Key West Art & Historical Society Distinguished Speaker Series to Feature Fidel Castro’s Exiled Daughter Alina Fernández
On Thursday, March 9 at 6:00pm, Key West Art & Historical Society welcomes Distinguished Speaker Series guest Alina Fernández to the San Carlos Institute. Fernandez, daughter of former President Fidel Castro, will offer a first-person, intimate account of growing up in Cuba, based on her autobiography, “Castro’s Daughter: An Exile’s Memoir of Cuba,” published in 1997, and the many broad sweeping changes affecting Cuba today.
Her illuminating presentation offers a critical look at her life in Cuba prior to her exile, with suspenseful anecdotes, snapshots of Cuban society, her insider’s take on Cuban politics, and a transparent view of her father and her relationship with him.
Born in 1956 as the illegitimate daughter of Fidel Castro and Natalia Fernández, Alina Fernández grew to rebel against the political climate in Cuba. An outspoken dissident, in 1993 she disguised herself as a tourist and escaped Cuba, and was later granted political asylum in the US where she remains one of her late father’s most outspoken opponents.
“When people tell me he’s a dictator, I tell them that’s not the right word,” she told the Miami Herald. “Strictly speaking, Fidel is a tyrant.”
Fernández lives in Miami where she works in radio, and has a radio show called Simplemente Alina (Simply Alina) on WQBA in Miami. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the fare on her variety show is light, with guests such as painters and musicians. She devotes Wednesdays to Cuban politics.
The Distinguished Speaker Series project is sponsored in part by the Helmerich Trust and the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council of the Arts and Culture and the State of Florida. Additional support provided by the Marriott Key West Beachside Resort.
Tickets are available at through kwahs.org/education/distinguished_speaker_series; $25 for members, $35 for non-members—advanced ticket purchase is recommended. For more information contact Adele Williams, Director of Education, at 305-295-6616, x115. Your Museums. Your Community. It takes an Island.