The International Students’ Day

November 17th, International Students’ Day, is not just any date. It is a date that transcends time. A reminder that becomes both memory and promise.

The commemoration has its roots in a Europe devastated by war. In 1939, when student resistance in Czechoslovakia was brutally suppressed by Nazi forces. That act of courage, and the subsequent pain, resonated so strongly. Two years later, the International Union of Students enshrined this day as a symbol of global solidarity.

In Cuba, however, this historic date is celebrated with contagious joy and a profound sense of belonging. While in other parts of the world students take to the streets to demand rights or condemn interference. Here the day transforms into a celebration of what has been achieved and a collective reflection on the path ahead. For Cuban students, this day symbolizes a unity that transcends the classroom, embodied in their organizations.

From the Federation of Secondary School Students (FEEM) to the University Student Federation (FEU). With its century-long history, this date serves as an impetus to continue improving.

Their work never stops: they maintain an ongoing dialogue to strengthen academic life, promote research, and enrich university outreach and sociocultural activities.

It is a day to renew their commitment to excellence. To plan how to be more useful to society, and to remember that their current struggle is waged on the front lines of knowledge, innovation, and the defense of sovereignty.

It also invites them to reaffirm the identity forged by the example of figures who shaped the nation. From Martí and Mella, founder of the FEU, to Fidel and Che. Whose examples serve as guiding lights for the daily work of new generations. Honoring their legacy means, today, emulating their dedication by studying, creating, and actively participating in the constant improvement of their environment.

Thus, this day becomes a bridge between the memory of those who fell and the promise of those who build. A day where the past and the future meet, and where student history is written, once again, with the ink of hope.

Yenisel Elcea Olbine
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