Marinello in memory .
His life, marked by literary excellence and commitment to social justice, remains as a testimony of a tireless struggle for ideals that, to this day, transcend generations.
In the small town of Jicotea, Villa Clara, a man who would mark a before and after in the cultural and political history of Cuba was born in 1898: Juan Marinello Vidaurreta, who with an exceptional education that encompassed Philosophy, Literature and Law, emerged as one of the most brilliant and committed minds of the Antillean intelligentsia.
During the 1920s, Marinello rose as a student leader alongside figures such as Julio Antonio Mella and Rubén Martínez Villena. From the creation of the Popular University «José Martí», the Cuban Action Phalanx and his presence in the so-called Protest of the Thirteen to his frontal opposition to the governments of Alfredo Zayas, Gerardo Machado and Carlos Mendieta, his fervent activism led him to exile and jail. However, neither exile nor jail time diminished his struggle for social justice and anti-imperialism.
In the academic field, Marinello stood out as a teacher of Literature, Language and Art History in Cuban and Mexican institutions and, during this period, he also assumed important responsibilities in international organizations as vice-president of the Executive Council of UNESCO, ambassador and permanent delegate of the Island in this structure and representative of the Cuban Movement for Peace.
He also became leader of the Popular Socialist Party and presidential candidate in 1948, directed the Cuban-Mexican Society for Cultural Relations, promoted the university reform as rector of the University of Havana, established the «Julio Antonio Mella» Workers’ and Peasants’ Faculty and was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the Council of State.
Juan Marinello developed a prolific literary work with works such as «Meditación Americana» and «El pensamiento de Martí y nuestra Revolución Socialista», standing out for his deep cultural and political commitment.
Awards such as the Doctor Honoris Causa in Philological Sciences of the Charles University of Prague and the Order of the Knight of the Aztec Eagle of Mexico praised his vast socio-cultural actions. Although Marinello passed away in the capital on March 27th, 1977, his legacy continues to illuminate the history of Cuba.
His life, marked by literary excellence and commitment to social justice, remains as a testimony of a tireless struggle for ideals that, to this day, transcend generations.
Written by Yadiel Barbón
