Cuba plans a center devoted to study of Fidel Castro: Granma

pulse 17:36 - 03 November 2018

A new center devoted to the study of late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, whose pictures are seen here on the wall of a Havana school, will open by the end of 2019

As the second anniversary of Fidel Castros death approaches, Cuban authorities are working on a center for the study and promotion of his ideas, the official newspaper Granma reported Saturday.

Castro, the leader of the 1959 Cuban revolution, asked before his death on November 25, 2016 that no statues be erected in his memory, and no streets or other sites be named in his honor.

His request was formalized in a law that does allow an exception: the Castro name can be used to designate any institution devoted to the study and spread of his work and ideas.

"It will be political in character, open to the public, with high-tech equipment to stimulate interactive learning and with an emphasis on children, adolescents and young people, without excluding the rest of the public," said Alberto Alvarino, who is overseeing the project.

Granma said the new center would host academic events, meetings and competitions, and support teaching and research projects, as well as the publication of books and other printed matter.

It will cooperate with other national and international institutions "linked to the figure of the commander in chief" and will defend his image as a leader of the Cuban revolution, the newspaper said.

The institute will be based in Havana's central El Vedado neighborhood and should open by the end of next year, coinciding with the 500th anniversary of the city's founding.