A moving commemorative evening honoring Fidel Castro, the historic Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Revolution, brought together pro-Cuba solidarity groups, Cuban diplomatic representatives, and partnership organizers in France recently.
Attendees included representatives of two prominent pro-Cuba organizations, the Entre Amigos Collective and Juntos X Cuba Channel, diplomatic staff from the Cuban Embassy in France, and Manuel Pascual, president of the Cuba Cooperation France Association, alongside dozens of Latin American community members and Cuba solidarity activists.
The evening opened with a public screening of the documentary *Minifundio Nazareno*, a work that chronicles Fidel Castro’s groundbreaking pilot livestock development initiative launched decades ago. The project marked one of Castro’s early efforts to expand Cuba’s domestic agricultural capacity, and it relied on the close partnership of French agronomist Andre Voisin, who went on to make Cuba his permanent home until his death in Havana in December 1964. Voisin remains buried on the island to this day, a lasting testament to the cross-border collaboration that defined the initiative.
Following the screening, participants joined a thematic roundtable discussion organized specifically to pay tribute to Castro’s legacy. The conversation brought together perspectives from Latin American community leaders and long-time supporters of Cuba’s right to self-determination, reflecting on the revolutionary leader’s decades-long impact on Cuba and the broader Global South.
Complementing the discussion and documentary, a curated photo gallery was open to all attendees, tracing key milestones across every phase of Castro’s life, from his early revolutionary activities to his tenure leading the Cuban people.
In her remarks during the event, Cuban Consul Alisbel Hechevarria extended sincere gratitude to the global and French solidarity community for their unwavering support for Cuba. She used the platform to denounce the recent tightening of the decades-long U.S. economic embargo and oil blockade against the island, measures that have created widespread additional hardship for ordinary Cuban citizens. Despite mounting pressure, Hechevarria reaffirmed the Cuban people’s unbreakable resolve, emphasizing that they will never surrender their sovereignty or independence.
The evening concluded with the official inauguration of the pop-up “Marcha con Fidel” bar, where guests were invited to sample a range of thematically named specialty beverages. These included “Comandante” rum, a custom “Fidel” cocktail, limited-edition “Ordene” beer brewed exclusively for the commemorative event, and the signature “Cuba va” (Cuba Advances) cocktail, a nod to the island’s persistent progress in the face of external pressure.