EDITORIAL: Fidel’s Revolution

On May 1, 2000, in a speech delivered at the Jose Marti Revolution Square, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro defined one key concept:

"Revolution is having a sense of the historic moment; it is changing everything that must be changed; it is full equality and freedom; it is being treated and treating others like human beings; it is emancipating ourselves on our own and through our own efforts; it is challenging powerful dominant forces in and beyond the social and national arena; it is defending the values in which we believe at the price of any sacrifice; it is modesty, selflessness, altruism, solidarity, and heroism; it is fighting with courage, intelligence and realism; it is never lying or violating ethical principles; it is a profound conviction that there is no power in the world that can crush the power of truth and ideas. Revolution is unity; it is independence, it is struggling for our dreams of justice for Cuba and for the world, which is the foundation of our patriotism, our socialism, and our internationalism."

22 years later, the validity of the speech is still remarkable. Fidel summarized a legacy, which goes beyond his extraordinary personal example. It must not be understood as a formula, a rigid pattern. It is, basically, a statement of principles, which implies a creative interpretation, according to circumstances.

Fidel Castro never took the Revolution as a static phenomenon, and proved it in his public service. The own dialectic of the process itself forced dealing with renewed challenges; and he always lived up to expectations. In particularly difficult times, he knew how to instill values on people. He did so in the so-called missile crisis, or in the crisis resulting from the collapse of the socialist bloc in Eastern Europe. Some believed the Cuban Revolution would collapse too, but the leadership of Fidel Castro managed to unite the entire people in a collective act of resistance.

Six years have passed since the passing away of the leader of the Cuban Revolution, his ideas still show us the way. The nation is undergoing tough times. There are no magical solutions. That unity Fidel claimed is paramount when it comes to defend a fairer project of society. This concept of Revolution is a guideline, an ethical foundation.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff