The Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz used his account on X this Saturday to celebrate the international commemorations of the centenary of the dictator Fidel Castro (1926-2026), while Cuba is facing one of the worst electrical collapses in its recent history.
In his post on social media, Marrero stated that "the celebration of the centenary of the Commander in Chief in various countries reaffirms his universal stature and the extraordinary relevance of his legacy."
He also launched the slogan: "Fidel lives in every place where truth and justice are defended."
The message included four images documenting commemorative events in at least five countries: a gathering on a mountain with Cuban flags and banners reading "100 Years with Fidel / Fidel Lives," an event at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in France, a panel featuring flags from Cuba and Mozambique, a memorial plaque installed in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), and the Australian premiere of the documentary "Fidel Up Close" on Friday at the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra.
The message from the Prime Minister is part of the official campaign that the regime has launched throughout 2026, which has been declared the Year of the Centennial of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, proposed by Miguel Díaz-Canel to the National Assembly in December 2025.
The central event of that campaign was the First International Colloquium Fidel: Legacy and Future, held from August 10 to 13 at the Palace of Conventions in Havana, with over 1,500 delegates from 63 countries, more than 1,000 of whom were foreigners.
In the closing ceremony held at the Karl Marx Theater, Díaz-Canel proclaimed that Castro's legacy "is back in a way that should terrify his adversaries: hundreds, thousands, millions of people of various ages and beliefs, across almost the entire world, are expanding his legacy."
In that same event, the former president Raúl Castro, 95 years old, made a public appearance for the first time in months and sat in the front row alongside Díaz-Canel and Marrero himself, without delivering a speech or making any statements.
The official rhetoric stands in stark contrast to the reality experienced by Cubans, who are overwhelmed by prolonged power outages lasting over 24 consecutive hours in several locations.
In provinces like Matanzas, power outages of more than 80 consecutive hours have been recorded so far this year, while in Havana, blackouts average between 15 and 24 hours daily, according to reports on the energy crisis.
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) projects a contraction of Cuba's GDP by 6.5% for this year, placing the island in one of its worst economic crises in decades.
While the official portal of the Presidency described Castro as "a quantum privilege that shines in the darkest night", Cubans responded on social media with sarcasm: "The night is not dark; it is OFF," wrote an internet user.
Another noted: "A true Liberator... he freed Cuba from food, electricity, development, and freedom."
The official commemorative agenda extends until December 4, 2026, the tenth anniversary of Castro's burial at the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in Santiago de Cuba.
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