Distinguished members of the Presidency
Liberian friends and diplomatic colleagues,
I begin by thanking everyone for being here on this very special day.
I would like to speak about the tremendous significance the figure of Fidel Castro holds for Cubans and the reasons why he remains so profoundly relevant today. I begin by recalling Cuba’s national hero, José Martí, who wrote in his beautiful book for children, *The Golden Age*.:
“When there are many men without dignity, there are always others, who embody the dignity of many men. These are the ones who rise up with tremendous force against those who rob peoples of their freedom—which is to rob men of their dignity. In those men lie thousands of men, an entire people, and human dignity.”
That is the definition of the greatness of Fidel Castro’s legacy—for his time and for eternity: DIGNITY, DECORUM.
He knew how to rise above his wealthy and noble upbringing to lift up the people of Cuba and millions more across the entire planet against ignorance, injustice, oppression, exploitation, and squalor. Fidel conceived and led a Revolution with the humble, for the humble, and by the humble, to demonstrate that a better world—free from the great burden of servitude—is not only possible but also NECESSARY for the human race to live better and indeed to survive on the face of the earth.
His thoughts used to wander into the future, and then return to warn of the extremely serious problems—such as those we are all experiencing and suffering today—because no matter for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for everyone: hunger, droughts, unsanitary conditions… all it takes is for someone to let a virus escape, and millions die. Never have we been so united—and yet so far apart—as human beings: a barrage of missiles and cutting-edge technology, all aimed at death and destruction; millions of pesos, all squandered on wars, the destruction of infrastructure and food production, the extermination of lives… and what’s worse, the intelligence and time of our finest children—the science that should heal and protect human beings for a life of quality, to humanize their work and foster their spirituality, art, and culture—is today associated with barbarism, chaos, and horror.
Fidel, just as he was beginning his political career, remarked: “Let the philosophy of dispossession cease, and wars will end. Let plunder and exploitation cease… and humanity will have advanced into an era of progress.”
Loyal to his time, Fidel Castro recognized that the world into which we were entering—one that had emerged without the participation of the African continent—was not only profoundly unjust and cruel, given all the contributions these lands had made to the developed world, but also that the rules established in the 1940s and 1950s would be limited and inadequate to support and promote the development of these peoples. He expressed this time and time again: “Cancel the foreign debt, forgive the foreign debt, and reform the international financial system so that it serves as a driving force—not an oppressor—for the peoples of the Third World.”
From the very early days of the Revolution, its profound humanism gave rise to solidarity and internationalism. Thus, we first participated and cooperated within the Non-Aligned Movement, where we forged ties with most of Africa—and Liberia in particular—in 1972; and later, we became actively involved in South-South cooperation and bilateral projects, sharing our lot with the world’s poor.
Fidel belongs to Cuba by birth, but his ideology and his guidance are becoming increasingly universal today; we are aware that his convictions, his ideology, his example, and his anti-imperialist struggle are more relevant than ever.
Cuba continues to resist as it has since April 17, 1961—the first day we declared our unwavering commitment to independence, sovereignty, self-determination, and the construction of socialism. Our resistance is more important and more significant today than ever before, because the empire no longer merely blocks, suffocates, and intimidates us with a genocidal blockade and international threats against anyone who seeks to trade and negotiate with Cuba. Imperialism also persecutes and slanders revolutionary leaders around the world, just as it did with Operation Condor; moreover, it seeks to criminalize the ideas of freedom, sovereignty, social justice, and equality, repeating the years of McCarthyism, the trials against the Rosenbergs, against figures such as Charles Chaplin, and against revolutionary Cuba.
Today, once again, the fascists and Nazi-Zionists are attempting to criminalize humanity’s dream of a better, fairer, and more prosperous future for the entire Earth. Fidel already warned us… Capitalism seeks not only to shape our thoughts, but also to shape our minds and our ability to think.
Cuba and progressive, revolutionary, and just humanity are not only confronting the practices of an imperialism that restricts our access to resources for development in exchange for war, but we are also confronting the attempt to erase freedom of expression, human rights, and the right to protest and speak out both against and in favor of our social achievements. We face plans to seize and erase our traditions, impose a single model of consumption and ideology, and sweep away our national borders in favor of a global economy controlled and indebted by those who claim to produce more and better.
They are already stealing our resources; now they also want to steal our water and pollute our skies. The insatiable thirst for wealth has only led us to the brink of extinction. This is what Fidel declared at the Rio Summit, and his reflections have never been more true and accurate.
Before the civil war in Liberia, Fidel had devised a project to support and cooperate with Liberia—including teachers and doctors, professional training, and assistance in protecting its wetlands and other natural resources. All of this was part of a framework agreement signed by both governments and on the verge of being implemented. These efforts were halted by the civil war. This is why we appreciated all the peace efforts and how hard you work for preserving Peace.
Then, after peace was restored and step by step—though already hampered by the tightening of the blockade and the inability to transfer funds or engage in trade due to Cuba’s unjust inclusion on the spurious list of state sponsors of terrorism—our government and people have resumed our support for Liberia. For more than 10 years, we have welcomed students, trained professionals, and our doctors have stood ready to support this small sister nation.
Today we pay tribute to a friend of the Liberian people and government—a revolutionary who felt gratitude and friendship toward Africa and its peoples.
We pay tribute to Fidel today because he embodies the dreams of freedom, sovereignty, dignity, development, and prosperity that all Liberian men and women—and people around the world—aspire to and dream of for their lands, their peoples, and their families.
May our tribute reach all those who knew him, admired him, and stood with him in his ideal of justice and development.
Long live Fidel Castro.
Long live the Cuban Revolution.
Victory forever!