For the last week, a year following the death of Fidel Castro, Cubans have paid reverence to their revolutionary hero in vigils and galas across the country. Cuban television has broadcasted extensive coverage of footage about Fidel.
Fidel Castro died on Friday, November 25, 2016 at 10:29 pm at the age of 90.
Fidel is one of the most influential people of the 20th century and one of the most important leaders in Latin America. He led his people to victory over the dictator, Fulgencio Batista. On January 8, 1959, he and his revolutionary soldiers entered the city of Havana and succeeded in overthrowing the oppressive and corrupt regime of Batista.
Fidel is an icon and a symbol that represents modern day Cuba. Time magazine has called him “one of the 100 most influential personalities of all time.”
Fidel is a symbol of the struggle of the poor, a David vs Goliath battle.
In 2008, he retired due to a lengthy illness and his brother, Raul Castro, became president.
Fidel’s legacy is a powerful one. For more than 50 years he stood up against U.S. government policy. It is well known that he survived more than 600 assassination attempts by the CIA.
His legacy is of a great man, responsible for immense social change in Cuban society in terms of healthcare, culture and education. Fidel made healthcare accessible and free to all Cuban citizens. Research and development in the health and pharmaceutical sector continued, even under the economic restrictions of the blockade, a fact which forced Cuban scientists and doctors to innovate, resulting in huge advances in cancer, diabetes and HIV vaccines.
During Fidel’s time and continuing today, Cuba became a major contributor to global health by providing its doctors and medical staff to the world. Cuba’s contributions to global health have surpassed efforts of all the G8 nations combined.
Fidel’s legacy also included access to free education which resulted in improved literacy rates for Cubans, increasing the percentage to 99.7%, one of the highest in the world.
For nearly six decades, the relationship between the United States and Cuba has been stained by discord and profound political disagreements. After a couple of years of an attempt to ease the restrictions of the embargo by former President Obama, the US government, under the governance of Trump and Marco Rubio, has stepped backwards to Cold War politics.
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