Cuba celebrates the life of its pioneer and youth organizations
64 years ago, on this date, but in 1961, the Organization of Pioneers of Cuba was born. Photo: Ismael Batista
Cuban children and young people open their arms to life in April. On the fourth day of the fourth month of the year, like today, children’s innocence and youthful enthusiasm were founded forever with the immense responsibility of contributing to the national future and that of humanity.
Sixty-four calendars ago, on this date, but in 1961, the Organization of Pioneers of Cuba was born, renamed in 1977 to honor that great preacher of practical instruction and the sowing of civic values: José Martí.
In the classrooms they embrace the Homeland and, while their parents adjust the scarves, they are possessed by a deep happiness, beyond the natural joy of the first ages before a gift.
Teachers dedicated to the difficult but essential task of forging good people motivate them to participate in society, from that small great country called school. They also teach how to converse with heroes.
The transformation of barracks into schools represented an ineffable change: in the places where the future ended, they began to fertilize it. On February 24, 1960, when handing over a fortress to the Ministry of Education, Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz said about the children: “They must be cared for (…) as the pillars on which a truly beautiful work is founded”.
Another bastion of the Revolution resides in the Young Communist League, born a year later, but also on April 4, 1962. At the closing of the First Congress of the Association of Young Rebels -linked to the figure of Che Guevara-, Fidel proposed the current name, summarized in three letters with telluric force: UJC.
It came to welcome in its bosom young people determined to march at the forefront of the great challenges and victories of the country, from the internationalist missions to the confrontation of terrorism, and to every impossible turned into reality.
In times of enormous dangers, surrounded by threats to the very existence of this dream, we can make any mistake but give in to the “great sin of the old youth” mentioned by the Spanish poet Antonio Machado.
With the rebelliousness and loyalty of those who showed us the way, our faith in the future will be able to overcome circumstantial difficulties.
The struggle seems endless, but there are plenty of reasons to sustain it if we find in each other the true source of eternal youth.
“Russia will always be on Cuba’s side”
The Vice President of the Slavic giant’s government emphasized the close friendship between the two nations
Author: Luis Alberto Portuondo | internet@granma.cu
april 4, 2025 08:04:29
The distinguished visitor paid tribute to the Commander-in-Chief, at the Santa Ifigenia cemetery. Photo: Luis Alberto Portuondo
Santiago de Cuba.- “It is a great honor for me to be here and pay tribute to the Cuban heroes who gave their lives for their homeland,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko, vice president of the Government of the Russian Federation, after paying tribute before the monolith that treasures the ashes of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, the main architect of the Cuban-Russian relations. There he laid a wreath, as a culmination of the tribute he paid in the Santa Ifigenia patrimonial cemetery to José Martí, National Hero; and to Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and Mariana Grajales, Father and Mother of the Homeland, respectively.
In statements to the press, the Vice-President of the Government of the Slavic giant highlighted the close friendship between both nations, while ratifying that “Russia will always be on Cuba’s side and will assist it in the defense of its sovereignty”. In his tour of the National Monument, he was accompanied by the member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and its first secretary in the province, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia; by the governor of Santiago de Cuba, Manuel Falcón Hernández; and by the Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga.
During his stay in Cuba, Chernyshenko will co-chair the 22nd Meeting of the Russian-Cuban Intergovernmental Commission for Economic-Commercial and Scientific-Technical Collaboration. It is also noteworthy that the visit of the Russian delegation takes place in the year in which the 65th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the then Soviet Union and our country is being celebrated.
Without a critical and decolonizing sense, there will be no emancipating culture
Photo: Dunia Álvarez
Having established the consensus that the first thing to save is culture, the question arises: how to do it? Based on that question and the commitment of a sector that -as stated by the member of the Political Bureau and Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz- has been “a pillar of the cultural and political resistance of the Revolution,” the balance of the work carried out by the Ministry of Culture in the year 2024 was articulated.
Presided over by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, the analysis insisted on priorities such as stimulating artistic and literary creation with a decolonizing sense; ensuring the protection of heritage and the preservation of historical memory; as well as encouraging the participation of all segments of the population in cultural activities.
Also highlighted were the use of science, technology and innovation; the comprehensive training of artistic education students; the efficiency of economic, financial and administrative management; and the development of capacities to manage income.
The Minister of Culture, Alpidio Alonso Grau, addressed the need for the programming of artistic talent to respond to the country’s cultural policy, both at the national level and in each territory, and in state and private centers; and to rigorously ensure its quality.
He also said that, although progress has been made in greater spaces for dialogue with creators, it is necessary to deepen that exchange; and to unite them in a permanent vindication of Cuba in order to, besides facing cultural colonization, fight against fascism.
Taking cultural activities to the neighborhoods is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Culture. Photo: Juvenal Balán
In the balance, it was also assured that the institutional framework cannot turn its back to the artistic expressions that have emerged in conjunction with new technologies, but rather attend to them; and that the battle cannot be against a specific phenomenon, but rather against indecency, discrimination and vulgarity.
The community space as the epicenter of culture was strongly defended: bringing professional talent to the neighborhoods, and ensuring that all major events include activities in the communities, with the presence of teachers and students of artistic education, were among the keys shared.
The president of Casa de las Americas, Abel Prieto, explained that we are engaged in a battle of ideas and feelings and, therefore, it is unavoidable to create a critical climate against any concession to cultural colonialism. Fortunately, we have José Martí and Fidel, whose legacies will prevent us from falling into extreme nationalism, because Homeland is also humanity, he said.
