From the torch to the university steps: A path and a legacy

Thousands of young people from the capital attended the traditional Torchlight March Tuesday night in honor of the convergence of thought and work between National Hero José Martí and Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, in the year of their centennial and 73 years since this historic event was first held.

In the presence of Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, as well as members of the Political Bureau of the Party, representatives of the Government, and representatives of social, mass, and student organizations, participants lit their torches in a clear act of resistance against imperialist threats. 

Litza Elena González Desdín, president of the Federation of University Students (FEU), emphasized that the continuation of this tradition demonstrates the will of new generations to carry on the work begun by the apostle and reaffirm that Martí is not a static statue or a name in books, but an inspiration that multiplies in workers, farmers, students, soldiers, artists, athletes, scientists—in an entire people guided by his legacy.

He emphasized that Martí lives on in the resistance and dignity of those who do not give up in the face of difficulties, those who do not kneel before the oppressor, those who defend the value of ideas as an insurmountable force, regardless of the threats or the price to be paid for defending sovereignty and the national project.

“Our generation receives the legacy of the Master and his best disciple, Fidel Castro Ruz, with the commitment to rise to the challenge of our time, at a time when, faced with the threats of the enemies of the Cuban nation, ideological firmness and the most sacred duty of revolutionaries—the defense of the homeland—are paramount,” he noted. 

As an example of this conviction, he recalled the sacrifice of the 32 Cuban combatants who fell during the attack perpetrated by United States forces in Venezuela on January 3, while reiterating the Cuban students’ rejection of this cruel act and the illegal kidnapping of the president of that country, Nicolás Maduro Moros, and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores. 

González Desdín took the opportunity to announce and invite the university community to the Fidel Castro Ruz Center’s call for the first International Colloquium: “Fidel: Legacy and Future,” to be held in Havana from August 10 to 13, on the centenary of the historic leader’s birth. Activists, friends, and researchers from around the world, faithful to the Fidelista legacy, are invited.

Manuel González Hernández, a journalism student at the University College, told the Cuban News Agency that he was honored to participate in the March for the first time and relive those moments, follow in Fidel’s footsteps, and keep his memory alive.

He emphasized the crucial role of history, stating that a country without knowing its roots is orphaned and fragmented. Therefore, this tradition must be maintained, despite the difficulties: it is how young people can make a difference, he added.

“This is an opportunity to stop and reflect on all the sacrifice, all the effort that our martyrs made to be able to have this, even though many do not value it, even though we want it to be better, we have it, and it is ours,” he concluded. (Source : RHC)