One of the Cuban Five has urged South Africans to keep the revolutionary legacy of the people who have fought for the democracy of the country alive.
Gerardo Hernandez is one of the Cuban Five members who visited the Free State on Wednesday as part of their world tour.
Speaking at a media briefing at the Kaizer Sebothelo building in Bloemfontein, he said he hopes that new leaders and the younger generation will be able to keep going forward and maintain the legacy of their older leaders.
He said they were happy to see many active young people during their visit to the country.
Hernandez stressed that it is very important for the youth to be active as imperialism would want people to forget their history.
Meanwhile the US and Cuba have formally agreed on Wednesday to restore diplomatic relations on July 20, setting up a trip to Havana by John Kerry, who would become the first US secretary of state to visit the country in 70 years.
Kerry, speaking from Vienna, said he would visit Havana to raise the US flag outside the future US embassy, currently labeled an interests section.
“The progress that we mark today is yet another demonstration that we don’t have to be imprisoned by the past,” Obama said from the White House Rose Garden. “When something isn’t working, we can – and will – change.”
Following 18 months of secret negotiations brokered by Pope Francis and Canada, Obama and Castro announced in December they planned to reopen embassies and normalize relations. The agreement also included a prisoner swap.