Photos: Cuba marks Fidel Castro’s 100th birthday

play Live Sign upShow navigation menuNavigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedSportOpinionVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomyHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelSponsored Contentplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upIn Pictures Fidel Castro would have turned 100 on Thursday, and his long shadow continues to loom over the island.  xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoA gala in Havana commemorated the centenary of the communist revolutionary's birth. [Yamil Lage/AFP]By News AgenciesPublished On 13 Aug 202613 Aug 2026Cuba has commemorated former President Fidel Castro with events including the International Book Fair, art exhibitions, concerts and gatherings of delegates from left-wing organisations across the continent. The centenary of Castro’s birth, marked on Thursday, comes as Cuba faces an intensifying squeeze that began when the Trump administration imposed a fuel blockade in January, followed by 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, exacerbated by existing US sanctions and a failed domestic financial overhaul. Fidel Castro ruled Cuba for five decades, from 1959 until he handed the presidency to brother, Raul, in 2008. He remained influential until his death in 2016. Raul Castro received a standing ovation as he appeared in public at an event on Thursday in Havana to mark the centenary of his brother’s birth. Raul, the last surviving leader of Cuba’s 1959 revolution, is widely seen as still wielding power on the island, despite stepping down as president in 2018. In May, he was indicted by a court in the US state of Florida on four counts of murder. Show moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: