Havana  - Cuba plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its socialist revolution later Thursday in a somewhat subdued mood, in the face of the worldwide financial crisis and ongoing recovery from three consecutive hurricanes.

The ailing father of the revolution, Fidel Castro, 82, who formally stepped down from nearly half a century of rule earlier this year, is not expected to make an appearance. With the exception of occasional videos released by the government, the man who led the fight to oust the Batista regime has not appeared in public since he fell ill in 2006.

Instead, his younger brother Raul Castro, 77, who has run the country since Castro's illness and became president in February 2008, will deliver the main speech in the historically significant city of Santiago de Cuba, in the southwest of the Caribbean island.

In contrast, the main event in the capital Havana will be an appearance by the national ballet.

In Washington, which has upheld more than 40 years of economic blockade on the island just off its Florida coastline, US President George W Bush sent a message to the people of Cuba "that we stand with you," said Gordon Johndroe, a White House spokesman.

"We want to see them live in freedom," Johndroe said. "The Castro brothers have not treated their people particularly well. Many political dissidents are in jail. The economy is suffering and not free."

It was from the balcony of city hall in Santiago de Cuba that Fidel declared victory for the revolution on January 1, 1959. The success of the revolution in bringing the lives of ordinary Cubans out of abject poverty through education and health care are likely to dominate Raul's speech.

But Fidel's younger brother will also likely urge Cubans to practice more frugality in light of the gloomy financial and economic outlook. And although Raul Castro has announced a series of economic reforms since taking office, he is not expected to lay the groundwork for new political directions in his speech.

It's unclear which foreign leaders will attend the celebrations. Bolivia's left-wing President Evo Morales, who originally was to come with his entire cabinet, cancelled. The populist president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, another close friend of Cuba's who seeks to take over Fidel's ideological leadership of the Latin American left, has not confirmed his intention to attend.

Elsewhere on the island, cultural activities are to dominate the celebrations, including well known music groups and school bands which are to perform in concert halls and street corners. There are also numerous exhibits telling the story of the liberation war and the development of the island since then. (dpa)