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NEWS
from
Central Connecticut State University
Honored as a "Leadership Institution" by the Association of
American Colleges & Universities
Media contact: Peter Kilduff, Director of University
Relations
(860) 832-1791;
Kilduff@ccsu.edu
Fidel Castro’s daughter, Alina
Fernández,
to speak at CCSU about her life in Cuba and in exile on
October 30 at 12:30 p.m.; public invited at no charge
NEW BRITAIN –
October 19, 2007 -- Central Connecticut State University’s
Ruthe
Boyea Women’s Center and its
Center for
Public Policy and Social Research will host Alina
Fernández,
daughter of Cuban President Fidel Castro, on Tuesday,
October 30 in Founders Hall in the Davidson Hall
administration building on Stanley Street at 12:30 p.m. The
event is open to the public at no charge, and free parking
is available in CCSU parking lots.
Ms.
Fernández’s
talk, “An Afternoon with Fidel Castro’s Daughter - Alina
Fernandez,” will center on the 51-year-old Cuban exile’s
experiences growing up in the shadow of a world famous
father. She will also discuss the history of Cuba, before
and during Castro’s regime, as well as her thoughts on the
future of Cuba.
Alina Fernández Revuelta is both a daughter and a critic of
Fidel
Castro. She lived under her father’s rule from
when he took power in 1959 until she fled the country in
1993 with her daughter because of dissenting political
views. As an
illegitimate daughter of the president, she lived
her young life with her mother,
Natalia
Revuelta Clews, and became a model and public
relations director for a Cuban fashion company. In 1993, she
fled to
Spain
using false papers and disguised as a Spanish tourist. From
Spain,
she moved to
Miami.
As
the Revolution's events unfolded, Alina came to realize
that, depending on his mood, Castro treated his illegitimate
daughter with one of two extreme feelings -- utter adoration
or painful neglect. Through the years, however, Castro's
influence as an authority figure in Alina's life never
diminished. As she grew older, she recognized her position
as one of Cuba's elite -- but the political practices she
witnessed under her father's regime and the neglect she
experienced drove her to renounce that position and,
ultimately, her relationship with her father as well.
Alina Fernández Revuelta’s book, “Castro's Daughter: An
Exile's Memoir of Cuba,” describes in intimate detail her
life growing up in Cuba as Castro's daughter and the changes
that occurred within the country. For example, at the age of
three, she remembers
Mickey
Mouse being replaced on the television with
executions ordered by Fidel Castro.
Following her talk,
Fernández will sign copies of her book. Her appearance at
CCSU is sponsored
by the university’s Center for Public Policy and Social
Research and the Ruthe Boyea Women’s Center. More
information about the program is available by contacting
Jacqueline Cobbina-Boivin or Monique Daley at 860-832-1656.
The Ruthe Boyea Women’s Center provides resources,
advocates, informs, and supports personal development. The
Center offers a variety of services for and about women. It
sponsors educational and cultural programs to promote gender
equity, knowledge of women’s rights issues, leadership, and
independence. The Center encourages understanding and
cooperation among women of varied socio-economic groups,
cultures, ethnic backgrounds, races and sexual orientations.
More information about the Center is on-line at:
http://www.ccsu.edu/womenctr/default.htm.
Directions
to CCSU are at the University’s website:
http://www.ccsu.edu/visit.htm
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