STEVE INSKEEP, host:
Now, in preparation for this May Day, workers built reviewing stands in Revolution Square in Havana. The occasion is the annual Workers' Day march, and hundreds of thousands of people have turned out. There were rumors that people might get a chance to see their president, Fidel Castro, who's been out of sight for months.
NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro is one of the reporters who came to Havana for this occasion. And did you see him?
LOURDES GARCIA-NAVARRO: No, he did not show up. The May Day celebrations began on time at 8:00 AM sharp and the announcement was made that Fidel's brother, Raul Castro, who is nominally in charge of the country since Fidel fell ill last summer, would be the one presiding.
Raul Castro did not make a speech. He did not address the crowds. As I'm standing here right now, though, and as people are filing past me, he is still on a kind of balcony overlooking the parade grounds. And he's been standing the whole time and he's been waving to the crowd, clearly making his presence felt. But no mention of Fidel Castro, obviously no acknowledgment from the Cuban authorities as to where he may be and what his condition is.
INSKEEP: Has Raul Castro given an hours-long speech the way that Fidel Castro used to do?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Well, Raul Castro doesn't traditionally like to speak. He's not a particularly good orator. And on this occasion he's chosen not to speak at all. The commemorative speech was given by a man from one of the workers' unions, and he spoke at length about the Cuban revolution and about the importance of these May Day celebrations. And he did speak quite vociferously against the United States, and of course against Luis Posadas Carriles, who is a man who the Cubans believe is responsible for terrorist acts against them.
Unidentified Group: Viva Cuba!
GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Unintelligible) that the United States is not charged with terrorism, which is something that they think is a double standard so...
INSKEEP: Sounds like the crowd...
GARCIA-NAVARRO: He speaks very, very vociferously against him at this particular event.
INSKEEP: Sounds like the crowd is crowding in on you there, Lourdes. What's happening in front of you?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Well, right behind me, actually, we're seeing school children dressed in their uniforms with their ties, blue shirts parading past. They're holding pictures of Che Guevara, obviously a popular icon here for the Cuban revolution. And they're waving Cuban flags and they're shouting viva Cuba, viva Cuba - long live Cuba.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: So a pretty eventful celebration there, lots of rhetoric but no Fidel Castro.
INSKEEP: What led to so much speculation that he would appear in the first place?
(Soundbite of horns honking)
GARCIA-NAVARRO: I'm sorry, Steve. You cut out. Can you repeat that?
INSKEEP: That's quite all right - and feel free to grab yourself a horn if you need to. What led to so much speculation that Fidel Castro would make an appearance today?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Well, there are a few things that led to the speculation. First of all, he's been seen in the press in Cuba more than he has been throughout his entire illness. They showed pictures of a robust-looking Castro greeting a Chinese delegation. There's been several articles written by him in the Cuban press. In fact, there was just one published today that was purportedly written by Fidel Castro, again talking about one of his favorite subjects of the moment, which is ethanol and ethanol consumption in the United States.
So we've seen him. He's been sort of visible, but of course he has not made any public appearances, which leads to speculation as to how well is he, is going to be taking the reins of power again. And I think at this point people just don't really know.
INSKEEP: And let me ask this, because it's not your first visit your Cuba, do you feel like the country is beginning to change at all after nine months without Fidel Castro at the helm?
GARCIA-NAVARRO: I feel that Cuba might be in a state of suspended animation. I think things have gone on. The transition has been calm and peaceful. There's been no instability. And I think Cubans are becoming use to a Cuba without the visible presence of Fidel Castro.
But at the same time, he is still around, he is still alive, and people do talk about whether he will return. So I think at this point it's really too early to tell what people think about a life without Fidel. Certainly, he is still here, and his brother - if this parade is any indication - has the reins firmly in his hand.
INSKEEP: We've been listening to NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, who is on the busy streets of Havana on this May Day. Thanks very much.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
