As a Cuban exile and as a woman I feel anger

Alina Fernandez

Born as a result of Castro's summer affair with his comrade, Natalia Revuelta, Alina Fernandez is now amongst her father's biggest critics.

"I am a mother, a Cuban and an exiled person and that is the way that I feel. It's been a long time since I felt like a daughter," she asserted.

Anger

Through her radio talk show, entitled Simplemente Alina - Simply Alina, she aims to give a mainstream voice to exiled Cubans living in America.

By allowing callers to talk freely about the issues that affect them, Ms Fernandez openly tackles the consequences of her father's strict regime.

In her memoirs Fernandez recalls her father as a 'big man with a hairy face '

"This is a simple show," she explained. "I try to have guests to learn from and we talk about Cuban history."

"As a Cuban exile and as a woman I feel anger. He [Castro] is the cause for why I am in America - it's the same reason as many other exiles."

Ms Fernandez was 10 years old when she was told that the bearded man who regularly visited, "stinking" of cigar smoke was her father.

"I remember him then as a shy and tender big man with a hairy face," she recalled.

However, she became increasingly aware of her country's problems and suspicious of her father's involvement.

"I had people standing in line waiting to give me letters for him.

They had many problems and so it made the visits a little suspicious and I began to think that perhaps everything wasn't right in my country."

Escape

Raised by her mother, she recalls how despite his absence from the family home, her authoritative father's regime still shaped her life.

"In Cuba he was almost like God. He was omnipresent - when he wasn't at home, he was on TV."

As an adult Ms Fernandez seized every opportunity she could to speak out against her father.

"Any time that I could denounce something I did," she said

Revolution broke families

Alina Fernandez

Then in 1993, armed with false papers and disguised as a Spanish tourist, she escaped from Cuba.

"I landed in America at the end of the year," she explained.

"As Christmas is a dead time for news, the media helped me and I was able to put some public pressure on to get my daughter out."

Homecoming

Fury at her father's regime may have initially driven her from her homeland, but Ms Fernandez is certain that one day she will return.

"I hope that every Cuban out of Cuba will go back," she asserted.

"We have a lot of experience to bring back. We have a lot of will to rebuild the country."