Cuba’s National Day celebrated

On Jan. 28, the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C., hosted a reception on the occasion of Cuba’s National Day and the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, plus the centennial of the opening of the Cuban Embassy. The date marked the 166th anniversary of the birth of Cuba’s national hero, José Martí.

Cuban Ambassador José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez welcomed those gathered, explaining the significance of the date and noting the destructive Category 4 tornado that had hit Cuba’s capital city Havana the night before, killing 4 and injuring nearly 200 others.

Grey Reddit, president of the Mobile-Havana Society, introduced photographer Chip Cooper and the photo exhibit “Common Ground,” with images from Havana and Mobile, Ala., displayed throughout the embassy.  

At a time when the U.S. government threatens to tighten the unilateral economic, financial and commercial blockade of its smaller island neighbor and openly engineers regime change in Venezuela, the large color photos of similar sites in both countries reminded guests of the enduring friendship and solidarity between the people of the U.S. and the people of socialist Cuba.