Fidel Castro, who would have turned 100 on Thursday, remains a towering and controversial figure in Cuba, with his legacy continuing to loom over the island nation as it grapples with a severe economic crisis.
Events commemorating Castro's centennial included the International Book Fair, art exhibitions, concerts, and gatherings of international leftist organizations. Posters bearing his image and slogans like “Homeland or Death” are visible across the country, and many Cubans refer to him simply as Fidel.
Supporters, such as writer and essayist Miguel Barnet, a member of the National Assembly, credit Castro with leaving Cuba a legacy of “dignity, morality, tireless work and concern for the poor.” Barnet added that Castro's philosophy was translated into concrete policies in education, public health, and culture.
However, others view Castro as the architect of the system that led to Cuba's current predicament. Historian Manuel Cuesta Murúa, president of the opposition Council for the Democratic Transition in Cuba, described Castro as a “controversial figure” and argued that there was no justification for the sacrifice of freedoms or the suppression of political diversity.
Castro's centennial arrives as Cuba faces an intensifying economic squeeze, exacerbated by a U.S. fuel blockade imposed in January by the Trump administration, alongside other sanctions aimed at pressuring the communist government. These measures have deepened a five-year economic crisis, which was already impacted by earlier U.S. sanctions and a domestic financial overhaul.
The consequences for Cubans have included prolonged power outages, shortages of fuel and medicine, declines in industrial and tourism activity, flight cancellations, transportation restrictions, and reduced work and school hours.
Castro governed Cuba for five decades, from his rise to power in 1959 until he handed over the presidency to his brother Raúl in 2008. He remained influential until his death in 2016. Born Aug. 13, 1926, in eastern Cuba, Castro became politically active after graduating as a lawyer. He led an unsuccessful attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953, was captured and later exiled to Mexico. He returned to Cuba with fellow rebels and launched a guerrilla campaign that ousted dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959.
Upon taking power, Castro radically transformed Cuba through agrarian reform, a literacy campaign, and the nationalization of private businesses, policies that strained relations with the United States. He became a symbol of anti-colonial and revolutionary movements across Latin America and developing nations.
His policies also generated significant opposition, initially from wealthy Cubans who fled to the U.S., and later from those who opposed the Communist Party's monopoly on political power. Historian Cuesta noted that the resulting rift continues to affect the country today.
For younger generations of Cubans who did not experience Castro as an active leader, his influence is less direct. Cristian Cohello, 27, stated that for his generation, Castro is a less visible figure. "What remains of Fidel Castro right now, of what he left behind, is nothing; absolutely nothing," Cohello said, adding that even if another Fidel were to emerge, he believes the current crisis in Cuba would be unfixable.