August 13, 2026, marked the 100th birthday of Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. Throughout the Caribbean, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe, people gathered in large numbers to pay tribute to Castro’s legacy. Guyana was no exception. On the evening of Saturday August 15th, the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba, in partnership with the Guyana Coalition in Solidarity with Cuba, hosted a well-attended event on the Embassy grounds. Guests were treated to a film presentation highlighting Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution’s historic contribution to the liberation not only of Cuba, but nations throughout the world, and especially in Africa. The crowd watched a heartfelt exchange between Fidel Castro and Nelson Mandela during Castro’s visit to South Africa, where he was hailed as having driven the final nail in the coffin of Apartheid. Cuba’s military response to the forces of the South African Apartheid regime at the historic and decisive battle of Cuito Cuanavale is credited with bringing the Apartheid Regime to the negotiating table. Nelson Madela and others spoke of the incredible contribution of Cuban internationalists to African independence, freedom, and justice, calling it “unparalleled for its principled and selfless character.” It was recalled with pride that President Forbes Burnham had allowed the Cuban planes to refuel in Guyana on their way to Angola.

The first speaker, Dr. Gerald Perreira, Chairperson of Organization for the Victory of the People (OVP) told the gathering: “It is said, over and over, that Fidel Castro will never die. It’s a cliché — but in the case of Fidel, it happens to be true”. He said that he is “convinced that a hundred years from now, long after his enemies and adversaries are completely forgotten, people will still gather in every corner of the earth to remember, and to speak of the man Fidel Castro, and how he changed the world”.

To a rousing applause he stated that “Fidel Castro had a vision for a new society, built on the affirmation of human dignity and the sanctity of the human person. That vision endures today”.  He explained that “every revolution must go through a process of rectification and renewal to respond to shifting internal and external dynamics. All political and social systems must evolve and change or otherwise become stagnant and perish”.  However, Dr. Perreira was adamant that “the kind of reforms and changes that will happen in Cuba is the business of the Cuban people and only the Cuban people – a people who understand what it means to be independent, sovereign and self determining and for them, there is no turning back. The changes that Cuba is currently pursuing are not about taking Cuba in the direction of capitalist restoration, but rather about finding ways to make the socialist project more viable and sustainable, so that it can exist in a hostile sea of neo-liberal capitalism”. He pointed out that “the Cuban revolution taught us how to remain steadfast, courageous and relevant in an ever-changing world, ravaged by neo-liberal capitalism and the flawed liberal-democratic notion of what constitutes democracy, where 1% own and control everything, and where the resources and wealth of a nation does not benefit the majority of the people.”  Highlighting some shocking statistics documented in a recent Oxfam report, which notes that the world’s 12 richest individuals own more wealth than the bottom half of humanity, which is approximately 4.1 billion people, and the top 1% control more wealth than 95% of humanity, he added that it is no wonder that the “marketplace governed by capitalism is referred to as a slaughterhouse”. Dr. Perreira told the gathering that “although the US did everything in its power to cultivate an opposition in Cuba that could topple the revolution, all its efforts have failed”. This he said “stands as a testimony to Fidel and the Cuban revolutionary leadership…after almost 7 months of this intensified embargo that would bring any nation to its knees, Cuba is still standing strong and more than 6 million Cubans have signed up to defend their homeland. No revolution can withstand all that Cuba has withstood without the support of the majority of Cubans”. He noted that “the determination of the majority of the Cuban people to honour the life of their heroic leader by continuing the struggle for Cuba’s right to self-determination and true independence is perhaps Fidel’s greatest legacy” adding that “this is surely the litmus test of any revolution”. He pointed out that the people of Cuba are “highly educated and politically conscientized and cannot be easily confused or misled”.