Fifty years ago, Fidel Castro swept into Cuba’s capital on January 8, promising to establish a socialist state that would promote collectivism over individualism.

But the anniversary celebrations, which culminated in an evening rally in Havana on Thursday, have put less emphasis on social spending and more on rewarding individual labour, as Cuba under the leadership of Fidel Castro’s younger brother Raúl moves away from its decades-old commitment to communism.