The Eleventh World Festival of Youth and Students, Cuba, Freedom Island, 1978

A short look at the festival from the Soviet magazine STP.

From the Soviet press, 1985:

The Republic of Cuba, the first socialist state in Latin America, played host to the 11th World Youth and Student Festival, held in the summer of 1978. Young people from 145 countries took part in it. Its slogan was "For Anti-Imperialist Solidarity, Peace and Friendship".

The decision to hold the Festival in Havana was enthusiastically welcomed by the Cuban people and youth, in particular. The National Preparatory Committee was set up in 1975. The Third Congress of the Union of Communist Youth of Cuba gave a powerful impetus to young Cubans’ preparations for the Festival. An emulation drive in honour of the Festival was organized throughout the country in keeping with the Congress decisions. The first national youth festival was a prototype of the  forthcoming world youth forum. More and more young Cubans were involved in the preparations for the 11th Festival.

The opening ceremony of the Festival took place in Latin America Stadium.

Its participants expressed their solidarity with the anti-imperialist struggle of the peoples, youth and students of South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe for national independence and for the complete elimination of racist regimes.

Each of the previous festivals invariably confirmed the loyalty of youth and students to the struggle for peace, detente, international security and cooperation, the struggle to halt the arms race and achieve general and complete disarmament. All these problems were given a deserving place in the 11th Festival programme.

One of the Festival days was held under the slogan: “Solidarity with the Youth and Students of Latin America and the Caribbean Countries Fighting Against the Forces of Imperialism, Fascism and Reaction and Supporting the Chilean People's Struggle''.

Poster for the festival

Growing unemployment, exploitation and monopoly domination are a heavy burden on the younger generation in capitalist countries. Festival participants discussed ways of promoting and defending democratic rights and freedoms, and bringing about radical social and economic changes in capitalist society.

The Festival was an important landmark in the development of the festival movement and in the struggle of the world progressive and democratic youth for anti-imperialist solidarity, peace and friendship.