Santiago de Cuba, July 26 (RHC) -- The Second Secretary of Cuba’s Communist Party, José Ramón Machado Ventura, on Sunday called on the new generations of Cubans to preserve the historical memory of the nation as pillar of our values, conscience and ideology.
Machado Ventura was delivering the main remarks at the commemorative event for the Day of National Rebellion, July 26th, which marks the historic assault on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks, led by Fidel Castro in 1953.
The Cuban vice president recalled the rich history and essential role of the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba and its people in the struggles for Cuban independence.
Santiago, without having lost its hospitality, continues to be rebellious and heroic, he said.
The Cuban leader urged the people of Cuba to continue working to preserve the legacy of the nation’s forefathers and revolutionary guides, and highlighted that for a united people as that of Cuba, nothing was impossible.
The 26th of July is a historical date in our struggle for freedom, not only for the events that occurred that day, but for those actions were not in vane, the planted seeds have yielded fruits, the political leader said.
In his speech, Machado Ventura also referred to the recent reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, saying that the events of last July 20th are just the first step in a long process of normalization of bilateral ties, that will necessary include the lifting of Washington’s economic blockade and the restitution to Cuba of the illegally occupied territory in Guantanamo Bay.
Before concluding the event, Cuban President Raul Castro, who presided over the commemorations, said: “I could not leave without saying a few words. I leave with the firm hope that Santiago will always be Santiago.”
The events of the 26th of July of 1953 in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba marked the beginning of the revolution led by Fidel Castro and those known as the Generation of the Centenary, marking the year 1953 the centenary of the birth of Cuban National Hero, José Martí.
