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Published on 13 August 2016 by teleSUR.

fidel and maduro

On the occasion of his birthday, Fidel Castro penned a brief article recalling some of his earliest memories, while also calling for peace.

Every corner of Cuba is celebrating celebrate the 90th birthday of the country's most famous man: Fidel Castro.

The Karl Marx Theater in Havana hosted a special gala on Saturday night, where some of Fidel's oldest comrades, including some of those who accompanied him in the attack on the Moncada barracks, are expected to join.

Foreign dignitaries and heads of state have also travelled to Cuba to participate in the events commemorating the 90th birthday of the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is among the honoured guests at Saturday's event. Venezuela and Cuba are close allies and their cooperation has been instrumental in the proliferation of socialist ideas in Latin America and the world over.

“We are experiencing a time of threats, attempts at re-colonization, and the people of the continent must be prepared with a strong sense of morality and spirit of resistance, for which we must look to the example of Fidel,” stated Vice President of Venezuela Aristobulo Isturiz on Friday while inaugurating a photo exhibit dedicated to the Cuban revolutionary. 

”Through his thoughts and actions, Fidel taught us that conscience, values and principals are of the utmost importance, as they sustain the people in times of material scarcity, and the Cuban Revolution with him at the helm has been the greatest example toward which we must look.”

Participants at the World Social Forum in Montreal also celebrated his birthday with a panel dedicated to Fidel.

“Fidel celebrates 90 years of a life he has assumed as few men on this planet. His stature as champion of human development and international solidarity has made Cuba a significant player on the world stage," said a description of the panel.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also sent a birthday message: "You enjoy deep respect in Russia as an outstanding statesman who devoted his entire life to serving the people of Cuba."

Meanwhile the Granma newspaper has printed a special 16-page commemorative edition to celebrate Fidel Castro's lifetime of political work.

In honour of his birthday, the website Cuba Debate launched a special site featuring thousands of Fidel's speeches and articles, which are available in Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic.

Cubans were also greeted by a special article penned by Fidel Castro, and published Saturday morning, as the country prepared to celebrate the socialist icon's birthday.

In his letter, Fidel recalled early memories of his childhood in the town of Biran, where he was born.

In a display of the brilliant memory for which he is known for, Fidel wrote about a walk he took with his father at the age of 9. He also wrote about his mother and his studies that took him away from his family.

Fidel Castro concluded his letter by returning to a theme he has visited often since retiring from active political life, calling for the world to preserve peace and oppose nuclear war.

“That is why we must hammer the need to preserve peace and that no power assume they have the right to kill millions of people,” wrote Fidel.

Castro went on to criticize Barack Obama, for the U.S. president's speech in May when he visited Hiroshima, site of the world's first atomic bombing at the end of World War II.

"The U.S. president's speech in Japan lacked the words to apologize for the killing of hundreds of thousands of people in Hiroshima, even though they (the United States) knew the effects of the bomb," the ex-leader said in an article published by official media.

Castro condemned as "equally criminal" the bombing of Nagasaki three days later on August 9, 1945.