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Hundreds of thousands of Cubans flocked to Havana's iconic Revolution Square in a tearful and nostalgic tribute to Fidel Castro on Monday, launching a week-long farewell to the divisive Cold War icon.
Long lines of mourners entered the towering monument to independence hero Jose Marti, filing past a black-and-white picture of "El Comandante" as a young, black-bearded revolutionary carrying a rifle.
Many walked by silently while clutching flowers, some took pictures with their phones and others sobbed uncontrollably as they looked up at the portrait flanked by white roses.
But his ashes were not put on display, surprising many who had hoped to see the urn holding the remains of their hero.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to swarm Havana's Revolution Square. Photo by AFP
Lourdes Rivera, a 66-year-old retired civil servant, sat on a curb and cried as she waited for her turn to enter the monument.
"He's the father of all Cubans. My dad was my dad, but he couldn't give me what (Castro) gave me. He gave me everything. My freedom. My dignity," she said.
For 36-year-old university professor Pedro Alvarez, "we know that our comandante has become immortal."
Castro, whose 1959 revolution toppled a dictatorship with the promise of bringing justice and equality to the Caribbean island, was a towering figure of the 20th century.
While some saw him as a socialist hero who brought education and free health care, others labeled him a tyrant who caused economic hardship and sparked an exodus of Cubans seeking a better life.
Across the island, Cubans were invited to sign an oath to "keep fighting" for the revolution at hundreds of schools, hospitals and other public buildings.
(AFP)
