Cubans jostle to welcome US President Obama

Chants of "America" ​​and "Obama" echoed on the street where President Obama and his family held umbrellas and walked in the rain.

The Obama family holds an umbrella and walks on the streets of Cuba. Photo: New York Times

“Welcome to Cuba. We like you!” a Cuban man shouted as the US president and his entourage passed. In the apartment above, a woman cheered and shouted a welcome through the iron bars of the door, according to the New York Times.

A motorcade of motorcades escorted the presidential limousine, which for the first time flew the flags of both the United States and Cuba, through the narrow streets of Cuba. Many people stood on the side of the road waving enthusiastically, having waited for a long time in the heavy rain. Mr. Obama was the first US president to visit the country in 88 years.

President Obama was surprised by the welcome from the Cuban people. "This is a historic opportunity to talk directly with the Cuban people and discuss trade deals," the White House boss told staff at the US embassy."I look forward to building a good relationship between our two countries. I hope for a brighter future than what we had in the past."

Referring to US President Calvin Coolidge, who arrived in Cuba 88 years ago on a three-day trip on a ship, Mr. Obama compared: "Now, it only takes three hours to get to Cuba."

Mr. Obama also thanked the embassy staff for bringing their children to the speech. The head of the United States said he wanted the children to see that "it is natural for the president of the United States to visit Cuba." He also wanted them to grow up and see that it is normal for Cubans and Americans to do business together.

Mr. Obama and his entourage then strolled along the cobblestone streets of Old Havana, which is recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural and historical site, and visited the monument to Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, the Cuban national hero. The US President also visited the Havana Museum, which houses a statue of Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of America.

At the Cathedral of San Cristóbal de la Habana, Mr. Obama met with Cardinal Jaime Ortega, who the American press said played an important role in promoting the secret negotiations in 2014 to bring Cuba and the United States closer together.

Cardinal Jaime Ortega once made a secret trip to the White House to promote the agreement between President Obama and President Raul Castro on behalf of Pope Francis.

Obama's walk today is a prelude to an upcoming meeting with President Raul Castro, the first formal meeting between the two countries' leaders after more than half a century of estrangement.

Obama's name seems to be everywhere in Cuba, from a bartender on a high-rise hotel floor, to Cubans braving the rain on awnings near the beach, to families watching Obama wave and smile on TV.

Carmen Diaz, 70, said she felt "deeply satisfied" when she saw the US leader visit Cuba, something she thought would never happen.

But there were still incidents. Dozens of protesters were taken away by security forces. Some streets where Obama walked were completely empty. A shopkeeper near a poster of Obama and Castro talking said she was asked to close her shop when the US president passed by.

"People will look through the window. I will tell all my friends about Obama, we are happy to see him come here," she said.

Obama was admired by many Cubans from his time as a candidate until his inauguration as president. On December 17, 2014, when Obama announced the normalization of relations with Cuba, he was seen as the embodiment of economic opportunity in Cuba.

Cuban officials have asked citizens and government employees to show respect during the US president's visit. Many Cubans have been working in recent weeks to clean up the city.

The potholed roads have been smoothed out, and the buildings Obama passed have been repainted brightly. Cubans joke that Obama is "Saint Obama" and that the US president would not be able to stay in office for a month or a year if Cuba were so ugly.

Outside the baseball stadium where Obama will visit on March 22, Juliet Garcia Gonzalez, 17, said she was happy to hear the news because Obama gives her generation hope, a rare thing in a country that has long been stagnant. But she doubted Obama’s visit would be enough to change that.

"I want to travel. I want to leave here," she said, scrolling through her mobile phone's wifi connection outside the stadium. "I will come back when Cuba is better."

According to VNE