“What makes Céspedes great is not only the firm, decisive decision he made to take up arms, but the act that accompanied that decision, which was to grant freedom to his slaves (…) his willingness to abolish slavery in our country. With this phrase from Comandante en jefe Fidel Castro Ruz, President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez tweeted his tribute to the father of the homeland, on the 146th anniversary of his death in battle, yesterday February 27.
Carlos Manuel de Céspedeswas honored by a representative group in Santiago de Cuba, on behalf of the nation. In the solemn ceremony, members of the Honor Guard at Santa Ifigenia Cemetery placed a floral wreath before the tomb of a man who freed his slaves, alerted us to the dangers of the emerging U.S. empire, and is venerated by the Cuban people as the nation’s father.
With good reason, Fidel stated: “Today, we, revolutionaries of this generation, our revolutionary people, can feel the deep, intimate satisfaction of rendering to Céspedes, to those who fought for our independence … the tribute of a people that harvested the fruits of their sacrifices!”
Party Central Committee members Lazaro Expósito Canto, first secretary in the province, and Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, member of the Council of State and provincial governor, led the procession placing flowers beside the monument to Céspedes, followed by other leaders, students, and citizens of the city.
(Granma)