Fidel Castro Makes Rare Public Appearance, Meets Cheesemakers


A rare public appearance by Fidel Castro made headlines over the weekend. The former Cuban dictator who turned power over to his brother in the last few years has been one who has been out of the public eye since the handover. These days, Fidel Castro is something more of a legendary figure and that is why his meeting with 19 cheese masters for four hours on Friday has caused such a stir.

Fidel Castro’s meeting with these people was the first time he was seen out and about in months, and appears to be as much about showing people he’s still around than anything else. So why would he spend one of his rare public appearances on something like meeting with cheesemakers? As Euro News points out, this wasn’t a wasted rare public appearance for Fidel Castro. The dictator actually has quite a love of cheesemaking. Reports indicate Fidel Castro showed a great deal of interest in the techniques these masters used in order to make their cheese.

Saying this was a rare public appearance doesn’t really do the situation justice. While this was the first time he was out and about in months, the time before that, he went nearly a year before anyone but those closest to him saw him. Fidel Castro isn’t exactly a hermit, he’s simply an aging world leader who doesn’t handle public scrutiny as well as he used to. If you asked Fidel Castro why he finds it important to stay out of sight, he’d likely tell some story about one of his legendary foes trying to get him. There are plenty of legends about Fidel Castro out there. The problem is that it’s pretty hard to sort the real stories from those that have been told to build up his legend. Was he a kind and caring leader who just wanted the most for his people? Or was he a man who was so corrupt, he was running a trade operation through Cuba, “like a Godfather.”

The rare public appearance by the former revolutionary leads to more questions about what role he is playing in public policy. Is he someone who can still weigh in as a leader on issues like reestablishing ties with the United States? Or is he someone who is relegated to something like meeting with cheese masters? Questions like this are why rare public appearances by Fidel Castro are still making plenty of news.

[Photo by Jorge Rey/Getty Images]

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