Havana, May 23 (RHC)-- Maria Eugenia Neto, the widow of Agostinho Neto, and their daughter Irene Alexandra, paid tribute Monday in Havana to Cuban internationalist fighters who fought and died for Angola’s independence.

Maria Eugénia, who today heads the Agostinho Neto Foundation, was accompanied by Cuban General Teté Puebla on a tour of the Veterans’ Pantheon at Havana’s Colon Cemetery.

General Teté Puebla explained to distinguished visitors that the pantheon serves as the final resting place of the veterans of Cuba’s independence wars, those who participated in the clandestine struggle, those who fought at Playa Girón and also the internationalist fighters, who died while fighting for the independence of Angola and other African nations.

On Tuesday, Maria Eugénia Neto was presented with the Mehdi ben Barka Solidarity Order, posthumously awarded to her husband, Agostinho Neto, by the Organization of Solidarity with the Peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America (OSPAAAL).

Maria Eugénia expressed her gratitude to the Cuban government and people for their support, noting that thanks to Cuba’s internationalism, today Africa is free from the nightmare of colonialism. She added that Africa now needs to be rebuilt, based on the legacy of those who sacrificed themselves and fought for a better world.