Off the wire
• U.S. attorney general says death of black woman in Texas prison underlines blacks' concerns about police  • Slovenia, Russia ties "significantly strengthened", says Russian PM Medvedev  • Yemen's Houthi group says not informed of ceasefire  • "Ant-Man" beats "Pixels" to top North American box office for second weekend  • Sweden mulls greater role in EU migrant rescue mission  • Russia updates maritime doctrine, criticizing NATO expansion  • Maldives holds grand events to commemorate 50 years of independence  • Bushfires rage in southern Albania due to high temperature  • AU reiterates deep concern at continued fighting in South Sudan  • News Analysis: Health care in Slovakia still lagging behind advanced world  
You are here: 　 Home

Cuba's youth must preserve history, roots, says VP

Xinhua, July 27, 2015 Adjust font size:

Cuban Vice President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura Sunday called on the younger generations to preserve their history and roots.

In a keynote speech marking the Day of National Rebellion, which commemorates a key event in Cuba's revolutionary history, Machado said "history must be preserved, since therein ... reside the roots of our values, our ideology and our independence," state daily Granma reported.

The citation was credited to Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who led the band of revolutionaries that on July 26, 1953 attacked the Moncada Barracks in eastern Santiago de Cuba, sparking the revolution that would topple dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

The attack on Moncada aimed to seize weapons from the government's stockpile to arm the rebel movement, but the incursion failed. Many of the rebels were captured and killed after Batista ordered 10 prisoners executed for every fallen soldier. Fidel Castro and a handful of other rebels escaped into the surrounding countryside.

The event, however, highlighted the widespread discontent and popular support for the revolution.

The annual commemoration "is held not only to honor the past, but to reaffirm that the heroic actions of 1953 were not in vain, that the seeds sown have borne fruit," said Machado, who also serves as second secretary of the Cuban Communist Party Central Committee.

Cuban President Raul Castro, dressed in military uniform, presided over the commemoration held Sunday at Moncada, today a school, at the exact time the original attack was carried out at 5: 12 a.m. local time (10:12 GMT).

The commemoration coincided with celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of the founding of Santiago de Cuba, located 800 km east of the capital Havana.

The island's second largest city was devastated in October 2012 by Hurricane Sandy, which left 14 dead and caused at least a million U.S. dollars in damage. The government has spent substantial resources to rebuild the city, including constructing 29,000 new homes in one year. Endite