Some believe that the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) have lost their raison d'être, that they are remains of another era, that they are anachronistic in the face of contemporary challenges. But reality shows that in these times, this organization, with strong popular roots, is not only necessary, but also essential for the consolidation of the essential agreement in a society that changes and that has to take on complex challenges.

The defense of the Revolution is not simply a rhetorical sentence. If the Revolution is assumed as a dialectical process, as an option for the masses, as a guarantee of dignity and the chance of progress... the defense of that idea must be the citizen responsibility in the first place. An inclusive organization, which represents the interests of that majority, must be articulated from the base and become an essentially democratic, participatory, and functional space ...

If the Revolution is made by the people, the people will always be its main defender. And that goes beyond simple slogans. That is the role of the CDRs. It must always be a mobilizing force.

It’s important to banish empty rhetoric, sterile formalities. We must create and defend agendas that have to do with the demands and fair objectives of citizens, precisely in the neighborhoods and communities, which are right now the main stage of public debate in Cuba.

The fate of the Revolution is decided in the neighborhoods. CDRs are not only there to collect contributions and organize volunteer work. They have to be a space of convergence and source of initiatives that move the improvement of the quality of life in neighborhoods. They have to be the creative counterpart of institutions. They should not assume the role of local governments: they should be a citizen platform before authorities. No wonder they are the largest mass organization in the country.

Nowadays, faced with the impact of the pandemic and the worsening of the unconventional war against the Revolution and its symbolic capital, the CDRs must hold hard to its roots and constantly update strategies and conceptions. March with the times.

There are actions that have had the active participation, with the decisive collaboration of CDRs: the vaccination campaign, the food distribution schemes and other essential goods, the solution of specific problems in the community without waiting for decisions from "above"...

A lot of tasks are being done in neighborhoods that accumulated objective and subjective problems for years. In some of these organizations these tasks were just a formality, today they drive the change. The current national coordinator of the organization, the Hero of the Republic Gerardo Hernández Nordelo has insisted on the need to widen the dialogue with citizens, to diversify actions and influence much more in the routines of communities. This must be a collective effort and it’s up to the CDRs to consolidate alliances.

For that reason, you have to be in the neighborhoods, you have to be with the people. The moment is complex; the only solution is unity.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff