The ashes of
Fidel Castro begin a four-day journey across Cuba Wednesday to his final
resting place, retracing the late communist leader's revolution victory tour of
1959.
The
"caravan of freedom" will leave from Havana, making symbolic stops
along the 950-kilometer (590-mile) trek that will end in the eastern city of
Santiago de Cuba over the weekend.
The trip
follows two days of tributes in Havana where hundreds of thousands were
encouraged by the government to view a picture memorial to Castro at the
Revolution Square.
The
commemorations in the capital ended with a massive rally Tuesday night at the
square attended by Latin American, African and Caribbean leaders, along with
the Greek prime minister -- the only European leader at the event.
Raul Castro,
85, thanked the "countless gestures of solidarity and affection from
around the world" and ending with the revolutionary battle cry,
"Until victory, always!"
- 'I am
Fidel!' -
But the
presidents of Western powers, and even friendly nations including Russia, China
and Iran, sent deputies in their place.
The absences
underscored the divisive legacy of a leader who defied the United States,
backed guerrilla movements in Latin America and deployed his army to conflicts
in Africa during the Cold War.
Leftist Latin
American leaders vowed to carry the torch of Castro's revolution as they
addressed the rally on Tuesday night and the crowd chanted "I am
Fidel!"
"Today it
is up to us to raise the flags of independence of the great fatherland, today
it is up to us to hold the flag of dignity and freedom of the people,"
said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose late mentor, Hugo Chavez, had a
special bond with Castro.
Allies praised
Castro in almost religious tones, with Bolivian President Evo Morales saying,
"Fidel is not dead. ...Fidel is more alive than ever, more necessary than
ever."
Castro's
death, however, comes as Latin America's left is losing ground.
Maduro is
facing a deep economic crisis and fighting opposition attempts to hold a recall
referendum, while Brazil's Dilma Rousseff was impeached in August and a
conservative took over in Argentina last year.
Castro -- who
ruled from 1959 until an illness forced him to hand power to his brother Raul
in 2006 -- died Friday at age 90.
US President
Barack Obama, who along with Raul Castro ended decades of enmity to restore
diplomatic relations, did not attend the rally, sending an advisor and a
diplomat without the status of a "presidential delegation."
- Reunion with
Che -
"We
continue to have some significant concerns about the way the Cuban government
currently operates, particularly with regard to protecting the basic human
rights of the Cuban people," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
Castro's ashes
were placed in a rectangular, dark wood urn that was kept at the armed forces
ministry and only shown once on state television.
The urn will
be laid to rest on Sunday at the Santa Ifigenia cemetery, next to the mausoleum
of 19th century independence hero Jose Marti.
Before that,
Castro's ashes will travel across the country, taking the reverse route that
his band of guerrilla fighters took after defeating dictator Fulgencio Batista.
From January 2
to January 8, 1959, the bearded rebels traveled from Santiago to Havana,
stopping in Castro's home region, Holguin, as well as the cities of Camaguey,
Las Tunas, Sancti Spiritus, Santa Clara and Matanzas.
One of the
most symbol-filled stops of this last trip will be in Santa Clara, where the
ashes of his Argentine comrade-in-arms, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, rest.
AFP
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