Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
Zimbabwe has reaffirmed its solidarity with Cuba as the Caribbean nation commemorated the 73rd anniversary of the attack on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks, with Cuban Ambassador to Zimbabwe Susellys Pérez Mesa calling for continued support for Cuba in the face of intensified United States hostility.
Speaking during commemorations at the Harare Club on Monday, Ambassador Pérez Mesa said the gathering demonstrated that Cuba was not isolated despite the US blockade and other measures against the country.
“The celebration was moving and patriotic, a clear demonstration that Cuba is not alone, at a time of intensified US blockade and its hostile policy against Havana,” she said.
The July 26, 1953 attack on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks, led by the late Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, is regarded as a key milestone in Cuba’s struggle for independence and the beginning of the final phase of the Cuban Revolution.
Ambassador Pérez Mesa said the events of Moncada continued to inspire Cuba’s resolve to defend its sovereignty.
“The attack on the Moncada Barracks has an enduring significance, underscoring the commitment to defend the nation to the very end, even under the siege and suffocation imposed by Washington,” she said.
She called for continued international support for Cuba and said solidarity with the island was also support for international law and the right of nations to self-determination.
“Continued support for the Caribbean nation is an endorsement of justice, international law and the self-determination of peoples, in the face of the illegal and extraterritorial policies of the United States, detrimental to the entire world,” Ambassador Pérez Mesa said.
She thanked Zimbabwe for its longstanding support of Cuba, particularly as both countries continue to face unilateral coercive measures.
Zimbabwe – Cuba Friendship Association vice-president, Ms Debra Gwati, said the friendship between the two countries should be demonstrated through concrete actions.
“We must take concrete actions to demonstrate that we are worthy of the Centennial Generation of July 26th and of so many sons and daughters of the island throughout its history of struggle and victories,” she said.
The commemorations brought together members of the Cuban diplomatic mission, medical and educational brigades, graduates and friends of Cuba.
The Cuban Medical Brigade presented a dramatised rendition of the poem. It was the morning of Saint Anne by Indio Naborí, while audiovisual material on the Moncada attacks was also screened during the event.
Ambassador Pérez Mesa also presented the Harare Club board with a framed image of Fidel Castro delivering his address at the Eighth Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Harare in 1986.
The image was later displayed in the main hall of the club. The commemorations formed part of activities marking the centennial year of Fidel Castro, with organisers highlighting the enduring relations between Cuba and Zimbabwe.
