The day celebrated Fidel Castro’s legacy, highlighting his concept of solidarity, his internationalist vocation was described as a builder at the service of the people beyond words, in concrete practice, and seen as a benchmark of authentic fraternal solidarity and internationalism.
In her remarks, Ambassador Carmelina Ramirez Rodriquez described Fidel Castro as an extraordinary figure in a military uniform that led Cuba and is also considered by Cubans as a sensitive person, father and a friend.
She commended Fidel Castro through the last 60 years of Cuban history, their fight for independence, sovereignty, anti-imperialism, internationalism, solidarity, and Latin America and Africa.
She further described Fidel as someone who admired the self-sacrifice and discipline of the Jesuits, adding that some suggest that his early education influenced his sense of justice and anti-colonial views.
“In spite of what his critics said about him, nobody may deny the social achievements of the Cuban Revolution under his leadership,” she said. She added that after 1959, Cuba charted a new path, to build a different society, more human, more solidarity and more equal.
The revolution she remarked has eliminated all kinds of discrimination, created access for all citizens to free education from primary to university, free health system, equal access to employment and social security, etc.
She noted that Cuba has made big achievements not only in health, education, sports, music, but also a world class biotech industry that is saving millions of lives through dispensing vaccines and drugs to needy countries. She added that in spite of cruel economic, financial and commercial blockade, Cuba managed to develop and cooperate with the world.
Meanwhile, she said that since their presence in The Gambia in 1996, they have been responding to the request of Gambian government, noting that the first brigade was of 30 doctors. Currently, the medical brigade has more than 100 professionals deployed in almost all regions providing much-needed healthcare services.
