CUBA: Eight-year-old Fidel fan, Marlon Mendez, delighted to chat with former Cuban president in person

Record ID: 174268

  • Title: CUBA: Eight-year-old Fidel fan, Marlon Mendez, delighted to chat with former Cuban president in person
  • Date: 25th August 2014
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MARLON MENDEZ, YOUNG FIDEL CASTRO FAN, SAYING: "I put up all of these photos by standing on top of my bed and I put them up with my Dad and my grandmother." MEMOIR BY FIDEL CASTRO TITLED, STRATEGIC VICTORY: THE WAR AGAINST BATISTA IN THE SIERRA MAESTRA THAT CASTRO SIGNED AND GAVE TO MENDEZ FIDEL CASTRO'S AUTOGRAPH INSIDE MEMOIR
  • Embargoed: 9th September 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Cuba
  • Country: Cuba
  • Topics: Domestic Politics,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA21DJMUBFQN914AR5G1KH1GCD3
  • Story Text: A dream came true for eight-year-old Marlon Mendez when he received an invitation to meet his hero, former Cuban president Fidel Castro, in his Havana home.
    Marlon, who lives with his family in San Antonio de Los Banos, about 30 km (18 miles) west of Havana, has decorated his bedroom wall with dozens of pictures of the man who led the Cuban Revolution and ousted U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

    "I put up all of these photos by standing on top of my bed and I put them up with my Dad and my grandmother," he said.
    Marlon and his family went to visit Castro on August 16, upon receiving an invitation from the retired leader.
    Fidel gave his young admirer a signed copy of his memoir, 'Strategic Victory: The War Against Batista in the Sierra Maestra'.
    Marlon, who likes to don green fatigues, army boots and a cap as Castro once did, explained how the meeting was a dream come true.

    "I felt very moved because it was my dream, when I saw himmy mother was shaking, she was crying, tears were falling. It was my dream to meet Fidel, we all gave him a hug," he said.
    Marlon was first featured on Cuban television on August 12, a day before Castro's 88th birthday. After Marlon appeared in the media, first on Cuban television and later in Reuters photographs, his family received the invitation.
    The boy's grandmother, Maria Elvira Hernandez, said they talked about a wide range of issues with the former president.

    "Eighty-eight years are 88 years. But a lot fo 88-year-olds would like to be like him. The Comandante stood up when we came in and greeted Marlon in the same way that Marlon greeted him. We had a nice talk with him, and in addition to talking about agriculture, we talked about issues such as the population of other countries, the coup in Venezuela, a lot about Venezuela, about the population growth. We talked about many interesting topics. We want Fidel around for a lot longer," said Hernandez, who sewed her grandson's Fidel-inspired olive green military fatigues.
    Fidel Castro stepped down in favor of his brother Raul Castro for health reasons in 2008 after 49 years in power. He now lives on the western outskirts of Havana with his wife, Dalia Soto del Valle, near his sons and grandchildren where he studies, writes and receives visitors.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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