Youth who participated in homage to Jose Marti descending from Havana University's steps.

Havana, January 28 (RHC)-- Intellectuals, artists, cultural institutions, youth organizations, and the population, in general, are celebrating this Thursday the 168th anniversary of the birth of National Hero José Martí.

As part of the day of remembrance, the Marti Program Office will hold a conference for the 130th anniversary of the essay Our America, considered one of the fundamental works of Marti's ideology and of the history of Latin American thought.

The tributes, which began last Monday, will be extended until Friday through conferences, forums, workshops, exhibits by visual artists, contests, and other social media initiatives to promote and disseminate Marti's legacy.

On Wednesday evening,  Raúl Castro, and President Miguel Díaz-Canel paid tribute to Martí at the Martí Forge, together with a score of young people who descended from the steps of the University of Havana in the traditional March of the Torches.

Simultaneously, Internet users posted messages, thoughts, videos, and images of previous marches.

The Center for Martí Studies will also hold a virtual meeting on Friday in coordination with researchers from the Autonomous University of Guerrero, in Mexico.

José Martí (1853-1895) was a distinguished patriot and prominent politician, writer, thinker, teacher, and journalist, fallen in combat against the Spanish colonialist troops on May 19, 1995.