"Raúl, Raúl, Raúl!" chanted thousands of government supporters as acting president Raúl Castro took the stage at Cuba's 26th of July rally. The anniversary of the Cuban revolution is the country's most important national holiday.
Notably absent was Raúl's brother, Fidel, who was last seen in public at the 2006 commemoration. In an hour-long speech, Raúl said Cuba suffered "a hard blow" when Fidel fell ill and relinquished power, but the island had avoided the economic collapse many predicted.
Jonathan Brown, professor of history at The University of Texas at Austin, was in Cuba when Castro's illness was announced in July 2006. He was one of the few Americans to observe the reactions of the Cuban people firsthand.
Brown was traveling the revolutionary trail of the Castro brothers, visiting the famous Presidio Modelo (Model Prison) on Cuba's Isle of Youth when he heard the news.
"Given that Castro is the world's longest-serving leader, the announcement was quite stunning," Brown says. "However, Cubans reacted to the transition calmly and seemed to proceed with their lives as normally as possible."
State-controlled Radio Havana followed news bulletins on Castro's health with the characteristic exhortation, "Patria o muerte, venceremos" ("Fatherland or death, we will vanquish"). Brown was surprised that Cubavisión TV showed images of Cubans in Miami dancing in the street. "Even those critical of the regime were appalled to see the exile community celebrating Castro's illness," he says.
"Yet most of my conversations with locals were a mix of contradictions," Brown continues. "Cubans are tired of their humdrum diets. They are tired of their substandard housing, of the long lines and rationed goods. They long for a new car and yes, traffic jams."
A billboard near Havana's Plaza de la Revolución depicts a smiling Fidel saying, "Vamos bien" ("We're doing well"). "One Cuban said he hated this slogan the most," Brown says. "However, this longing for a better quality of life may not mean a lack of support for the present revolutionary government."
Cuban foreign policy seems to be reaping dividends. Recent elections of socialist leaders in Venezuela, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia and Nicaragua who admire Castro have raised Castro's stature in Latin America.
