President Raul Castro swore he would defend the socialist revolution in Cuba in front of tens of thousands of people who shouted “Fidel, Fidel” in the last act before the ashes of the Cuban leader were taken to Santiago cemetery.
In the presence of Fidel’s remains, we vowed to defend our homeland and socialism,”
said 85-year-old Raul Castro, on December 3rd, during a tribute to his brother in Plaza de Santiago, the birthplace of the Cuban Revolution.
At requested by his brother Fidel, Raúl Castro anticipated that he will by law prohibit the construction of monuments or placement of statues of the historic leader and his name will not be used to denominate institutions, squares, parks, avenues or streets.
Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, Bolivian president Evo Morales and Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega, spiritual sons of the Cuban Revolution, attended the homage with Brazilian ex-presidents Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff.
During the last mass homage, the Cubans sang “I am Fidel” almost in religious trance.
Covered by the Cuban flag, the urn with the remains of Fidel crossed the island before reaching its final destination, in the opposite direction to the route followed by the leader of the revolution in 1959.
Without departing from the one-party regime, Raul Castro, who will leave power in February 2018, is carrying out a cautious and slow opening to private companies and foreign investment.
Most Cubans were urged throughout this week to “swear” that they will continue the socialist legacy of the person who shaped the fate of the country and defied the American superpower for half a century.
Dissidents in Cuba avoided any demonstration for fear of reprisals.