No statues, public places to be named after former Cuban leader Castro

Cuba

Cuba’s parliament, the National Assembly, has passed a law which prohibits statues being erected of former leader Fidel Castro or public places named after him. According to his brother President Raul Castro, this was one of Fidel’s final requests before he died last month.

CCTV America’s Michael Voss reports.

Hundreds of thousands if not millions of Cubans turned out to pay their last respects to Fidel Castro, as his funeral cortege made the four day journey from Havana to Santiago.

The funeral itself was a simple private affair, his mausoleum a plain solid piece of rock, with a name plate covering where his ashes were laid to rest. Before he died, the revolutionary icon, who dominated every aspect of life in Cuba for more than half a century, had said he wanted to avoid the cult of personality.

On Tuesday, Cuba’s National Assembly, with giant screens showing videos of Fidel, passed a law granting that wish by banning the erection of statues of Fidel, or naming streets, parks of monuments after him.

President Castro told the assembly the best way to honor his memory was to follow his revolutionary ideals.

Fidel Castro may not have wanted his image to be glorified after death but there is another revolutionary icon whose portrait is everywhere: Che Guevara, whose image can be seen on all types of merchandise as well as postcards. All the tourist shops sell T-shirts bags and a variety of hats related to him.

There never were a lot of images of Fidel Castro. This billboard outside a run-down factory in Havana is one of the few that still remain.

After he died a giant banner of Fidel as a young guerrilla fighter was placed in Revolution Square.

Neighboring buildings have permanent metal sculptures of other revolutionary heroes, including Che Guevara. Fidel Castro’s portrait though will soon be taken down.