Castro’s daughter gives glimpse inside Cuba
In 1959, Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba. That year, many countries, including the United States, grew worried about Cuba’s future. Also, Castro’s daughter – Alina Fernandez – turned three years old.
Fernandez spent the majority of her life in Cuba under the rule of her father’s regime until 1993, when the built-up opposition towards her father’s rule forced her to flee Cuba for good.
Since then, Fernandez has written books such as “Castro’s Daughter: An Exile’s Memoir of Cuba,” inspired movies, hosted her own radio show about Cuban politics and spoken at various institutions across the country including Ohio University, Lake Forest College and Colorado State University.
Thursday night, Franklin College was added to the list.
Fernandez was selected along with 10 other guest speakers to commemorate the college’s 175th anniversary. The selection committee consists of faculty and staff members from various departments, including Campus Minister David Weatherspoon.
The committee voted to invite Fernandez to promote awareness of the impact Castro’s regime has had on Cuba, the United States and even herself. She was also selected to satisfy the growing interest in Latin-American studies on campus.
Although the committee collectively voted to have Fernandez as a speaker, Weatherspoon was responsible for organizing her visit.
“I think she’s very fascinating,” Weatherspoon said. “People believe her dad is an interesting, controversial figure, so it’ll be nice to have Alina’s opposing perspective.”
Weatherspoon said he believes students were interested in the event, but that it also served as a “crystallized experience” to faculty and staff members who lived through the events of Cuban history such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay of Pigs.
Weatherspoon said he hopes that students understand the importance of Fernandez’s visit. He also hopes her visit will create a better understanding of history’s reality.
“We tend to read our history very flat as if there’s no real person behind it,” Weatherspoon said. “Seeing Alina and hearing what she has to say will help us place a face with a name and think about it as a part of real life.”
