HAVANA – For decades, the Cuban government has celebrated May Day, or International Worker's Day, in Havana with a display of Communist Party propaganda that begins with a parade and ends with a Marxist-Leninist rally at the Revolution Plaza.
As the tradition continued Tuesday, there were boys in the crowd who were dressed like the late Fidel Castro and the late Hugo Chavez. The government provided transportation and guided participants to the massive event. This year's theme, Granma reported, was "Unity. Commitment. Victory."
During his speech, Ulises Guilarte, the secretary general of the Cuban Worker's Federation and a member of the Communist Party's political bureau, said the new president, "comrade" Miguel Diaz-Canel, was a symbol of continuity.
Guilarte said Diaz-Canel's was going to bring some changes, as he executes a plan to "update" the "economic and social model." Guilarte said the Cuban government was denouncing the "unjust, unequal" and "aggressive" policies of the United States.
Diaz-Canel, who is Raul Castro's protege and took office April 19, wore a white long-sleeve shirt and a baseball hat. The 58-year-old loyalist was standing next to the 86-year-old Castro, who was wearing military fatigues and a straw hat. He remains the leader of the Communist Party.
The official announcer of the parade said the participants were "the people of Fidel and Raul and today of Diaz-Canel." The crowd cheered.
Government officials boast about an educational system that has achieved a 100 percent literacy rate among students ages 15 to 24 years old, and a health system that has raised Cuba's life expectancy to 77 for men and 81 years for women.
Carlos Ponce Bermudez, 17, a student, said that although the Cuban government has had a lot of achievements, there are still areas that need improvement. Cuban workers' earnings remain low. The average monthly pay is about $30. No one in the massive crowd dared to protest that.
