Fidel Antonio Castro Smirnov, grandson of the dictator Fidel Castro, showcased a striking contradiction during an interview granted to teleSUR from Birán: he warned about the danger of turning his grandfather into an untouchable figure while simultaneously describing him in terms typical of the political cult built over decades around the late Cuban leader.
“There is a danger that can arise when someone as great as this reaches the age of 100: they may be turned into a statue, admired from a distance, with flowers and without questions.”, stated Castro Smirnov.
The warning contrasts with the tone used by the scientist himself throughout the conversation. Castro Smirnov referred to his grandfather as “the great Fidel,” “the man who challenged the empire,” and “the genius,” and defined Birán, Castro's birthplace, as a “sacred” site.
For me, he is also the commander in chief, for me, he is also the great Fidel, the man who challenged the empire, the genius, he asserted.
The grandson of the deceased ruler was even more explicit in describing the presence his grandfather still holds in his life. "When we're asked how we cope with his absence, we respond: Absence? I don't know what it is to live without Fidel," he stated.
And he added: “I choose to live happily with Fidel, taking him wherever I go, carrying him in my mind, in my dreams, in my blood, in my work, in my consciousness.”
A devotion that extends into the "second centenary."
The familial dimension of that reverence also emerged when Castro Smirnov spoke about Fidel Castro's relationship with his descendants.
He assured that, despite his responsibilities, his grandfather found time for the family and stated that "Fidel loved his family very much."
He even extended that bond into the next century. «His family loved Fidel very much, loves Fidel very much, and will continue to love him even more in his second centenary», he stated.
The phrase is particularly peculiar in an interview specifically dedicated to the centenary of Castro, born on August 13, 1926.
Castro Smirnov also stated that «all Cubans want to be like Fidel», extending the admiration he holds for his grandfather to the entire population.
Birán, a "sacred" place where an "energy" is felt
The veneration was not limited to Castro himself. It also extended to the place where he was born.
Castro Smirnov described Birán as a "sacred place" and asserted that there is a different atmosphere there. " You can breathe a different air, and you feel an energy," he stated.
The comment is striking because he immediately introduced his status as a scientist as a counterpoint to that perception.
I am a scientist, right? But well, scientists also have our spiritual moments, he explained.
At another time, he stated that in Birán "there is a refreshing air," and he attributed that feeling, at least partially, to the passion of those who continue to admire Fidel Castro and the understanding that " this is where it all began."
"With flowers and without questions"
It is precisely that language that makes his warning about the risk of turning Fidel Castro into a "statue" particularly significant.
Castro Smirnov suggested that the centennial celebration should not reduce his grandfather to a figure admired "from a distance, with flowers and without questions," and advocated for the new generations to keep his ideas alive.
However, the interview itself was built around an extraordinarily reverential image of the deceased ruler.
Castro Smirnov introduced his grandfather as a scientist, researcher, visionary, advocate for education and biotechnology, nuclear strategist, and a man capable of achieving what others deemed impossible.
Even when discussing young Cubans who did not personally know Castro, he stated that they "respect him, admire him, and care for him," and pointed out that it is the responsibility of his generation "not to let him die" in the year of his centenary.
The speech reflects the persistence of a political construction around the figure of Castro that for decades was fueled by the Cuban official apparatus through speeches, slogans, images, and a constant presence of the dictator in public life.
The paradox of the interview is encapsulated in Castro Smirnov's own words: he asks to avoid the veneration of a Fidel turned into a "statue" while describing his grandfather as a "genius," transforming his birthplace into a "sacred" space and assuring that he carries him in his "mind," his "blood," and his "conscience."
A veneration that, in his own words, he hopes will continue even during the "second centenary" of Fidel Castro.
Filed under: