Cuba celebrates Castro’s 100th as his revolution faces its toughest test
Cuba is marking the 100th anniversary of Fidel Castro's birth amidst a severe economic crisis characterized by food shortages and power outages. Many citizens are expressing disillusionment with the current leadership, contrasting it with the perceived stability of the Castro era.
Why it matters
The internal instability in Cuba poses a significant challenge to the long-term viability of the socialist government established by Castro.
As Cuba marks 100 years since Fidel Castro's birth, Cubans are questioning the promises of the socialist revolution he led for nearly half a century, and asking whether his successors are up to the job.
Cuba's Communist Party has spent the week celebrating the late revolutionary leader with exhibitions, concerts and conferences.
But this August 13 comes amid one of Cuba's worst crises in living memory, with acute shortages of food and water, and chronic power cuts.
For many Cubans, today's hardship highlights the absence of a leader who died a decade ago.
Before placing Castro's portrait in the window, Leonel Suarez gives it a kiss.
The 54-year-old has spent years collecting revolutionary memorabilia and reveres Castro as "the master."
"Fidel would have a strategy at a time like this," he said.
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