Feature: Cubans vow to carry forward Fidel's ideals

Fidel Castro's ideals are far from fading after his death and they would be bolstered instead, many Cubans said.

The Cuban leader died late Friday at the age of 90. But to many Cubans, the social and political system Castro put in place will continue to promote the wellbeing of all the Cubans.

"The overwhelming grief and sadness we feel today, we will convert into a revolutionary fervor to continue the struggle and defense of Fidel's great work in Cuba and around the world," Armando Lopez, a retired general and former Interior Ministry official said.

The Cubans converged Monday on Havana's Revolution Square to pay tribute to their beloved former leader. Among them was Eloisa Ricardo, who was accompanied by her daughter and two-year-old granddaughter.

"The suffering we feel today gives us the strength to live up to his expectations now more than ever, because he may not be here in person, but he is in our hearts," said Ricardo.

Her daughter Yanet Rodriguez said she brought her little girl "because she represents Cuba's future, and I want her to see how much Fidel represents, and to gradually understand what she needs to do to help the revolution."

Teresa Gonzalez, a public-sector employee, vowed that she and many others, with firm belief that Castro's teachings represent the right path to national development, will continue to promote them.

"I will make an effort so that all my descendants, and the young people that I meet throughout my life, learn about his work and value his ideas ... We will carry on the struggle and I can affirm that we will advance," promised Gonzalez.

Sofia Rodriguez, a high school student, told Xinhua she hoped Cuba to "continue as it is and if it changes, to change for the better, to prosper to fulfill Fidel's dream."

Castro did, however, set Cuba as a model of solidarity, internationalism and social justice around the globe, she added.

Michel Garcia, a young gastroenterologist, said he was grief stricken by the death of Castro, "but I am leaving here convinced that Fidel will live on forever, because we were educated under him and we are going to continue to heed him."

Hundreds of young Cuban doctors gathered in the square to pay their respects to Castro, who raised the country's health sector to the world's top level and engineered a foreign policy that came to be known as "medical diplomacy."

Garcia said Cuba's medical community "will continue to spread the solidarity he instilled in us to all corners of the planet, and with our white coats we will champion his legacy of peace and humanism."

The queues of people waiting to pay tribute to Castro late Monday were so long that Cuban officials considered to extend visiting hours, which were supposed to end at 10 p.m.(0500GMT Tuesday) and resume on Tuesday. Endi