Raúl Castro: The loyal Cuban who has lived for the Revolution

Images via the PCC

By Angélica Paredes López, translated from the Spanish

Raúl Castro Ruz is the loyal Cuban. The tireless guerrilla fighter who, a few days before his 95th birthday, is still in the battle to defend our hard-won sovereignty.

Raúl is the brave and loyal patriot who has dedicated his life to the Revolution. From the 1950s to today, there hasn’t been a moment in Cuba’s history where his ideas and actions weren’t part of the story.

Over the decades, without seeking praise, he showed us that the mission of every fair and good Cuban is to help build the nation. His courage, loyalty, and modesty inspire his people, who proudly see him as one of their own.

Raúl was in the same schools as his brother Fidel; with unwavering faith, he followed him to Havana; he went with him to the Moncada; he traveled to Mexico; he disembarked on the Granma; he met him again in Cinco Palmas; he fought in the Sierra; he accompanied him in all the conquests and adversities of this Revolution that they forged; and he held close to his chest the urn where his ashes lay. Since that moment of national sadness, Raúl has not stopped working for the same ideas that the Giant bequeathed to us.

Because of that unwavering loyalty, when the Commander in Chief’s health failed, he entrusted him with all his leadership roles in Cuba, confident in the truth of Lina Ruz’s prophetic words spoken many years earlier in Birán: "That one will never betray his brother."

To the world, he is the Army General, with a strict military presence that commands respect; to his people, he is simply Raúl, one of the Cubans who most fiercely defends the idea of Homeland, which, to him, is the same as family.

His daughter Mariela once said it, sending waves through the entire country from her seat as a deputy: "He taught me that you can love the Revolution without abandoning the family, and love the family without abandoning the Revolution."

Raúl is an exceptional humanist, deeply attuned to the struggles and concerns of others. On April 19, 2018, when he concluded his duties as President of the Councils of State and Ministers, he reaffirmed the unquestionable continuity of the Cuban Revolution, calling it, on that unforgettable day, “the most beautiful work we have done."

And when it comes to passionately defending our history, there is no one who can outdo Raúl. Even now, in that same spirit, he continues to guide us in carrying out this massive task, staying informed about all the country's economic, social, and political projects.

Raúl is tireless, demanding and optimistic, he is a true revolutionary. He taught us in the most difficult moment that "yes we can"; a deep conviction that accompanies us every day, in the complex situation that Cuba is experiencing.

His loyalty brought us here. His permanent example is an essential part of the history of dignity, resistance and courage of the Cuban Revolution.

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