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CUBA
NEWS
The
Miami Herald
Castro 'all in one piece' after fall
Anita Snow, Associated Press.
Posted on Thu, Oct. 21, 2004.
HAVANA - Cuban President Fidel Castro tripped
and fell after leaving the stage at a graduation
ceremony, fracturing a knee and arm but
later returning to say that he was "all
in one piece."
Castro's off-camera tumble after a Wednesday
night speech in the central city of Santa
Clara was certain to launch a new round
of speculation about the 78-year-old communist
leader's health after 45 years of rule.
A medical examination early Thursday confirmed
that Castro suffered a broken left knee
and a hairline fracture in his upper right
arm, said an official notice read early
Thursday on state television. Castro asked
that the note be made public, the statement
said.
Castro spoke live on state television Wednesday
night less than a minute after his fall,
telling viewers across the island of 11.2
million peoples that he felt like he had
broken his knee and perhaps his arm - "but
I am all in one piece."
"I will do what is possible to recover
as fast as possible, but as you can see
I can still talk," he said, sweating
profusely into his olive green uniform as
he sat in a folding chair. "Even if
they put me in a cast, I can continue in
my work."
An Associated Press photographer at the
scene said Castro tripped on a concrete
step after he finished walking down the
stairs from the stage, then fell onto the
ground on his right side, first hitting
his knee and hip and then his elbow and
arm.
He was immediately surrounded by scores
of security agents and others who rushed
to help him up.
The note aired Thursday morning said Castro
express thanks "for the innumerable
expressions of concern and solidarity from
the people."
"His general health is good, and is
in excellent spirits," the note said.
"He asked for calm, considering that
very soon he will be back in place."
Castro was earlier seen leaving Santa Clara,
about a three-hour drive east of Havana,
in his regular black Mercedes Benz sedan.
Television viewers could not see what happened
after Castro wrapped up the speech at a
graduation ceremony for arts instructors.
Television viewers only saw several of his
security men running off to the side, evidently
to assist him.
As he has grown older, Castro's knees have
seemed more wobbly, his step less steady.
Nevertheless, he maintains a busy schedule
that frequently includes all-night meetings
with aides and visitors.
Castro's health has long been closely watched
- particularly by his political enemies
in Miami, home to a large Cuban exile community.
Such speculation was particularly fierce
three years ago when he apparently fainted
during a speech under a scorching Caribbean
summer sun before a crowd of thousands.
Many people burst into tears after watching
Cuba's commander in chief start to collapse
behind the podium several hours into that
speech on June 23, 2001.
Castro returned minutes later to assure
people in the audience - and millions more
watching it live on television - that he
was fine.
But the incident prompted many average
Cubans to reflect for the first time on
their leader's mortality and the future
of their country after he dies.
The Wednesday night incident seemed far
less serious.
Castro on Wednesday asked Cubans to forgive
him for "any suffering this may have
caused."
Castro noted the presence of international
photographers and television camera crews
at the event.
"The international press has captured
it and surely tomorrow it will be on the
front pages of the newspapers," said
Castro.
He then encouraged those at the event to
continue with their televised musical program,
which they did.
Cuban's cargo ride to America another
extreme in risk-taking
A woman who shipped herself
to Miami was just one in a long line of
Cubans who have risked their lives for the
lure of America.
By Andrea Rodriguez, Associated
Press. Posted on Thu, Oct. 21, 2004.
HAVANA - Sandra de los Santos became famous
this summer when she left Cuba for the Bahamas
and then, after a brief disappearance, climbed
out of a wooden cargo crate in Miami. Her
odyssey was one of the more creative ways
that a Cuban has tried to reach the United
States in recent years.
De los Santos was allowed to stay. Weeks
after the journey, those who know her in
Havana are still just as shocked as the
U.S. authorities who were forced to acknowledge
a gaping hole in border security.
''I couldn't even watch the videos people
brought showing her being interviewed there,''
said Milena Chacón, who lives next
door to de los Santos' apartment building
in the central neighborhood of Casino.
De los Santos, 23, tucked herself inside
a wooden crate that was flown by a cargo
plane from the Bahamas to Miami on Aug.
24.
Her family knew de los Santos had traveled
to the Bahamas from Cuba weeks earlier,
though they didn't know how she paid for
the trip. They also had no idea she had
her eyes on U.S. shores.
De los Santos was raised by her 90-year-old
grandmother, whom she has called frequently.
