The Organization Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Granma International newspaper on social media. The publication, which emerged in 1966 during the Tricontinental Conference in Havana, has served as the official voice to spread the reality of the Cuban Revolution worldwide.
The first edition of Granma, Resumen Semanal, a weekly supplement in Spanish, English, and French, was published on February 20, 1966, for participants in the First Conference of Solidarity of the Peoples of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, held in Havana in January of that year. According to the front-page editorial, the purpose was "to make known outside our country the reality of the Cuban Revolution," publishing a summary of the most noteworthy information from the Granma newspaper of the previous week.
Roberto Morales Ojeda, Organization Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, commemorated the anniversary on social media on February 20, 2026. The publication, the official organ of the Central Committee, has evolved over six decades. Initially, it reproduced articles from Granma, but soon developed its own editorial agenda. Key figures include Alberto Rubiera, the first director, and Gabriel Molina Franchossi, who held the position for several years.
Molina Franchossi explained in 2016: "The scope of this publication was different, and therefore so had to be its content, which was achieved later, when the ideas of unity in the struggle on the three continents began to take shape and the influence of Fidel and Che in Africa made its mark." From December 1977, it included advertisements for Cuban brands, services, and products. In 1984, a Portuguese version was added, and in the 1990s, it changed its name to Granma International, incorporating German and Italian.
Starting in 1992, thanks to international solidarity, reprints were produced in various countries. In 1993, Frei Betto commented on the Portuguese edition in Brazil: "With the weekly newspaper, we have Cuba as the very source of information. Now Brazilians have the opportunity to discern between the information provided by news agencies and newspapers here and in the United States, and what comes to them from Cuba."
Granma International was a pioneer in online presence in 1996, receiving millions of hits and a diploma from the Union of Cuban Journalists presented by Fidel Castro. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it maintained circulation by reorganizing work schedules and distribution channels. Currently, it circulates in about 20 countries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, with reprints in Germany, Argentina, and Brazil, and is distributed nationally to ministries, business groups, and hotels.
The front-page note of the first edition concluded: "We hope that this modest effort will contribute to strengthening the ties that unite our people with the peoples around the world who are fighting today for a better future." Six decades later, its pages have multiplied revolutionary causes, transcending time and geography.
