Signatures for peace, for life 

In a powerful example of unity and rejection of foreign interference, thousands of residents of Ciego de Ávila have joined the "My Signature for the Homeland" movement.

The initiative, which began on April 19th, the 65th anniversary of the victory at Bay of Pigs—the first major defeat of imperialism in Latin America—will continue until May 1, International Workers' Day, as part of the popular mobilization in response to the escalating warmongering of the U.S. government against Cuba.

At schools and workplaces, senior citizen centers, military units, medical clinics, administrative offices, and even the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, residents of Ciego de Ávila have spontaneously come to add their signatures.

"This is not a forced act, but a genuine cry for peace. We signed for our families, for life, for the right to exist as a free nation," Niurka Ferrer Castillo, general secretary of the CTC in Ciego de Ávila, told Granma.

The gesture, simple yet laden with symbolism, implies a resounding "yes" to peace and a categorical "no" to war. The signatories reject the intensification of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States, as well as the recent statements and actions that threaten the stability of the island. "Cuba will not bow to the designs of the empire," the union leader reiterated.

According to official data, five municipalities in the province stand out for their high participation: Chambas, Baraguá, Ciro Redondo, Primero de Enero, and Ciego de Ávila itself, in a true exercise of popular sovereignty.

"Each signature is another stone in the wall of dignity," declared Radamés Alemán Alonso, a retired member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces. "There is no place for fear or intimidation here."

"I sign for my children, for the future, because we understand that peace is not begged for, it is defended," stated Martha María González Gutiérrez, a homemaker from the Centro neighborhood council, as she added her name to one of the signature sheets available in her community.

With this action, a clear message is sent to the world: no matter the threats from the North, in Cuba revolutionary consciousness and love for the homeland remain alive.

The signatures of the residents of Ciego de Ávila join those of their compatriots throughout the country, in an act that transcends the symbolic: it is a reaffirmation that this land will never renounce its self-determination.