The Cuban regime inaugurated the I International Colloquium "Fidel: Legacy and Future" this Monday at the Palacio de Convenciones in Havana, featuring the participation of over 1,500 delegates from 63 countries, amid one of the worst economic crises in recent history.
However, according to the coverage by the official Canal Caribe, over a thousand of the attendees are foreigners, which reaffirms the regime's maxim to prioritize political propaganda at all costs, even in adverse situations like the current one.
The event will span three days at the Palace of Conventions and other venues in the capital. The ceremony is held in the context of the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth, which will be celebrated on August 13, 2026, a full day of activities to pay homage to the so-called "Historical Leader of the Cuban Revolution."
The inauguration was led by Miguel Díaz-Canel and was attended by the President of the National Assembly, Esteban Lazo Hernández; the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz; the Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Roberto Morales Ojeda; and other members of the Political Bureau.
The event takes place just a week after Cuba experienced the seventh total collapse of its electrical system, which affected millions of people amid daily blackouts exceeding 20 hours in several provinces.
In the midst of this scenario, the director of the Fidel Castro Ruz Center, René González Barrios, acknowledged before the audience that the meeting is taking place "in a difficult context for our people, in a very complex socioeconomic situation."
González stated that around 1,500 delegates are participating, including more than a thousand foreigners, a figure he considered an incentive to continue defending the political project of the regime.
For his part, the Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel stated that "saving the Cuban revolution" represents the greatest challenge of his generation and attributed the crisis the island is experiencing to the "suffocation" caused by the United States.
"I am not exaggerating when I say that this colloquium is taking place during one of the most challenging times the revolution has ever faced, but we are not here to indulge in nostalgia; we are here because Fidel Castro's thoughts remain the most accurate compass we have to navigate the storm that the Cuban people are experiencing," he declared.
The leader stated that Castro's legacy does not belong solely to Cubans, but also to those who fight for what he described as "a better world." He also urged foreign participants to defend the official narrative about Cuba, referring to them as "ambassadors of truth" and "witnesses that Cuba does not yield."
During his speech, Díaz-Canel also called for studying and emulating the deceased dictator, considering that merely remembering or admiring him is not enough. He asserted that his ideas remain relevant and should be used to promote economic and social transformations aimed at preserving the Cuban political system.
At the end of his speech, he quoted a statement from Fidel Castro to emphasize the need for resistance against the United States: "We are prepared to resist with dignity and selflessness for as long as necessary against the imperialist blockade. If others compromise, if others allow themselves to be bribed, if others betray, Cuba will stand as a shining example of a revolution that does not give in."
This pattern of international events amid the crisis is not new.
On May 2nd, for example, the regime organized a solidarity meeting with nearly 800 delegates from 152 organizations hailing from 36 countries.
On August 6, the Fourth Continental Assembly of ALBA Movements was inaugurated, with 188 delegates from 27 countries, also amidst the blackouts.
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