Cuba commemorates outstanding leader on her 103rd birthday

HAVANA, Cuba, May 9 (ACN) Cuba evokes today the legacy of Celia Sanchez Manduley, known as the most autochthonous flower of the Revolution, on the occasion of the 103rd anniversary of her birth.

Miguel Diaz-Canel, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and President of the Republic, dedicated to the heroine a message on Twitter in which he thanked her for her courage, loyalty, tenderness, example and passion for making Cuban things more beautiful.

Prime Minister Manuel Marrero recalled the date on the same social media, highlighting that Celia Sanchez left her footprints in the history of the Palace of the Revolution (seat of the Presidency, the Council of Ministers and the Central Committee of the PCC) and in the history of Cuba.

"#CeliaSanchez, in the heart of #Cuba, in the words of #ArmandoHart: "Those who want to know the human feeling that houses a communist heart, those who want to know the humanist sensitivity that is in the heart of Cuban revolutionaries should study the life of Celia!", tweeted Roberto Morales, Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the PCC.

Celia Esther de los Desamparados (1920-1980) was an early member of the 26th of July movement, founded by Fidel Castro after the 1953 attacks on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes garrisons in Santiago de Cuba and Bayamo, respectively.

Her organization of networks of rural collaborators to support the disembarkation of the Granma yacht was essential for the survival of the expeditionaries that would form the nucleus of the Rebel Army.

After the triumph of the Revolution (January 1959) she held high positions in the country, being one of her most relevant works the development of the Office of Historical Affairs of the Council of State, where she devoted herself to preserve the historical patrimony of the Revolution, especially related to the work of Fidel Castro.

She also stood out for her attention to those who turned to her for various problems, and also for heading projects of great social and economic utility under the direction of the historical leader of the Revolution.
Celia Sanchez died on January 11, 1980, victim of cancer, when she was approaching her 60th birthday.