HAVANA — Cuba on Thursday marked the 100th anniversary of Fidel Castro’s birth with commemorations across the island, as the government seeks to defend his revolutionary legacy while confronting severe shortages of fuel, electricity and foreign currency.
Castro, who led the 1959 revolution and governed Cuba for decades, was born on Aug. 13, 1926, in eastern Cuba and died in 2016. President Miguel Diaz-Canel’s government has organized a year-long programme of events, including an international colloquium in Havana bringing together historians, political scientists and other researchers to examine Castro’s political and international legacy.
The anniversary comes as Cuba grapples with an economic crisis that has sharply affected daily life. The national electricity grid collapsed in July, leaving authorities to gradually restore service after a nationwide blackout. Reuters reported that the outage came amid severe shortages of energy, fuel and medicines.
The government has blamed U.S. sanctions and disruptions to fuel supplies for much of the pressure, while also acknowledging domestic economic problems. In June, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz presented 176 economic and social measures intended to increase production, improve agricultural supply and attract investment while maintaining the country's socialist system.
Cuban officials have also reported persistent inflation. The government said consumer prices were 13.42% higher year-on-year in March, with agricultural prices among the main sources of pressure. Officials have said shortages of fuel, construction materials and financing have constrained investment and economic activity.
The energy crisis has become particularly acute. In a July budget review, Finance Minister Vladimir Regueiro Ale said government spending included subsidies for residential electricity and investments aimed at recovering electricity-generation capacity. He also said difficulties obtaining supplies had affected execution of some budgeted spending.
The centennial programme reflects the government's continued effort to link Castro's political ideas with current policy. Cuban authorities have described the commemorations as an opportunity to study his legacy and apply what they regard as his political principles to contemporary challenges.
Castro's legacy remains contested outside official institutions. Supporters credit him with asserting Cuban sovereignty and expanding access to social services, while critics point to restrictions on political dissent and the economic shortcomings of the system he established.
Cuba's centennial commemorations are scheduled to continue through the year, with the government simultaneously pursuing its economic transformation programme as it seeks to stabilize the country's finances, energy system and domestic production.
