HAVANA, Cuba, Feb. 17 -- Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has begun a three day friendly visit to Cuba, the Cuban news agency Prensa Latina said today. Farrakhan arrives today in Santiago de Cuba, on the eastern part of the island, where he will meet with local authorities and visit what was once Moncada Fort, now '26 of July' school.
On July 26, 1953, Fidel Castro organized a group of revolutionaries and led an attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago, marking the start of the long struggle that eventually brought Cuba under Castro's control. Farrakhan will give a speech on Wednesday at the city's University and then will travel to Havana. In Havana, Farrakahn will tour an art school and give a news conference at the International Press Center. A strong critic of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, Farrakhan visited the island in 1996 and met with president Fidel Castro. On that ocassion talks centered on international issues, Cuba's social deveplopment, and conditions among people of African descent in the Americas. ---
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