“Casa de las Americas remains a bridge between our peoples,” Rojas told Prensa Latina, concerning his participation in the international colloquium “Fidel 100 Years. Critical Thought and Current Political Affairs.”

The official noted that the institution was established just months after the 1959 Revolution triumph, when many countries were severing ties with the island; the institution’s director, Haydee Santamaria, insisted that Cuba could not and should not isolate itself from Latin American culture.

Alejandro Lipschutz’s book “Marx, Lenin y Los Problemas Indigenistas en America Latina” (Marx, Lenin, and Indigenous Issues in Latin America), which won the 1974 Casa de las Americas Prize, was launched during the colloquium.

Lipschutz was a Chilean-Russian thinker and was awarded the 1969 National Prize for Sciences.

Rojas explained, “The book could not circulate here at the time because the 1973 coup d’etat had already taken place; now, we are launching it as a co-edition with Chile.”

He said, “Holding an international event like this speaks about the significance of both the Cuban Revolution and its leader, Fidel Castro, as well as the profound Latin Americanist and internationalist spirit they embodied.”

Rojas added that, despite complex circumstances, Casa de las Americas continues its work.

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