(Read the remarks made by Elian, his dad and others
at the rally celebrating his rescue on April 22, 2005:
http://www.walterlippmann.com/elian-04-22-2005.html )
============================================
Elian's Custody Inspires Cuba's Battle of Ideas
Havana.- President Fidel Castro said the fierce legal dispute over Elian's
custody marked the beginning of the battle of ideas in Cuba five years ago. The
Cuban leader attended Elian's six-grade graduation ceremony held yesterday in
Cardenas, 130 km northeast of Havana. This year, 143,435 sixth grade students
graduated on the island. "I have the privilege of being a friend of Elian
Gonzalez," said Fidel Castro, after reading the boy's outstanding grades for
this year. Now 11, Elian was at the center of a custody dispute after being
found floating on a makeshift raft in the Strait of Florida, following a failed
emigration attempt to the US from Cuba. "The Revolution is strong enough to wage
and win any battle against the most powerful and cynical Empire," said Fidel
Castro.
(Prensa Latina - Synthesis - July 22, 2005)
Text of Fidel Castro's remarks at this event
Juventud Rebelde
July 22, 2005
We are the future of the Revolution
Remarks by Elián González at the graduation
of primary schools in Cardenas
A CubaNews translation by Ana Portela.
Edited by Walter Lippmann.
http://www.jrebelde.cu/2005/julio-septiembre/jul-22/somos.html
Dear pioneers:
Today, such a special day for pioneers who graduate 6th grade, I want to
congratulate all those here present.
Five years ago I learned my first letters and finished first grade. Our dear
Fidel gave me La Edad de Oro (The Golden Age), that journal
written by José Martí. It was my first reading and where I learned many good and
interesting things.
During these years and with the dedication of our teachers, my school friends
and I have learned to question, to think; we have grown in wisdom. We learned of
the history of our country, with its rich tradition of struggle to achieve and
defend its sovereignty, its independence and its freedom; We learned about the
history of our martyrs, good men and women who gave their lives so that today,
children in schools available to all, can enjoy all teaching aids to help us
learn more and better.
This school where we had years together became a Battle of Ideas like many
others in the country. In all, we pioneers have been protagonists of changes we
have televisions, videos, computers, a library full of interesting books, art
teachers who teach us music, painting and theater and we can also enjoy areas
for games and sports sharing with our classmates and making friends with others.
At school, the Pioneers Organization is a venue to express our criteria and
prepare us for life as integral young people, knowing that we are the future of
this Revolution.
ˇViva Fidel!
Pioneers for communism!
We will be like Che!
Fidel Castro Underscores Potential of Cuban
Education
Havana,
July 22 (AIN) Cuban President Fidel Castro highlighted the endless potential of
the island's educational system for all Cuban children, during the graduation
ceremony of 1,264 sixth graders in the municipality of Cardenas, Matanzas.
President Castro noted that the country's education system now has more than
15,000 intensively trained teachers, 29,000 social workers (all graduated from
new programs of the Revolution), and that schools exist in the most remote
communities of the island. University education has expanded and is being taught
even at the municipal level, and Cuba now has a state-of-the-art University of
Informatics Sciences.
"In Cuba, any child can study what he or she wants, be it astronomy, education,
painting, dance or medicine," said the president.
He
said that fifty years ago few people had access to education and many never
reached the sixth grade. He noted that today all Cuban children can study at all
education levels and acquire the necessary knowledge for their careers.
Referring to what Cuba has done and is doing to help others, President Castro
recalled that 10,000 foreign students are currently studying medicine with full
scholarships provided by the island and that "many others will continue to
come."
Fidel Castro referred to the high illiteracy levels plaguing most Third World
countries. On the positive side, he cited the educational revolution underway in
Venezuela as an example of what can be achieved in areas like education when
there is a strong determination to do so.
Regarding kids who have suffered from accidents or have been born with
congenital problems, he said that more than 50,000 Cuban children are enrolled
in special education centers.
Fidel reflected on those countries that slander Cuba but have nothing to show to
the world in terms of social achievements. He asked the audience if there is
another place in the world where the children have their future more securely
guaranteed.
The leader of the revolution said that Cuba, a country of 11 million
inhabitants, has 9,029 schools with 90,867 teachers. He noted that elementary
school classes have a maximum of 20 students.
Fidel Castro said the country's emphasis on educational programming on TV has
contributed to the deepening of knowledge. With presently one computer per every
45 grade school students, the president said that figure will continue to
improve as the country moves to keep up with technological advances.
The Cuban President announced that in September Cardenas will have a local TV
station, news the population received with enthusiasm.
Finally,
Fidel read the teacher's positive sixth grade evaluation of Elian Gonzalez, the
survivor of a tragic sea journey and subsequent kidnapping orchestrated by right
wing groups in Miami. In what became a daily front page world news item, Elian
was returned to his father and Cuba following a huge campaign waged by the Cuban
people with international support