On October 10 1868, Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, an educated, wealthy lawyer, sugar mill and slave owner, called for an uprising against Spanish colonial rule, the “Grito de Yara” (Cry of Yara), otherwise known as the “declaration of rebellion.”

The date continues to define Cuba’s national identity and is seen as the start of the Cuban people’s struggle for independence: Fidel Castro called the date the “beginning of the revolution;” October 10 — Independence Day — is an annual public holiday; Cespedes is renowned as “Father of the Homeland” and Cuba’s national anthem, La Bayamesa, was also written in the same period, a century and a half ago.

Cespedes released the slaves owned by his family following the Grito de Yara and called for the abolition of slavery, reportedly urging the crowd of 500 people at his La Demajagua sugar mill to rise up against Spanish rulers, who had colonised the island since the beginning of the 16th century.

“Citizens, that sun you see rising above Pico Turquino comes to illuminate the first day of Cuba’s freedom and independence,” Cespedes is said to have told the crowd.