela attended the celebrations of the independence of Namibia. In a meeting with senior Cuban officials, he said: "We have never doubted that in Cuba we have a reliable friend." he recognized the decisive contribution of Cuban internationalists in Africa.
Cuba, which proudly carries African blood in its veins, has had the privilege of fighting and building together with the African nations.
We will never forget the words of Mandela, when he visited us, on July 26, 1991, and said: "The Cuban people occupy a special place in the hearts of the peoples of Africa."
Mandela is an example of unsurpassed integrity and perseverance. He led South African people in the struggle against the opprobrious apartheid regime, and then in the creation of a new South Africa, united in the search for equality and well-being of all its children.
Addressing the UN as part of the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit in New York on September 24th, 2018, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez concluded by calling on the international community to work for the future of peace that rightfully belongs to our peoples, to truly and fully honour the unforgettable Mandela, whom the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, called the “Apostle of Peace.”
Eternal glory and honor to Nelson Mandela!
