Cuba Unveils Nine-Volume Selected Works of Raúl Castro on Independence Anniversary

Cuba presented the nine-volume Selected Works of Raúl Castro Ruz on Feb. 24, a release timed to coincide with the 131st anniversary of the start of Cuba’s independence wars. The Cuban Institute of the Book is listed as publisher of a project described by one outlet as comprising over 500 documents and approximately 5,000 pages gathered after four years of research and said to cover 70 years of Raúl Castro’s life.

State and independent outlets reported presentations in two locations on Feb. 24. ACN reported that Miguel Díaz-Canel, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, "accompanied today a hundred young people in the Palace of the Revolution during the presentation of the Selected Works of Army General Raúl Castro Ruz." Cubadebate placed a presentation at Plaza Ignacio Agramonte at the University of Havana on the same date, and official Cuban accounts shared photos from the events.

CiberCuba published the project’s production details and framed the compilation as an editorial effort to consolidate Raúl Castro’s record, reporting the counts of documents and pages and the four-year research timeline. CiberCuba also noted, with surprise, that "the prologue is signed by Miguel Díaz-Canel." That outlet ran critical commentary characterizing the release as an attempt to bolster Raúl Castro’s legacy and referred to him as a "dictator" in its coverage.

State outlets cast the set in civic and pedagogical terms. Cubadebate called the nine-volume editorial project "a living archive of the Cuban Revolution." Radio Rebelde described the Selected Works as "more than just a text" and "an ethical guide to revolutionary conduct." Abel Prieto, identified by CiberCuba as president of Casa de las Américas and a former Minister of Culture, told reporters the collection allows for a "new understanding" of Raúl Castro’s leadership and said "it is a privilege to have him as a guide." Historian Elier Ramírez, quoted in CiberCuba, called the set a "gift for Cuba and all revolutionaries" and an "ethical compass and arsenal of ideas for the complex moment" the country is experiencing.

The timing drew political debate online. CiberCuba and Cubaheadlines reported a heated social-media conversation that included rumors about conversations between "Secretary of State Marco Rubio" and Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, identified in those reports as Raúl Castro’s grandson and trusted man; the regime has denied any ongoing dialogue and those items were presented as speculation. Cubaheadlines also summarized whispers that the timing could signal a structured attempt to negotiate a transition outside the Díaz-Canel administration, a claim reported as interpretation rather than confirmed fact.

With official photographs circulating and party and cultural institutions hosting presentations at the Palace of the Revolution and the University of Havana, the nine-volume set is now positioned as a large-scale archival and political statement - nine volumes, more than 500 documents and roughly 5,000 pages - arriving as the island faces an economic and fuel crisis and debate over Raúl Castro’s historical place continues.