Solidarity Campaign with Puerto Rico Begins in Cuba

The annual solidarity campaign with Puerto Rico begins today in Cuba, with the participation of the Hostosian National Independence Movement, the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) announced.

September 15, 2025 | 12:29 a.m.

Week of Activities

Over the course of a week, several activities will take place, including the opening of an exhibition at ICAP headquarters dedicated to the Puerto Rican freedom fighter Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, who was killed 20 years ago by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the municipality of Hormigueros.

The program will also commemorate the 50th anniversary of the First International Conference for the Independence of Puerto Rico, held in Cuba at the initiative of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, leader of the Cuban Revolution.

Another key date remembered during the campaign will be the 157th anniversary of the Grito de Lares (September 23, 1868), Puerto Rico’s uprising for independence from Spain.

Honoring Leaders and Historical Legacies

According to ICAP, this year’s campaign is dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the passing of Puerto Rican independence leader Juan Mari Brás, who, together with Fidel Castro, founded the Puerto Rico Mission in Cuba in 1966—the first and only Puerto Rican diplomatic mission of its kind.

The program also includes floral offerings to Cuban National Hero José Martí and Puerto Rico’s Father of the Nation, Ramón Emeterio Betances, at Havana’s Central Park and Fraternity Park, respectively.

Visits and Cultural Engagements

Planned activities feature visits to the Fidel Castro Center in Havana and the Pedro Albizu Campos School in Unión de Reyes, located in the western province of Matanzas.