HAVANA (AFP) – Cuban leader Fidel Casto made another public appearance Saturday, visiting a town outside Havana to pay homage to revolutionaries who died in a 1953 attack on the Moncada barracks.

Cuban television showed the 83-year-old Castro, dressed in blue pants and an olive shirt, visiting a mausoleum in Artemisa, southwest of Havana.

''This Monday we will celebrate the 57th anniversary of our tireless struggle for our country's independence,'' Castro said.

The Moncada barracks, the second most important military garrison in the country at the time, was attacked by Fidel Castro and 100 rebels on July 26, 1953.

The attack failed, and Castro escaped to the nearby Sierra Maestra mountains. He was later captured and put on trial, where he delivered his famous ''History will absolve me'' speech.