Sister Oyaima described a responsible, warm
woman who helped keep the family together.
''She set up this home,'' Oyaima said from
the family's apartment. "She is a very
good girl, sweet and loving.''
Evelinne Suárez, the family's doctor
and a former schoolmate, said de los Santos
was intelligent and reserved -- and a survivor.
She had begun working on a law degree but
never finished, Suárez said. She
said her urge to leave was understandable.
''Why did she go? There are many young
people who want to go,'' Suárez said.
"In Cuba, they don't see the fruit
of their efforts, of their labor.''
De los Santos is not the first Cuban stowaway,
but she's among the luckier ones.
In January 2001, two teenage Cuban military
cadets tucked themselves into the belly
of a plane they thought was heading to the
United States. Their frozen bodies were
found when the plane landed in London.
A dozen other Cubans, including children,
made headlines in July 2003 when the U.S.
Coast Guard spotted them floating on a 1951
Chevrolet pickup truck converted to a pontoon
boat. They were sent back to Cuba. Under
the so-called ''wet foot, dry foot'' policy,
Cubans who reach U.S. land are usually allowed
to stay, while most picked up at sea are
returned home.
In a second try in February on a 1959 Buick,
most of the would-be migrants were sent
home again, though a couple and their 4-year-old
son were sent to the U.S. naval base at
Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, pending investigation
of their political asylum claims.
Afro-Cuban culture is celebrated
Afro-Cuban dance troupe
Ife Ile performed Saturday at the Miami-Dade
Public Library as part of the many events
and exhibitions being featured during Hispanic
Heritage Month.
By Yolanda Sanchez, U/Miami
News Service. Posted on Thu, Oct. 21, 2004.
Laughing aloud, Neri Torres grabbed the
bottom of her golden-colored dress and twirled
seductively, flirting with the audience
as her bare feet kept pace with the rhythm
of the drums.
She is Ochun, the Yoruba goddess of love,
Torres explained prior to her performance
Saturday at Miami-Dade County's Main Library.
"Ochun is all women. She is mother
and daughter.''
The afternoon was filled with dance and
cultural information provided by Ife Ile,
the Afro-Cuban dance troupe that has taken
on a mission to promote Afro-Cuban culture
throughout South Florida.
''It is important to promote the culture
as we are part of the Hispanic community,''
Torres said. ''We are a minority inside
a minority,'' she said estimating that only
about 20 percent of Florida's Cuban population
is of African descent.
"Our job is to educate people and
support all of the happenings of the community.''
Torres, who began dancing at the age of
12 in Havana, formed the group in Miami
in 1994. Two years later she officially
founded the organization to promote and
develop cross-cultural understanding. The
group consists of 11 dancers and six musicians,
who also have toured with singer Gloria
Estefan, Torres said.
During Saturday's performance, a CD player
provided the music for the four Ife Ile
dancers who entertained an audience of about
40 at the library, 101 W. Flagler St. The
presentation was one in a series of programs
the library is sponsoring during October
to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Other
activities include lectures, plays, book
readings, cooking lessons and a pre-Columbian
Caribbean exhibition entitled "Taino.''
''We are really into diversity in the Miami-Dade
public library because we are providing
services to all areas,'' said Marivi Prado,
marketing and media relations coordinator
for the library.
Ife Ile's performance was featured in the
library's main auditorium, which is showcasing
the photography exhibit ''Presenting Celia
Cruz.'' Enveloped by photos of the salsa
diva, the group performed dances such as
the Son Montuno, which Torres explains,
is known as "the father of salsa.''
The Son Montuno is danced in a different
beat then the salsa, the downbeat, said
Torres. Because people could not hear this
down beat, they created the salsa that is
known today, Torres said.
When the dancers performed the rumba, which
Torres calls ''the heartbeat of Cuban music,''
Torres guided the audience to clap in sync
with the beat. By the end of the one-hour
performance the audience joined in a conga
line then danced in a circle, lifting one
leg and hopping to the center of the circle
with the other.
''I learned a lot about my roots that I
did not know,'' said Delia Bugallo, a resident
of Coconut Grove who came to Miami from
Cuba, 35 years ago. ''I am prouder today
then I was yesterday,'' she added.
Hispanic Heritage Month events continue
at libraries throughout Miami-Dade. For
information, call 305-375-BOOK or visit
www.mdpls.org.
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