A historic photo of the Granma International newsroom sums up the essence of this weekly newspaper. In it, the team poses smiling in front of a huge world map. "Our work reaches the world," says a sign at the top.
The internet and social media would not arrive for decades. However, much of that map already knew about Cuba and its Revolution thanks to the team that, sitting in apparent calm, had the immense responsibility of spreading the message of the island and its people.
Leafing through the archives of a publication that has been a pioneer in many ways in Cuba is like returning to decisive moments in national and world history. This comes as no surprise: Granma International has, above all, remained true to the roots that gave it life.
In January 1966, the First Conference of Solidarity of the Peoples of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, known as the Tricontinental, was held in Havana. Just four months earlier, in October 1965, Fidel had announced the creation of the Granma newspaper, the official voice of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba.
The Cuban capital hosted the Tricontinental, and Granma was there with a special edition in Spanish, English, and French for the participants: members of political and social organizations convened for that gathering of the peoples.
"Taking into account the favorable opinions gathered on the usefulness of those editions, we have considered that it would be beneficial, for the purpose of making known outside our country the reality of the Cuban Revolution, to publish a weekly summary in Spanish, English, and French containing the most noteworthy information and reports that appeared in the Granma newspaper during the previous week."
These words, located in the center of the front page of the first edition of Granma, Resumen Semanal, marked the birth of the publication and defined its fundamental purpose.
It was February 20, 1966. The new ship was beginning to sail the seas to reach other destinations: some symbolic and many literal.
Throughout these six decades, there have been numerous essential names, including Alberto Rubiera, the first director, and Gabriel Molina Franchossi, who also held that position for several years.
In its early days, the weekly reproduced a selection of articles published in Granma. Later, it developed its own editorial agenda.
"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," Molina Franchossi explained in 2016.
Its pages provided space for material from other media outlets, such as Juventud Rebelde and Bohemia, which helped amplify Cuba's voice through its press system. This revolutionary character also accompanied national economic projects: from December 1977, the weekly magazine featured Cuban brands, services, and products in advertisements and publicity messages.
On February 12, 1984, a Portuguese version began to be published, while the 1990s saw significant transformations that have continued to this day. Among the most important were undoubtedly the change of name to Granma International and the incorporation of other languages such as German and Italian.
Starting in 1992, thanks to international solidarity, reprints began to be produced in different parts of the world. A year later, on the occasion of the start of the reprinting of the Portuguese edition in Brazil, Frei Betto stated: "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."
Once again consistent with its pioneering status among Cuban press publications, Granma International was the first to have an online presence, in 1996.
"The reception was, without exaggeration, wonderful; we soon had millions of hits. The Union of Cuban Journalists recognized us as pioneers with a diploma presented by Fidel at the organization's congress to the then director of Granma, Frank Agüero," recalled Molina Franchossi.
There have been many different contexts, and in each one the weekly has maintained its presence. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it continued to circulate, thanks to the reorganization of work schedules and distribution channels.
Currently, Granma International circulates in some 20 countries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. It is reprinted in Germany, Argentina, and Brazil. Nationally, it is distributed to entities such as ministries, business groups, and hotels.
"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," concluded the cover note of that first edition on February 20, 1966.
Six decades later, it can be said that more than strengthening ties, its pages have multiplied a people, their Revolution, and numerous causes. Granma International has shown that the struggle for a better future is possible and that this path can be traveled with a strong voice of its own, one that has transcended time and geography.
