After 60 years of struggle, sacrifices, efforts and victories, we see a free, independent country, the master of its own destiny
Speech by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, at the central act to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the triumph of the Revolution, in Santiago de Cuba, January 1st, 2019, “Year 61 of the Revolution”

Author: Raúl Castro Ruz | internet@granma.cu
january 2, 2019 18:01:31

As part of Our America, our respect and solidarity with sister nations has, and will be, invariable.

Photo: Estudios Revolución

(Council of State transcript / GI translation)

SANTIAGO women and men;

Compatriots of all Cuba:

We gather today to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the revolutionary triumph of January 1st, and we do so again in Santiago de Cuba, cradle of the Revolution, here in the Santa Ifigenia cemetery, where the immortal remains of many of the best children of the nation are venerated, very close to the tombs of the National Hero, of the Father and Mother of the Homeland, and of the Comandante en Jefe of the Cuban Revolution.

I do not come here to speak in a personal capacity; I do so in the name of the heroic sacrifices of our people, and of the thousands of fighters who gave their lives over more than 150 years of struggle.

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Campesino Congress in Arms: the birth of the agrarian Revolution
On the morning of September 21, 1958 a transcendental event featuring over 200 delegates, was inaugurated
Author: Pedro Antonio García | internet@granma.cu
september 21, 2016 17:09:54

Raúl Castro speaking during the First Campesino Congress in Arms, accompanied by Vilma Espín (seated behind him), Rebel soldiers and campesinos. Photo: Archive
Before 1959 Soledad de Mayarí Arriba was a place forgotten by those who governed in Cuba. A truck, in 1958, would have a difficulty accessing the area, and often need help to make its way out of the tricky terrain. A cock fighting ring and a bar with an adjacent dancehall were the only facilities there. Sick people would have to be carried on foot in hammocks to receive medical attention in La Prueba, located close to Alto Songo, some 40 kilometers away; some dying along the way.
When the Second Front, led by then Commander Raúl Castro Ruz, established itself in the region, the first Revolutionary Campesino Committees (CRC) were created, based on the experience of the Rebel Army in the Sierra Maes­tra, with a secretary as leader, and civil and military delegate. These committees, in addition to maintaining order in their respective areas, were responsible for gathering supplies and information for the guerillas. Expanding its activities, the directorate of the Second Front created the Agrarian Bureau, a body which would function as a link between the masses and Rebel Army military commanders.

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