The Consul General of Cuba in Toronto, Jorge Yanier Castellanos Orta, was interviewed live on National Rebellion Day by Voces Latinas 1610AM, the first Spanish-speaking radio station in Canada.
The exchange focused on five fundamental points on the historical reasons behind the celebration, its importance and transcendence, Fidel's plea “History will absolve me”, the actions in Toronto around this date, and the U.S. blockade against Cuba.
The Cuban diplomat explained from a historical point of view the genesis of this celebration and its importance in the revolutionary process. He said that 72 years ago, when a brave group of young people, led by Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro and the Centenary Generation, assaulted the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks in Santiago de Cuba and Bayamo, their objective was to awaken the national conscience, start the path towards the Revolution and vindicate the figure and ideas of José Martí.
Jorge Yanier also stressed that for a resilient people like ours, it is important not only to honor the bravery of those young people but to assume it as an act of revolutionary reaffirmation, and of high commitment with the men and women who gave their lives and fought for our Homeland, thanks to whom, together with the leadership of our revolutionary government, we live in a free, fair and sovereign Cuba.
During the interview, he also strongly condemned the genocidal US blockade and its recurrent sanctions against Cuba. He especially focused on demonstrating the profoundly inhumane nature of that policy which has been evident for more than 60 years and especially during the years of the Pandemic, and in these last years in which they have been the main cause of the complex situation that our people are going through today due to the high deficits of fuel, electricity generation, food and medical supplies.
In spite of the above, Jorge Yanier assured that in our country, unity persists and strengthens to face these great challenges and advance in the project of nation we have decided to build, with the confidence that once again we will overcome these adversities thanks to the collective ingenuity of our people.
The Consul General thanked the interest of the Latin community in expanding their knowledge about this important date, informed that from Toronto we will join the celebrations of our people because on the 26th there will be two central activities in this city organized by groups of solidarity with Cuba, and reaffirmed the solidarity and humanist vocation of the Cuban Revolution.