“Vietnam is a most cherished name too close to the hearts of all Cubans. To all of us Vietnam has been an example to follow and an incentive in our struggle. The Cuban people is very much aware of the extraordinary role played by the people of Vietnam within the world’s revolutionary movement and in people’s liberation struggles. Vietnam has taught an unforgettable lesson to all the exploited and oppressed peoples. No liberation movement, none of the peoples that have struggled for their independence have had to wage a struggle as prolonged and heroic as that waged by the people of Vietnam.”
Quotes
"Our forefathers didnot know independence, they didnot know freedom. And although we have obligations, must make sacrifices, must fight and work very hard, at least, we have known independence, dignity and freedom.."
“Our country could be swept off the Earth, but it could never be conquered and submitted.”
“Revolution is the sense of the historical moment; it is changing everything that must be changed; it is full equality and freedom; it is being treated and treating others like human beings; it is emancipating ourselves, by ourselves and with our very own efforts; it is challenging the dominant powerful forces within and outside of the social and national arena; it is defending the values one believes in at the cost of any sacrifice; it is modesty, selflessness, altruism, solidarity and heroism; it is fighting with audacity, intelligence and realism; it is never telling a lie or violating ethical principles; it is the profound conviction that there is no force on earth that can crush truth and ideas. Revolution is unity, it is independence, it is fighting for our dreams of justice for Cuba and the world that is the basis of our patriotism, our socialism and our internationalism."
“ Since January 1, 1959, Cuba has been, is, and will continue to be free forever. Its capacity for struggle and resistance, its profound political culture, and the awareness and courage of its people demonstrate that the Cuban Revolution, with its devotion to justice and its noble objectives, has created such a spirit of solidarity and heroism and has become so deeply rooted in the heart of the homeland that it has been rendered invincible.”
“Today we should fight off the risk of unipolar hegemonism and work for the only viable, endurable and acceptable way to survive, that is, for a multilateral world to prevail where peace, freedom, development and progress can be realized by all.”.
“(…) NAM has again become an effective force in the international arena. Today, NAM is more necessary than ever. If in the past, when there was a struggle between two superpowers, we fought to occupy a worthy place in the world, today we should fight off the risk of unipolar hegemonism and work for the only viable, endurable and acceptable way to survive, that is, for a multilateral world to prevail where peace, freedom, development and progress can be realized by all”.
“For the first time, in this remote corner of Africa, Cuban and Angolan blood was shed in the struggle to free that troubled land.It was at this point that Cuba, in consultation with President Neto, decided to send Interior Ministry special troops and regular members of the Cuban army by air and sea, as fully-equipped fighting troops to confront the aggression by the forces of apartheid.(...) Then, the campaign started known as Operation Carlota, code name for the most just, lengthy, large scale and successful internationalist campaign undertaken by Cuba. ”.
"In his speech, Obama portrays the Cuban revolution as anti-democratic and lacking in respect for freedom and human rights. It is the exact same argument which, almost without exception, U.S. administrations have used again and again to justify their crimes against our country. The blockade, in and of itself, is an act of genocide. I don’t want to see U.S. children inculcated with those shameful values. An armed revolution in our country might not have been needed without the military interventions, Platt Amendment and economic colonialism visited upon Cuba. The revolution was the result of imperial domination. We cannot be accused of having imposed it upon the country. The true changes could have and ought to have been brought about in the United States. Its own workers, more than a century ago, voiced the demand for an eight-hour work shift, which stemmed from the development of productive forces".
"Cuba shall continue to cooperate with the healthcare, education and social development programs of the fraternal peoples that despite obstacles, advances and setbacks will be increasingly free and unbeatable."
“In his insuperable greatness, The Liberator, with true revolutionary genius, was capable of predicting that the United States –originally limited to the territory of the Thirteen Colonies of England – seemed destined to sow misery over the Americas on behalf of liberty. ”
“…the country will have much more but it will never be a consumer society. It will be a society of knowledge, of culture, of the most extraordinary human development imaginable, development in art, culture, science [...] with a breadth of liberty that no one will be able to dismantle. We know this already, we don’t need to proclaim it, but it is worth remembering.“