The Cuban People Say Farewell to Fidel Castro

Hundreds of thousands of people swarmed over the Revolution Square in Havana to pay tribute to former Cuban President Fidel Castro who passed away last Friday at the age of 90.

The opening keynote speaker was Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, who praised the work of Fidel Castro’s Revolution since 1959 in bringing universal healthcare and education to the whole Cuban population. He warned about the “new storms looming in the horizon of Latin America” and called for unity to put up with those challenges.

Minutes later, South African President Jacob Zuma delivered a speech in which he said South Africa was joining the progressive forces of the world to celebrate the life of Fidel Castro. “The passing of comrade Fidel is a painful loss to the South African people. He stood with us in solidarity against apartheid. We always knew we could count on Fidel as a friend,” Mr. Zuma added.

Several world leaders attended the memorial service at the Revolution Square in Havana, including most Caribbean leaders, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, Bolivia’s Evo Morales, Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega, Mexico’s Enrique Peña Nieto, and South Africa’s Jacob Zuma, Zimbabwe’s Roberto Mugabe, among other dignitaries.

The long list of speakers included dignitaries from Qatar, Vietnam, Belarus and Russia, the prime ministers of Dominica and Greece, and the presidents of El Salvador, Bolivia, Namibia, Mexico, Nicaragua and Venezuela, before Cuban President Raul Castro, Fidel Castro’s brother, wrapped up the memorial service with heart-wrenching words.

The passing of Fidel Castro has been mourned all over Cuba since the news was broken to the population on national television last Friday night.

The island nation’s Council of State declared nine days of national mourning, until Sunday December 4, when the burial of his ashes will take place at the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba.

Before being lodged in their final resting place, Fidel Castro’s remains will tour the island nation a four-day east-bound trip that will feature stops in the cities of Santa Clara, Camaguey and Bayamo.

Over a thousand journalists from fifty different news media organizations have traveled to Cuba to cover Fidel Castro’s funeral.