The 81-year-old leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro, was awarded the National José Martí Prize for achievements in the field of journalism. The decision to award Castro the main award for Cuban journalists was made on Saturday by the VIII Congress of the Union of Journalists of Cuba. In addition to resolving the issue of the prize, for which 23 candidates applied, the delegates of the congress also took part in the presentation of the book “Fidel the Journalist.” The chairman of the commission, Juan Marrero, said that the congress unanimously supported the candidacy of the number one journalist: “Fidel received the first prize thanks to his fidelity to ideas and truth, as well as the unquestionable ethics in his publications.”
Two years ago, after a serious intestinal operation , Fidel Castro stopped appearing in public ; in February of this year, he transferred power to his brother, 77-year-old Raul Castro. Despite his poor health, Fidel constantly publishes in the local press - he reacts to political events in the world, denounces the capitalist system and US policies, and talks about the experience of socialist construction in Cuba. On the opening day of the congress of journalists, Fidel Castro published an article devoted to the tasks of Cuban journalists, which, in particular, said: “Truth in our time sails on stormy seas, where the media are in the hands of those who, with their countless economic, technological and military resources, threaten survival humanity. This is the challenge facing Cuban journalists."
