On October 20, 1968, the Cuban National Anthem was written, and sung for the first time, during the festivities for the capture of the city of Bayamo by the Cuban independence troops. With a marked patriotic character, La Bayamesa, the name with which the song was known, is a call to the fight for the independence and sovereignty of the country. Since then, the National Anthem is an expression of the most deeply rooted pro-independence and patriotic values of the Cuban people, as well as the most genuine sense of nation and Cuban roots. On August 22, 1980, it was declared by Ministerial Decree, as "... the symbol in which the feeling of love for the homeland and the decision to fight are interwoven, the artistic expression of that cultural act par excellence in which the people affirm and conquers its full identity, the liberating war ... "
150 years after the beginning of the independence struggles and the intonation of the National Anthem, the Cuban people maintain the highest commitment with their sovereignty and independence, with the search for an increasingly just and democratic society, with all and for the good of all, that today is expressed in the analysis and debate of a new constitution that reflects the aspirations of our people, in the struggle for the lifting of the genocidal blockade of the United States against Cuba and for the purpose of updating our economic and social system, to achieve a prosperous and sustainable development.