“We must be like a big human family. It is scientifically proved that we, as human beings, have similarities, aside from the characteristics of each individual, if we do not attain that union, what  we do want to survive for,” said Fidel Castro during a five-hour meeting with intellectuals attending the 20th International book Fair, Cuba 2011 in Havana.

Fidel made some reflections and discussed with the participants different issues of world interest, mainly those related to the history of Cuba and Latin America, natural phenomena, the effects caused by wars, the impacts of neoliberal policies, socialism and capitalism, the ethics of the Cuban rebel army, state terrorism, international organizations and their role in the world order, regional conflicts, and the policy of the United Sates.

The Conference Center hosted the meeting in which various intellectuals talked about the preservation of the human species after Fidel’s call to begin a crusade of struggles in order to save a species in danger of extinction: mankind.

Luis Brito, a Venezuelan intellectual, referred to the need of reformulating the approach of socialism, which he defined as socialism of the Third Millennium, based on a social industry, starting form recycling, to the use of new and alternative energy sources, as well as the design of a cooperation and collaboration without precedent; without discriminatory concepts and the use of a biologically diverse and multifaceted world, mainly ecologic.

Other intellectuals talked about the global food crisis, capitalist speculation, diversion of global liquidity, the social and economic and crises, intervention, the danger of racism, the struggle in defense of the Earth, international conferences on the environment and global warming.

A French writer and political analyst, took part on behalf of the Voltaire Network, to claim that over the last five years a deep transformation in the Middle East has happened, that new ideas have matured and no one will be able to stop that movement, which will not limit itself just to Egypt, but will probably extend to the rest of world. In the world, he asserted, there are two big revolutionaries groups, one of them is led by Cuba and it has opened so many paths in Latin America and Africa; and the other one in Iran, which has today a determining influence on all events taking place in the Middle East.

On the other hand Fidel highlighted the role played by international organizations in making global agreements on phenomena of interest to humanity. He also stressed the work is being implemented by the FAO to assist the countries, in some way, with agricultural resources, as well as UNESCO and its work on heritage. But he also criticized the role played by the UN and that of the Summit on Climate Change held in Copenhagen, which only provided excellent speeches by some leaders in defense interests of Third World countries, but which were dominated by the politics of the Empire and for that reason they did not draw up world strategies on phenomena affecting all humanity.

Fidel recalled the UN has dealt very superficially with the subject of the vote on the necessity to end the economic and commercial blockade against Cuba, which has been claimed, almost unanimously, by the UN members countries, and U.S. imperialism insists on applying even worse measures unilaterally and even described Cuba as a terrorist country, in disagreement with all countries in the world; so Fidel asked:  In what way is the United Nations useful today?

Finally, Fidel described the Venezuelan process as very important and called it the most important one in the hemisphere. He stated the need to consolidate that process because it is crucial for the region and for humanity. “I see it the world as one big family, “he said.

"I think we should behave like just one family, and share with others what we have: oil, food, doctors.... "Why we do not consider the world as the home of just one  human family?" , noted the Cuban leader during the meeting with intellectuals, writers, historians and analysts attending the 20th International Book Fair, Cuba 2011.

A translation by: Silke Paez Carr

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