ICAP, 65 years of friendship: the first tribute to Fidel (+ Photos)

Havana, Dec. 23 – The 65th anniversary of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP, for its acronym in Spanish), founded by Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, will be celebrated on December 30. Castro is a paradigm of the sentiments and practices of solidarity, and his legacy is the focus of this anniversary celebration.

Noemí Rabaza Fernández, First Vice President of ICAP, commented, “The first tribute must be to Fidel, our founding father who lives on in us. It will be a great day of remembrance for the Commander-in-Chief, for all that he contributed to solidarity with Cuba and of Cuba with the world; for his concepts, ethical, patriotic, and human values.”

As the date approaches, many friends around the world are eager to travel to the Caribbean nation to participate in the program organized for the occasion, which includes a colloquium at the Fidel Castro Center on his political thought—a lesson for a world that needs his ideas now more than ever.

But the institution does not cease its work with the expansion and monitoring of its objectives, a topic on which Rabaza Fernández states: “The anniversary celebration is a pause along the path traveled so far by the Institute and the Solidarity Movement with Cuba, to define the challenges of the moment, such as the goal of rejuvenating the solidarity movement by bringing in more young people; and broadening the objectives of the struggle to, along with the defense of the Cuban socialist project, combat all the tendencies that endanger humanity today.”

She added, “The first action of ICAP in this new stage is to continue the vigorous denunciation of the blockade, reaching sectors that have not yet been reached internationally, with established solidarity organizations and new members with fresh perspectives on how to combat this brutal war.”

The First Vice President of ICAP affirms, “United, Cubans, based on our history and the legacy of Martí and Fidel—whose centennial we will celebrate in 2026—and with the support of the international solidarity movement with Cuba, will move forward, overcoming obstacles, resisting the colossal imperialist siege, supporting the Palestinians and all the just causes of the people, and fighting for peace.”  (Take from Radio Cadena Agramonte)