On August 21, 2026, Cuba held a celebratory awards ceremony to mark the 66th founding anniversary of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), where dozens of outstanding female contributors to the nation’s revolution and development were granted the country’s highest honors for their lifelong service. The event, which paid homage to the centuries-long legacy of courageous Cuban women that stretches from the 1953 Moncada Barracks attack and the Granma yacht expedition to modern socialist nation-building, highlighted how women’s unwavering dedication has shaped the Cuban revolution from its earliest days.
Led by Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic of Cuba, the ceremony drew senior officials across the Cuban government and FMC leadership. Attendees included Esteban Lazo Hernández, President of the National Assembly of People’s Power; Roberto Morales Ojeda, Secretary of Organization of the Party’s Central Committee; and Teresa Amarelle Boué, General Secretary of the FMC.
At the opening of the award presentations, Díaz-Canel bestowed the Honorary Title of Heroine of Labor of the Republic of Cuba on M.Sc. Tamara Silvia Columbié Matos. The prestigious honor recognizes Columbié Matos’ 52 consecutive years of uninterrupted service to the FMC and her exceptional contributions across professional, political, and social spheres of Cuban life.
Additional national honors were distributed to other distinguished women across the country in line with a presidential decree. Presidential Decree 1256 awarded the Lázaro Peña Order, First Class, to Cedalia Cabrera Monte for her far-reaching contributions to Cuba’s national economy, most notably her pivotal work on landmark national infrastructure projects including the country’s first Interferon Laboratory and the Pedro Kourí Institute, a leading public health research center in Cuba.
The ceremony continued with a round of additional distinctions honoring 322 women across Cuba: four recipients received the Mariana Grajales Order, 18 were awarded the Ana Betancourt Order, and 300 women from across all regions of the country received the August 23rd Distinction for their service to the nation and the advancement of Cuban women.
Throughout the event, attendees paid solemn tribute to Vilma Espín, the iconic guerrilla fighter and founding eternal president of the FMC, whose lifelong revolutionary commitment and commitment to solidarity built the foundation of the organization’s work advancing gender equity and female empowerment across Cuba. Zonya Rivero López, Second Secretary of the FMC, reflected on the enduring legacy of Espín and Fidel Castro, the late Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Revolution, noting that the two leaders left behind an indelible example of relentless resolve. ‘Fidel and Vilma, together in history, bequeathed to us the example of those who never give up, of those who live in daily action with the firmness and certainty that the Revolution is built each day with the hands, soul, and heart of the people,’ Rivero López emphasized.