Young Cubans Pay Tribute to Fidel Castro in Student-Led Initiative

The University Student Federation (FEU) of Cuba launched the " Aquí me hice fidelista " ("Here I Become a Fidelist") initiative today, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the historic leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, entering the University of Havana.

This initiative, which will extend until November 25 of next year, is a strategic effort to strengthen the connection of new university generations with Fidel Castro's legacy, explained the national vice president of the FEU, Litza Gonzales, during the commemorative event.

"Fidel not only graduated here as a Doctor of Law, but he was forged here as a revolutionary. It was at this University that he acquired the tools to masterfully accuse the dictatorship during the Moncada trial, transforming a courtroom into a tribunal of the people," she stated.

Honoring Historical Figures and Ideological Formation

The student leader detailed that the initiative also pays homage to emblematic figures of the Cuban student struggle, such as Rafael Trejo, the first martyr of the university movement against the Machado tyranny; Julio Antonio Mella, founder of the FEU; and Rubén Martínez Villena, coinciding with the 95th anniversary of his birth.

She emphasized that university education in Cuba must not only guarantee academic quality and universal access but also serve as a space for forming revolutionary consciousness. Gonzales reaffirmed the commitment of Cuban universities as "forges of the new man," in line with the vision of the Argentine-Cuban guerrilla fighter, Che Guevara.

Expressions of International Solidarity and Condemnation

Gonzales also expressed the FEU's firm solidarity with the Venezuelan people and its president, Nicolás Maduro, in the face of threats of military intervention by the United States.

Likewise, she denounced the genocide perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian people, as well as the complicity of the U.S. government.

"From the Cuban University, we demand respect for the self-determination of peoples and denounce the cynical policy that murders families, destroys formations, and attempts to erase identities," affirmed the FEU representative.

Official Start of the Academic Year

As part of the tribute, the 2025-2026 academic year in Cuban higher education was officially inaugurated.

In this regard, the Minister of Higher Education, Walter Baluja, stressed the commitment of the island's higher education to the comprehensive training of professionals.

Baluja reaffirmed that Cuba's universities will continue to be at the forefront of defending national sovereignty and contributing to the country's scientific, economic, and social development.

The Minister of Higher Education called for not forgetting that while thousands of Cuban youth resume their studies, others in Palestine are deprived of their right to education and life by the Israeli aggression, backed by the United States.