By Hedelberto López Blanch *
“From a very young age, I have been captivated by the Revolution and became a staunch defender of the Cuban people, their ideology, and the undefeated Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz.” These were the words Carmen Diniz Santos spoke when I asked her when she began her solidarity work with the Island.
“I started my solidarity work with Cuba in the International Relations Department of the Landless Workers Movement (MST),” she said, “and after the unjust imprisonment in the United States of the five Cuban heroes, we created the Carioca Committee of Solidarity with the Island.”
In October 2025, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, at the proposal of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), awarded the Friendship Medal to Carmen Diniz Santos, a member of the Movement for more than three decades. Brazilian Solidarity with Cuba activist, MST (Landless Workers’ Movement) activist, coordinator of the Brazilian chapter of the International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity for the Peoples, and active member of the Latin American and Caribbean Continental Network of Solidarity with Cuba.
The award honoring her career and commitment to the Cuban Revolution was presented during the IX Continental Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba held in Mexico. The Cuban ambassador to Mexico, Marcos Rodríguez Costas, along with Fernando González Llort, Hero of the Republic of Cuba and President of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), bestowed upon the honoree the award recognizing her unwavering support and commitment.
Carmen’s extensive history of friendship with the Caribbean island also includes her contribution to the formation of the Brazil-Cuba Parliamentary Front with council members and representatives from the Rio de Janeiro City Hall and Legislative Assembly.
Her participation in state and national conventions of solidarity with Cuba, in the Solidarity Brigades since 2000 against the Guantanamo Military Base, and the presentations she gave at three editions of the international event “For the Balance of the World” were also recognized.
As an additional task, she translates texts from Resumen Latinoamericano, Granma and Cubadebate into Portuguese daily, which she then shares on social media. She is a columnist for the newspaper Brasil de Fato and an active participant in online forums and debates aimed at breaking the media blockade against Cuba.
When asked about her assessment of receiving the Friendship Medal, she stated: “It was a feeling of immense gratitude toward Cuba, even though I don’t do this work to receive any kind of reward. When your work is recognized, it’s so good and satisfying that it overflows.”
Other highlights of Carmen Diniz’s solidarity efforts include her immense compassion in sending medicine to the island during extremely difficult times, such as the fire at the Matanzas Super Tanker Base; providing aid to children undergoing chemotherapy; and supporting adults with various illnesses. In her tireless work, she supported the Mais Médicos (More Doctors) program for Brazil and maintains close ties with Brazilian doctors who graduated from the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM).
Last July, the tireless activist modestly adds, “during the 17th BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, we signed a contract with bus companies to place stickers on their windows, which were very well received, calling for an end to the unjust blockade against Cuba. We also displayed and projected images against the blockade and portraits of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara onto walls and buildings throughout the city.”
“And that,” she adds, “is that siege and blockade against the island, one of the most genocidal measures, which, without any justification, attacks the entire Cuban people.”
This is how Carmen Diniz Santos, in her simple yet energetic and courageous defense of Cuba, carries, as she says, “deeply in my heart” the feat of Cuba having maintained its sovereignty and independence for more than 60 years despite the threats, aggressions, and blockade of U.S. imperialism.
(*) Hedelberto López Blanch is a renowned Cuban journalist. He writes for the newspaper Juventud Rebelde and the weekly Opciones. He is the author of “Cuban Emigration to the United States,” “Secret Stories of Cuban Doctors in Africa,” and “Miami, Dirty Money,” among others.
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE AUTHOR: Hedelberto López Blanch
[ SOURCE: RESUMEN LATINOAMERICANO Y DEL TERCER MUNDO CUBA / EN RESUMEN ]
