Members of the Dominican Campaign of Solidarity with Cuba, the José Martí Extracurricular Chair at the UASD, students, officials from the Cuban Embassy and political forces recalled the legacy of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, eight years after his death on November 25.
During the tribute, the Dominican Historian and Professor Luis de León highlighted the validity of the statesman’s thought and his example for the peoples of the world.
León, president of the José Martí Extracurricular Chair, noted the historic relations between the two Caribbean nations and the admiration that Fidel (Castro) felt for Gómez, a military strategist and an example of internationalism, who made the independence of Cuba his meaning of life.
Cuban Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Angel Arzuaga expressed gratitude for the appreciation of these two great men, Fidel and Gómez, on the 188th anniversary of the Dominican-Cuban military officer’s 188th birthday on November 18.
Arzuaga highlighted the values of Gómez, who joined the wars for independence in Cuba, which he considered his adopted homeland, and was an example of humility and courage, while summarizing the bonds of friendship between the two countries.
He said that Fidel Castro studied the exploits of the man from Baní and knew about his dreams of creating schools for the Dominican people.
For this reason, when the Cuban leader visited the Dominican Republic in 1998 and in recognition of Gómez’s memory, he announced the donation of a polytechnic school in the city of Baní, the birthplace of the Generalissimo, where more than 2,000 students have graduated.
He commented that on Monday, the officials from the Cuban Embassy and their families recalled the life and work of Fidel, and he valued the tribute made to him on Monday by the Dominican Association of Teachers, on which occasion its president, Juan Hidalgo also referred to the United States blockade against Cuba.
He recalled Fidel Castro’s participation in 1947 in the so-called Cayo Confites Expedition (in the eastern province of Camagüey), in which he was one of the hundreds of young people from Latin America who were willing to fight against the Dominican dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo. (1930-1961).
The coordinator of the Campaign of Solidarity with Cuba, Roberto Payano, highlighted the legacy, life and work of the Cuban statesman and reviewed events in the history of the Revolution. Under a persistent rain, those present laid a wreath in homage to Fidel Castro, next to the monument to Máximo Gómez, on which a beautiful white ribbon, signed by the Solidarity Campaign and the José Martí Chair, read, “Fidel Castro lives and will live.”
The homage to one of the great Latin American and world leaders was attended by Manuel Salazar, secretary of the Communist Labor Party, and a representation of the Rebel Movement, among other groups.
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