CUBANS took to the streets today to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.

Today’s celebrations were part of a week of events, including an international book fair, art exhibitions, concerts and gatherings of delegates from left-wing organisations from across the world.

Posters bearing his image hang in hospitals, while billboards displaying his slogans, including his widely-known “Homeland or death,” line the streets. His presence is so familiar that many Cubans refer to him simply as Fidel.

“I believe he leaves Cuba a legacy of dignity, morality, tireless work and concern for the poor,” writer and essayist Miguel Barnet, who is also a member of the National Assembly, told the Associated Press. 

“And a philosophy that was translated into concrete policies in areas such as culture, education and public health.”

Mr Castro’s centennial comes as Cuba faces an ever-intensifying squeeze that began when the Trump administration imposed a fuel blockade in January and followed up with a series of sanctions aimed at pressuring the communist government to make political and economic changes. 

The measures have deepened a five-year economic crisis fuelled by earlier illegal, brutal US-imposed sanctions.

For Cubans, the effects have been far-reaching: prolonged power outages, shortages of fuel and medicine, declining industrial and tourism activity, flight cancellations, transportation restrictions and reduced work and school hours.

Mr Castro governed Cuba for five decades, from 1959 until he was replaced by his brother, Raul, in 2008. He remained influential until his death in 2016.

Argelia Mustelier, a retiree who lives in Old Havana, said: “Fidel left us everything, everything good that came from Cuba’s revolutionary process.

“In these difficult times we’re living through, he would have found a way to bring some happiness to his country and his people.”