The 17th World Youth and Students Festival will take place in Pretoria, South Africa on December from 13 to 21 and it will be especially dedicated to Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro, two great figures of contemporary history.

A working program was adopted by the National Committee of Cuba´s Young Communist League (UJC) during a special session, where participants also approved the initiative to pay homage to both
leaders.

UJC First Secretary Liudmila Álamo said that the best contribution by Cuban youths to the festival is having a creative participation and an active role in the meeting of their tasks.
¨We will pay tribute, extensively, to those leaders; when we honor Fidel, we highlight the courage of the Cuban people and their solidarity with Africa, their everlasting example there, for those who
fought, for those who were killed in action, and those who are still struggling for a better future to come in both countries¨, Liudmila stressed.

The working program includes the exhibition of films such as “Kangamba” and “Invictos,” the latter one inspired in the life of Nelson Mandela, who headed the African National Congress.

Cuban youths also planned to hold a special symposium from July 18 to August 13 to mark the birthdays of Mandela and Fidel, respectively.

“Let's Defeat Imperialism, for a World of Peace, Solidarity and Social Transformation!, is the festival’s slogan, which foretells how active the meeting is expected to be; a scenario where Cubans will demand the of the five Cuban antiterrorists incarcerated in the United States for over 10 years now.

Because of Mandela’s long, cruel, and unjust imprisonment, South Africa is the right place to break the silence around the cases of Gerardo Hernandez, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero, Ramon
Labañino, and Rene Gonzales, internationally known as the Cuban Five.

In response to the call by the World Federation of Democratic Youths to start working for the festival, the Cuban Preparatory Committee will be set up during the first half of June.

The program of the festival includes debates, symposiums, contests, digital forums, a sports marathon, as well as exchange of views between delegates to previous festivals, internationalist veterans and
young people form different countries, mainly Africans who are currently studying in Cuba.

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