28 January is one of the dates that most fills Cuba with pride. In 1853, José Martí was born, the man who cast his lot with the poor of the earth and who fell facing the sun, in the Cuban wilderness, 42 years later. In 1939, the Confederación de Trabajadores de Cuba was created and, under the leadership of Lázaro Peña, the trade union movement that had foundered in the turbulent waters of the Machado regime was rescued.

Martí and the workers, Lázaro Peña and the Martian preaching, converge in the same essence: independence and sovereignty for a nation that has always held as the first law of the Republic the worship of the full dignity of man.

There will be many ways to remember Martí on the 173rd anniversary of his birth. The young people, with the traditional March of the Torches, will light our streets with patriotism. The workers will continue their endeavour to produce, to be efficient and to contribute to an economy in need of more goods and better services, amidst an ironclad blockade by the United States Government.

Following the voluntary work days this weekend, the province of Ciego de Ávila is preparing for the central activities celebrating the 87 years of our trade union organisation, after winning an emulation in which Matanzas and Sancti Spíritus were chosen as outstanding, while Guantánamo received well-deserved recognition.

It will be with agricultural work at the La Cuba Enterprise where the Central de Trabajadores de Cuba will celebrate its birthday, mere months before the final sessions of its 22nd Congress. And there, that work which delighted and impassioned our National Hero will not be lacking, nor will the commitment to his role in these times. These are days of firmness and thought; of courage and preparation. Nothing makes for a better tribute.

And we Martians know it, the followers of Lázaro Peña, the children of Fidel on his centenary. It is a fortune and a rich coincidence of dates. It is another opportunity to overcome and overcome.