Luis Emilio Aybar, director of Juan Marinello Institute of Cultural Research, emphasized that the centennial of Fidel Castro’s birth is “an opportunity to build a space for thought, reflection, memory, and also for challenging critique of the present with a transformative vision.”

Prior to his presentation, Hernandez stressed to Prensa Latina that “there is nothing more important in Cuban political culture today than rescuing Fidel’s legacy.”

He added that the revolutionary leader’s thinking remains fully relevant due to its audacity and ability to forge new paths in times of uncertainty.

The academic focused his presentation on Fidel Castro’s confrontation with sectarianism, a phenomenon he described as “an evil that has plagued revolutionary ranks since the 19th century” and against which Jose Marti also fought.

His presentation included the screening of a segment from the ICAIC Latin American Newsreel of February 4, 1962, during the Second Declaration of Havana in Revolution Square, because, the political scientist affirmed, it is necessary to examine the context to understand Fidel Castro’s speeches.

The legacy of both men is that sectarianism divides us; to distrust, accuse, label, relegate, and marginalize those who do not think like us is an evil we still suffer from, he stated.

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