Simply Fidel.

He, who shook equally the hand of the worker, the peasant and the scientist or artist, the one who shared with the dwarf princes of the island as one more child, the one who motivated to reach higher goals in the individual and collective order, is simply Fidel, the Cuban who was born in Biran 98 years ago.

In the history of Cuba and its relationship with the world, Fidel Castro Ruz occupies a unique place as the man who piloted the ship that gave a 180-degree turn to the sad scenario that existed on the island during the neocolonial regime.

That is the certainty of the man who was born when the Revolution was barely a decade old, of efforts and achievements in favor of the people. A decade marked by the confrontation with the terrorist and disturbing actions of the common enemy of the peoples: Yankee imperialism.

Just in those incipient years of great coups promoted by the US administrations and the leadership, intelligence and daring of Fidel speak of his protagonism during the mercenary invasion of Playa Giron and the bright and sad days of the October Crisis.

The Bay of Pigs, which went down in history as the first defeat suffered by imperialism in America, had a Commander in Chief in the front line, at the head of his people’s army to defend inch by inch that piece of territory until defeating the enemy in less than 72 hours.

In the second event, also known as the Missile Crisis, which brought the world to the brink of nuclear war, Fidel’s personality also grew to such an extent that Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara, in his farewell letter, wrote: «Few times has a statesman shone more brightly than in those days».

And so it was always. Fidel was not only the driver, he was above all the first to arrive when the climatic, technological or socio-political conditions were difficult or extremely dangerous, to shine with his own light and show how to transform setbacks into victory.

For more than four decades we have had him in the most diverse scenarios, stimulating scientific and socio-cultural projects as well as inaugurating hospitals, industries, housing projects, schools and other works directed to the people. He has revived and recognized the sports activity that today allows us to show before the world a number of Olympic champions superior to that of many first world countries and above all he has publicly denounced the imperialist blockade and other laws that hinder the development of our Green Cayman.

But Fidel was also that figure that everyone was waiting for in meetings, congresses and events of all kinds that he summed up with those long speeches, generally improvised, to offer direct and clear messages about reality and the way in which we should operate.

All that image of a great man, -of stature and personal values-, remained forever. Thus we worship that giant, bearded and uniformed in olive green, who stood out among the crowds that welcomed him as if they were trying to appropriate his tremendous physical, moral and intellectual strength.

He, who shook equally the hand of the worker, the peasant and the scientist or artist, the one who shared with the dwarf princes of the island as one more child, the one who motivated to reach higher goals in the individual and collective order, is simply Fidel, the Cuban who was born in Biran 98 years ago.

Written by Ana González Goicochea.