August 1, 2006
Exiles in Miami Rejoice After Castro Cedes Presidency
By TERRY AGUAYO and CHRISTINE HAUSER
MIAMI, Aug. 1 — Cuban exiles reacted with exuberance at the news that Fidel Castro had temporarily ceded power to his brother late Monday night, taking to the streets, dancing and honking their car horns in celebration that decades of authoritarian control in Cuba was coming to an end.
But today, the initial joy turned mostly to uncertainty as Cubans paused and considered the unanswered questions: why did Mr. Castro himself not appear to announce his illness? Was he alive or dead? What would the future bring for families with loved ones in Cuban prisons, or for those with executed relatives in the grave?
These and other questions were discussed today over strong Cuban coffee at the Versailles, a popular street side cafe in Miami’s Little Havana. On normal days, the Versailles bustles with activity along busy Eighth Street, or Calle Ocho, as it is known to exiles.
“Oh my God, this is really something!” said Felipe Mendez, 69, who left Cuba in 1980. “We are all waiting to see what is going to happen,” he said. “I am afraid it will be a while before we know. But we are excited to know something drastic may be happening.”
A statement read on Cuban television, and today posted on Web sites, said that Mr. Castro had turned over power to his brother after his health “was subjected to extreme stress and broke down.”
The statement, published in English today on the Miami Herald Web site, said that the incident provoked an “acute intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding that obliged me to face a complicated surgical operation.”
Mr. Castro himself did not appear on the broadcast, a detail that many here thought was unusual, saying that in the past he has personally announced issues about his health. It marked the first time that Mr. Castro, who is almost 80, had relinquished power in 47 years of rule.
Mr. Castro handed power to his brother, Raul Castro, who is been the constitutional successor.
At the Versailles, Cubans came and went, sipping coffee, listening to the speculation and sharing their thoughts. Some had hopes for the future, others remembered relatives and friends oppressed or executed. Many speculated that Mr. Castro was already dead and that the authorities wanted time to prepare people for the loss in a slow transition.
Many of those gathered at Versailles today had made the escape, like thousands before and after them, from Cuba across the Florida Straits to the Florida shores. The exodus has made south Florida the place with the largest population of Cuban exiles. More than 833,000 Cubans live in Florida, most of them in Miami-Dade county, according to a 2000 census.At the Versailles, Mario Valle, 66, a retired business owner who came from Cuba in 1973, said Cuban exiles have been waiting for the news for a “very, very, very long time.”
“I thought I was going to die last night,” he said. “There is no other solution for Cuba other than Fidel’s death.”
For those born in Miami, the events had resonance through the generations. “It means a lot to my family,” said Christian Lopez, a 23-year old man who was born in Miami to exiled parents. “I have been waiting for this my whole life.”
Like others, Mr. Lopez surmised that Mr. Castro was either dead or dying “but they are not ready to make it public.”
Many were cautiously optimistic.
“I am taking it with a grain of salt,” said Marcos Gonzalez, 60. “It is not a final thing yet but it may be the beginning of the end.”
In Cuba itself, many kept up a brave face. Musicians kept playing for foreign tourists at outdoor cafes and signs put up on the plaza’s colonial buildings during the recent Cuban holiday said, “Live on Fidel, for 80 more,’’ according to The Associated Press.
A transfer of power to Mr. Castro’s brother Raul, the defense minister, does not mean that Cuba is on the brink of change.
“It is certain that their plan is for there to be a transfer from one dictator to another,” Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida said in a television interview. “I hope the voices of freedom will come forward.”
In Miami, Cubans exiles live in a tight community. Many have left family members behind, started from scratch in the United States, or had friends or family executed or imprisoned for speaking up against the government. Some have not seen family members for 40 years.
Monica Suarez, a 57-year old housewife, who came to the United States from Cuba 32 years ago, said she hoped dark days under Mr. Castro, one of the world’s longest running rulers, were soon over. “You can only expect us to celebrate,” she said. “He has been a tyrant who has oppressed our people for 47 years.”
Terry Aguayo reported from Miami for this article and Christine Hauser from New York.
ing *BEAUTIFUL* from what I've seen of it, and I'd love to be able to travel there the way my grandparents and mother did when she was young (mid 1950's at the latest).
O