Fidel Castro Releases Memoir in First Public Appearance in 10 Months
It’s been ten months since Fidel Castro was seen in public, but this weekend, he was at a ceremony commemorating the release of his new book, “Time Guerrilla.” It is Castro’s memoir and it fills up two volumes. Castro spent six hours presenting his writings to an audience at a convention center in Havana. The former leader of Cuba has become increasingly reclusive now that he is retired.
Images shown on the country’s state television station showed Castro smiling. He was wearing a blue plaid shirt under a dark blue track suit. The station did not broadcast any audio of his presentation; however, Granma, a Communist Party newspaper, said that Castro told those in attendance that they would learn about two books that they hadn’t heard of yet.
The memoir is almost 1,000 pages. It does not cover all of Castro’s life, but it does tell the tale of his life from childhood to the end of 1958. That was when the Cuban revolution was won. The books are based upon Casto’s interviews with Katiuska Blanco, a journalist.
Granma reported that Castro said he had to get the book written now before his memory begins to fade. Castro is 85 and stepped down as Cuba’s leader in 2008. His brother, Raul Castro, was designated as Fidel’s successor. During the convention, Castro talked on a variety of topics, including advances in technology, events from around the world, and visits he has had with several foreign dignitaries. Castro expressed his deep opposition to socialism and private education.
Even though Castro has not been seen in public in ten months, he has still offered his views in a column called “Reflections,” which is often published in newspapers that are run by the government. Many media stations also read the column over the air on radio and television.
