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The Classics

Photo Flashback: Manley in Cuba, July 1975

Published:Friday | July 18, 2025 | 6:26 AM
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Jamaica's Prime Minister Michael Manley paid homage to the Apostle of Cuba's Independence Movement, José Martí, on Wednesday afternoon, July 9, 1975, when he laid a wreath at the foot of the memorial shrine to Martí in the heart of Havana.
Jamaica's Prime Minister Michael Manley (second from left) being invested with the Order of José Martí by Cuba's Prime Minister, Dr. Fidel Castro, at a ceremony in the National Revolutionary Palace in Havana, on Wednesday, July 9, 1975. Cheering at right were Jamaica’s Minister of State for External Affairs, Dudley Thompson, a Cuban official, and Mrs. Manley.
Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sr. Raúl Roa (left), and Jamaica’s Minister of State for External Affairs, Senator Dudley Thompson, sign the economic and cultural agreements between Cuba and Jamaica at Protocol House in Havana on Saturday, July 12, 1975. Witnessing the signing were Jamaica’s Prime Minister Michael Manley (standing left), Cuba’s Prime Minister Dr. Fidel Castro, the Permanent Secretary in Jamaica’s Ministry of External Affairs, Mr. Golden Wells, and a number of officials from both countries.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Michael Manley (left) and Cuba’s Prime Minister Dr. Fidel Castro share a toast immediately after the signing of the economic and cultural agreements between the two countries at Protocol House in Havana, July 1975.
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Jamaica's Prime Minister Michael Manley made history in July 1975 by becoming the first Jamaican Prime Minister in independent Jamaica to visit Cuba. From the moment he set foot at José Martí Airport in Havana, he received a rousing welcome – thousands of Cubans lined buildings and streets, waving flags and banners, singing, and chanting.

During his visit, Prime Minister Manley was invested with Cuba's highest honour, the Order of José Martí, by Cuban Prime Minister Dr. Fidel Castro. He also visited Santiago in Oriente Province, home to the largest number of Jamaican residents in Cuba, as well as the city of Matanzas.

Here are some highlights of the visit: