Cuba and the US do not have to be defined by being against one another, says Mr Obama. Many Cubans who left years ago still consider Cuba their real home. This is not just about politics, it's about family, he says, and the desire to heal a broken bond.

"For all of the politics, people are people and Cubans are Cubans... The reconciliation of the Cuban people is fundamental to Cuba's future."

Anna Bressanin
BBC News, Havana

Radio Reloj means "Radio Watch" - and the programme is affectionately called "our Big Ben" by many Cubans. The government station shares news with a soundtrack of the continuous tick-tock of a clock.  

In this clip about Obama's visit, the journalists collect opinions from people in the province of Granma.

"The visit is a big step in the normalisation of the relationship between the two countries", say the Youth and Delegates of People's Power in the province. 

"We hope Obama will be able to see first hand the real situation in the island, which is very different from the image that capitalistic media try to represent in their manipulatory campaigns against our social project".

"I believe every person should be equal under the law," Mr Obama tells the audience. 

"Citizens should be free to open their mind without fear, and to criticise their government, and protest freely." He said no one should be jailed for expressing their views.

He also said he believes people should be able to elect their governments in free and democratic elections, but he knows not everyone agrees.

Image source, Getty Images

Full change isn't possible without "continued change here in Cuba", says Mr Obama. Internet should be available across the island freely, and businesses should be able to thrive.

It's up to Cubans to make that happen, he says. That success depends on the free and open exchange of ideas, and being exposed to different points of view. "Youth will lose hope" if not exposed to varying viewpoints, he says, but the US will not push its political viewpoints on Cubans.

"What changes come will depend upon the Cuban people."

Will Grant
BBC News, Havana

Image source, Getty Images

Obama tells Cuban people he came to Cuba to "bury the last remnants of the Cold War in the Americas". It has felt like that since the process of re-engagement began in December 2014. Today, as he addresses the Cuban people live on state-run television, even more so. An extraordinary moment for Cubans to witness.

Addressing the difference between the two countries, Mr Obama highlights that Cuba has a one-party system and the US is multi-party democracy. In Cuba, the rights of the state are emphasised rather than the rights of the individual. Cuba is a socialist country, while the US has a free market.

Despite these differences, the time is now to open up relations, the US president said. Why? Because the policies of the last 50 years don't make sense in the 21st century, he said.

"We should not fear change, we should embrace it."

Focusing on the relationship between Cuba and the US, Mr Obama said: "The differences between our governments are real and important... I'm sure President Castro would say the same thing.

"But we need to recognise how much we share." 

He said the US and Cuba were like "two brothers that have been estranged for many years."

Tara McKelvey
BBC News, Havana

On his way into the theatre, President Obama greeted legendary ballerina Alicia Alonso, 93. Once inside the auditorium, she stood on a balcony and bowed to the crowd, who applauded enthusiastically. El Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso is named in her honour.

The US president has started his speech in Havana by addressing the latest attacks in Brussels.  

"We must stand together in fighting against the scourge of terrorism," he said.

"We can and we will defeat those who threaten the safety and security of those around the world." 

President Obama has arrived at the theatre and will be addressing the audience shortly. You can watch the speech live here.

Tara McKelvey
BBC News, Havana

Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York has been coming to Cuba since 1999. He took several pictures of the stage where President Obama will speak this morning. Holding his camera, he described it as a historic moment. "It's an exclamation point to the end of the Cold War," he says.

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Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz implies President Obama should be focusing his diplomatic efforts elsewhere.

Image source, Reuters

In an interview on Monday evening with American broadcaster ABC, external, Mr Obama said he believed President Castro "truly wants change" but added, "I do not believe that President Castro wants to upend the Union Party or the system they have".

Mr Obama also said he had pressed the Cuban president to allow more dissent and protests.

"One of the things I said to President Castro, and I truly believe this, is that if they were less fearful of dissent, then not only might they be able to improve government but I suspect that they could enhance their legitimacy in the eyes of the Cuban people," he said.

"Better to listen, hear them out. And he may discover that in fact they have something to teach him."

Tom Geoghegan
BBC News, Havana

The John Lennon statue in the neighbourhood of Vedada has a constant stream of tourists who arrive and sit on the bench next to the Beatles singer to be snapped.

But retired car painter Luis is there every other day - his job is to put a pair of glasses on Lennon's nose, because they were stolen a few years ago. A lady has the same job on the other days of the week.

The 68-year-old says he loved Lennon and Elvis Presley and his favourite song is Yesterday by The Beatles.

The band's songs were banned for decades for their "ideological diversionism" until Fidel Castro had a change of heart, embraced Lennon as a revolutionary and unveiled the statue in 2000. 

Round the corner from John Lennon Park is a community centre called The Yellow Submarine.

Tara McKelvey
BBC News, Havana

Josue Benavides, a physics student at the University of Havana, is one of the lucky ones with a ticket for President Obama's speech. 

"It's very important," he says about the speech. "It's a new world - a new political reality."

Image source, Getty Images

The Cuban and US flags are displayed as people take their seats for Mr Obama's speech at the El Gran Teatro de La Havana, an iconic theatre complex in Cuban's capital.