First International Colloquium on Fidel's Legacy and Future to be held in Havana, August 10-13

Via the Fidel Castro Ruz Center, translated from the Spanish

A century after his birth, Fidel Castro Ruz remains a beacon of anti-colonial thought, resistance and struggle for a more just world. His legacy challenges us in the present and illuminates future paths.

On the occasion of the Centennial, the Fidel Castro Ruz Center, together with Cuban academic and cultural institutions, is convening the First International Colloquium on Fidel's Legacy and Future, to be held at the Havana Convention Center, Cuba, from August 10 to 13, 2026.

Historians, political scientists, economists, sociologists, jurists, researchers, politicians, diplomats, journalists, specialists in Information Sciences, professors, students, artists, social leaders, committees of solidarity with Cuba and friends of the Cuban Revolution from all over the world will meet in this space for a critical and diverse discussion on the contributions of Fidel Castro Ruz to contemporary thought.

The meeting aims to examine their actions across political, social, internationalist, and human dimensions; to discuss their impact on national liberation movements, the Global South, and the geopolitics of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; to consider the relevance of his ideas in the fight against imperialism, inequality, climate change, and for peace and the sovereignty of peoples; and to explore how their legacy is received, interpreted, and projected in art, culture, education, and science.

This meeting will serve as a platform where historical memory engages with present-day challenges and the hopes of the younger generations.

Main thematic axes:

1. THE REVOLUTIONARY AND THE STATESMAN. The strategy of insurrection, the construction of socialism in Cuba and the social justice.

2. IDEOLOGY OF FIDEL CASTRO RUZ. Analysis of discourses, writings, and Fidel's approach to political and social analysis. Marxist practice.

3. FIDEL AND THE WORLD. Fidel's imprint on the foreign policy of the Cuban Revolution, the struggle for peace and world disarmament. Its role in the Non-Aligned Movement, South-South relations and the battle of ideas on a global scale.

4. THE HUMANIST AND INTERNATIONALIST LEGACY. Education, science, culture, health, sports, and heritage programs; the struggle for equity and human dignity. Internationalist solidarity.

5. FIDEL IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. Validity of his thinking in the face of current challenges: political communication, the environmental crisis, digital social networks and artificial intelligence.

6. THE CULTURAL FOOTPRINT. Fidel Castro Ruz in literature, cinema, music, plastic arts and popular memory.

7. THE MILITARY STRATEGIST. The Military Thought of Fidel Castro Ruz. National independence and internationalist military aid.

8. FIDEL AND ANTI-IMPERIALISM. Vision of the United States, anti-fascist thought, the struggle against the Zionist genocide. Sovereignty, self-determination and the struggles of the Global South in the 21st century. The actuality of the battle against neocolonialism.

9. UNITY AS A STRATEGY. Integration, solidarity and cooperation in the face of global challenges. ALBA-TCP, CELAC and the Bolivarian dream.

10. EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND AWARENESS. The role of education, scientific innovation and the formation of human values as axes of development.

The program of the event will include a meeting of Fidel Castro Ruz Chairs, a symposium on the Cuban Revolution and other sectoral forums (youth forum, parliamentary forum, women's forum, forum of the artists network, intellectuals and social movements in defense of humanity and the anti-fascist international, among others).

Modalities of participation

Keynote lectures, themes, round tables, panels, presentations, book presentations, documentaries or related cultural projects.

Abstracts (up to 250 words) must be submitted in Spanish or English and sent to: coloquiofidel@centrofidel.cu by April 30, 2026. Include title, thematic axis, name of the author(s), institutional affiliation (if any) and a brief resume. Papers should not exceed 15 pages, including bibliography and annexes; written in space and a half, on letter sheet (8 1/2 x 11 inches), in Word format and in Arial 12 font, to be delivered before June 1, 2026.

The discussions and conclusions will be compiled in a publication to ensure that the ideas developed during this event contribute to the pursuit of the "better future" that Fidel dedicated his life to.

In the coming days, information will be provided on the registration fee and tourist packages.

Organizing Committee

Sponsors:

• Fidel Castro Ruz

Center

• Havana Convention Center

Co-sponsors:

• Academy of History of Cuba;

• Association of Historians of Latin America and the Caribbean;

• Cuban chapters of the Network of Intellectuals and Artists in Defense of Humanity and the Antifascist International;

• Casa de las Américas;

• Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples;

• Institute of History of Cuba;

• Che Guevara Study Center;

• Raúl Roa García Institute of International Relations;

• Office of Historical Affairs;

• Office of the Historian of Havana;

• Martí Program Office;

• Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba;

• Hermanos Saiz Association;

• Union of Historians of Cuba;

• Union of Journalists of Cuba;

• University of Havana;

• Center for International Policy Research;

• Juan Marinello Cultural Research Institute.

This work was translated and shared via a License CC-BY-NC