Castro's daughter

by Alina Fernández Revuelta

As a little girl in Cuba, Alina Fernandez found nothing strange about the many visits Fidel Castro made to her home. During these visits, Castro would pay special attention to Alina, many times even bringing her gifts. At age ten, Alina's mother finally divulged the reason for Castro's attention: Fidel Castro was her father. Born in 1956, Alina was a child in the years just before and immediately following the revolution of 1959. 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 w