01:58Cuba: Obama attends wreath laying at Jose Marti Memorial in Havana
US President Barack Obama attended a wreath laying ceremony at the Jose Marti Memorial in Havana on Monday as part of his historic two-day trip to Cuba.
The president stood and honoured both the Cuban and American national anthems prior to laying a ribbon on the wreath to commemorate Cuban national hero and poet Jose Marti.
The US president is expected to meet Cuban President Raul Castro during his visit as well as Cuban entrepreneurs and community activists. However, Obama is not scheduled to meet the former Prime Minister and President of Cuba, Fidel Castro, during his visit.
Obama is the first US president to visit Cuba in almost nine decades since diplomatic relations were normalised last year.
Jose Marti became a symbol for Cuba through his writings and political activity, writing about the threat of Spanish and US expansionism into Cuba in the late 19th century. He dedicated his life to the promotion of liberty, political independence for Cuba, and intellectual independence for all South Americans. Fidel Castro's government acknowledged Marti as a crucial inspiration for its communist revolutionary government.
01:58US President Barack Obama attended a wreath laying ceremony at the Jose Marti Memorial in Havana on Monday as part of his historic two-day trip to Cuba.
The president stood and honoured both the Cuban and American national anthems prior to laying a ribbon on the wreath to commemorate Cuban national hero and poet Jose Marti.
The US president is expected to meet Cuban President Raul Castro during his visit as well as Cuban entrepreneurs and community activists. However, Obama is not scheduled to meet the former Prime Minister and President of Cuba, Fidel Castro, during his visit.
Obama is the first US president to visit Cuba in almost nine decades since diplomatic relations were normalised last year.
Jose Marti became a symbol for Cuba through his writings and political activity, writing about the threat of Spanish and US expansionism into Cuba in the late 19th century. He dedicated his life to the promotion of liberty, political independence for Cuba, and intellectual independence for all South Americans. Fidel Castro's government acknowledged Marti as a crucial inspiration for its communist revolutionary government.