At the meeting, which was also attended by the vice chief of the Ideological Department of the Central Committee of the Party, Marydé Fernández López, and Vice Prime Minister Inés María Chapman Waugh, Marrero Cruz recognized the efforts of writers, artists and workers in the sector to preserve the identity and strengthen social cohesion, as well as to put culture on high, keeping it alive and developing; and emphasized aspects such as legal and financial protection to artists, vigilance in the care of heritage, and support for the teaching of history.
We believe with Fidel, that “without a revolutionary press, there can be no Revolution,” said the President of the nation, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez
Photo: Granma
To all Cuban press workers and particularly to the young people who are making their debut in the profession:
As we celebrate this March 14, Cuban Press Day, we are motivated, first of all, by the duty and emotion of commemorating the birth of the newspaper Patria, founded by José Martí on this day in 1892, “to gather and to love, and to live in the passion of truth”.
I do not believe that more beautiful and accurate words have been said, before or since, to describe the mission of journalism needed by the Revolution in its tireless search for a more just and solidary society. Or as Martí invoked it: “With all and for the good of all”.
That is why we feel the constant need to return to the reasons of our Homeland, every time a day of celebration summons us to the essential reflection on the role of the press in our society.
Because, although it is a day of just tribute to those who, with their dedication and commitment, assume the daily challenge of recording what we are and what we do, in the midst of the fiercest imperial siege, it is also our duty to point out and, if possible, rectify everything that hinders and weakens the communication between the people and those who today assume the responsibility of representing them from the most dissimilar tasks in the Party, the Government, the National Assembly and the political and mass organizations.
Although we are a small archipelago navigating in a world mostly characterized by the use and abuse of information as a weapon of power controlled by a few media conglomerates, which are part of or associated with national and global oligarchies, we are a society free from the subjugation imposed by modern merchants on the exercise of journalism.
But, the Cuban press, with all that has advanced and grown in recent years, continues to suffer the burden of obsolete practices in language, forms and times, as a logical consequence of years of exercise in the trenches.
And because the hour of danger has not passed, these burdens still weigh heavily. But for that same reason, today our press is aggressively challenged by technology and the wonderful originality of our people, to transform itself, creatively, viralizing the “passion for truth” against the obscene invasion of lies and manipulations that assault audiences from digital networks driven by hate.
We have recently called for a new “Vindication of Cuba”, like that exemplary fight by José Martí, from an American newspaper, against those who tried to denigrate our people. It is not about returning hatred to hatred, as the Apostle did not do in his time. It is about opposing the truth of a nation engaged in the search for solutions to imperial harassment, with exemplary dignity that includes the essential self-criticism.
This does not deny, nor can it deny, the irrefutable fact that the Cuban press, the authentic Cuban press, has been and continues to be a bastion of resistance. And that Cuban journalism, over and above nonconformities and demands, has known how to act with the ethics and passion of genuine revolutionaries, deeply committed to the people from which it was born, to the Revolution that formed it and to the values that define us as a nation.
We are all aware of how much the so-called social networks and new technologies have transformed the media landscape, by dint of disinformation, false news and manipulation of public opinion. In this context, Cuban journalism has the responsibility to surpass itself, as a beacon of truthfulness and ethics. We must use digital tools not to follow trends, but to educate, to form conscience and to defend the truth.
In Cuba, the revolutionary press is truly independent, because it is not at the service of capital or foreign interests. It is at the service of the people and that service must be assumed as an obligation to reflect more and better, more integrally, the concerns, achievements and challenges of our society.
At the same time, our press has the freedom that in other places is punished or marginalized, to give voice to the solidarity with the peoples fighting for their liberation, such as the Palestinian people, victims of a war of persecution and extermination and of a media war that seeks to justify the unjustifiable. From Cuba, we will continue to denounce these injustices and amplify the voices of those who fight for peace and the dignity of all peoples, and we count on the Cuban press to be at the forefront.
Today, the Cuban press is in young hands. It is up to you to carry forward the legacy of Martí, of Fidel, of so many journalists who did their work and gave their lives for the Revolution. That legacy is fundamental in the formation of the new generations, not only in the techniques of journalism, but also in the values of ethics, honesty and social commitment, as protagonists of an innovative, critical and revolutionary press.
We believe with Fidel, that “without a revolutionary press, there is no Revolution possible” and that the press must be a bulwark in the defense of truth and justice, and an instrument for the mobilization and awareness of our people. Raúl also reminded us that the press should be a space for debate and reflection, at the service of the people.
In defense of these ideas, we have stressed the need to modernize and transform our political, public and press communication system, urging them to be innovative and to make the most of new technologies. The Social Communication Law, which went into effect in October 2024, is a vital component in the political, economic, social and cultural advancement of our nation.
We are convinced that political and digital communication can and must be an accelerating tool for the construction of a more just and united world. We pledge to continue working together, to strengthen our networks and to carry forward the principles and values we have shared.
Comrades,
On this Press Day, we reaffirm our commitment to truth, justice and the Revolution. The Cuban press is not a business; it is a service. It is not an instrument of domination; it is a tool for liberation.
Let us remain faithful to the legacy of Martí, who said: “The press is not kindly approval or insulting anger; it is proposition, study, examination and advice”.
May our press continue to be a light full of truth in the darkness of ideas of the times the world is living in. May it continue to be, as it has always been, an instrument at the service of the homeland, of the people, of Humanity.
Long live the Cuban press!
Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez
First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba
President of the Republic of Cuba
