Raúl turns 95. It's no ordinary age, almost a century. His name, though common, is not just any name either. Earned through admiration and example, it resonates with the Cuban people in a particular, intimate way, like that of a father or a brother.
Raúl is the young man who followed Fidel to Havana, not only to continue his studies, but also—though he didn't know it then—to dream alongside him of changing the Cuban reality, a reality rife with injustices.
Achieving this was no easy task, nor was it accomplished overnight, as revolutions are not. Much blood of valuable individuals stained the island's landscape; many, in the bloom of youth, traded personal dreams for collective goals, without which even the simplest aspirations are impossible for everyone.
Among those who finally brought about a new dawn for Cuba, that "fertilization erasing countless frustrations, unspeakable humiliations, and meticulous nightmares," to—in Cintio's words—begin "then other battles," is Raúl, whose life's work cannot be tarnished, no matter how vilely imperial narratives, constructed against him, attempt to do so.
Raúl's name is etched in history, even though his modesty has always been characterized by simplicity, which is nothing other than true greatness. It suffices to recall some of the defining moments when his courage placed him among the brave who don't hesitate to react to what could bring worse consequences.
Raúl is the young man who, in the Palace of Justice, during the Moncada attack, rushed at the soldiers' leader, snatched his weapon, and saved his comrades. He is the one who, on Fidel's orders, went into exile in Mexico, where everything was prepared for the Granma yatch landing, the small yacht that brought 82 expeditionaries, including himself, to begin the guerrilla struggle and overthrow the tyranny.
He is the leader of one of the groups that, having reached Cuba, managed to break through the siege and reunite with Fidel in Cinco Palmas; the fighter who participated in the battles of the takeover of the La Plata and Uvero barracks; the founder of the Second Eastern Front Frank País; the one who, upon the triumph of the Revolution, was appointed Chief of the province of Oriente.
Raúl is the combatant who records in his diary the main events he experienced in the hostile circumstances of the guerrilla war, knowing that he could lose his life at any moment, and yet he never loses that sense of humor that still accompanies him; the one who, in the heat of battle, never lost, as he never has, his faith in the future and his hope.
Raúl is the faithful friend of José Luis Tasende, to whom he promised that if he were to fall in combat, he would take care of his little daughter forever; the husband of Vilma, an extraordinary woman, also alive in the memory of the nation; the warm father; the Minister, for almost 50 years, of the Revolutionary Armed Forces; the Hero of the Republic of Cuba; the General of the Army of the Cuban Revolution.
Raúl is the one who assumed the leadership of the nation in 2006, when Fidel fell ill; and who, in 2008, was appointed by the National Assembly of People's Power as president of the Councils of State and Ministers, and later, at the grand event of the Cuban communists, as First Secretary of the Party.
He is the man committed to the unity and peace of Latin America and the Caribbean; the leader of the process of restoring relations between Cuba and the United States; the internationally renowned leader whose speeches were applauded and followed at international events; the revolutionary concerned and dedicated to the well-being of children, especially those with disabilities, and who has often been seen accompanying them at activities held at the Solidarity with Panama School; he is the voice that left us breathless when we were informed of Fidel's death; the one who continues his ideas, his work, and his dreams.
At 95, Raúl continues, rifle in hand, "with his foot in the stirrup," a phrase of his that stands out when his name is mentioned, due to the profound significance of his message, delivered in 2021 when he stepped down from his duties as head of the Communist Party of Cuba.
These days, throughout the country, one often hears, simply, that Raúl is Raúl. For the Cuban people, who know their Army General well, defining him by his own name, which is a powerful symbol, is not at all redundant, but rather more than sufficient.
