WEBVTT - Being Home

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<v Speaker 1>It is July fourteen, in the year two thousand in Cuba.

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<v Speaker 1>The scene is green and lush, a home with trees

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<v Speaker 1>and grass all around. A black Mercedes in a caravan

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<v Speaker 1>pulls up and out of it emerges Fidel Castro, long

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<v Speaker 1>salt and pepper beard hair comes back o the green

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<v Speaker 1>military jacket. Elian's family awaits him inside the home. Smiling.

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<v Speaker 1>Fidel kisses the woman when he greets them, he puts

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<v Speaker 1>the children on the head, and then he gets to Elian,

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<v Speaker 1>the first time he has ever met the famous boy.

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<v Speaker 1>Elian is gripping his father's hand, standing close to him.

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<v Speaker 1>His mouth is slightly open, his eyes wide, his attention

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<v Speaker 1>and fixed looking up.

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<v Speaker 2>At I have heard a lot about you, Phidel tells Ilanne,

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<v Speaker 2>speaking in a soft boys crouching down to be closer

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<v Speaker 2>to the.

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<v Speaker 1>Child, to monson, I'm a friend of your dad. Did

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<v Speaker 1>you know that? Elien shakes his head now. Ellien's mouth

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<v Speaker 1>is still open, like he knows something big is happening,

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<v Speaker 1>and then Videl cracks a joke about a baby in

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<v Speaker 1>a diaper. Alien's younger brother, I can see you. It

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<v Speaker 1>is playful, and the family laughs. Elien does two some

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<v Speaker 1>of his teeth are missing, like a regular six year

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<v Speaker 1>old boy. He looks at is now his trains to

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<v Speaker 1>look up at the tall man in the green jacket.

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<v Speaker 1>This moment feels revealing to me. The pastor of Elian

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<v Speaker 1>so little looking up tall in passing Fidel looking down.

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<v Speaker 1>Elian was back in Cua, the island where Fidel was

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<v Speaker 1>not just a political leader, but also the person who

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<v Speaker 1>controlled the media, public conversation, and sometimes, as I have experienced,

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<v Speaker 1>even talks within families remembered throughout the ordeal. Alien's dad

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<v Speaker 1>always said the same thing. He wanted Elian back in Cua.

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<v Speaker 1>I know there is a controversy about Juamuel's true motivations,

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<v Speaker 1>but I do get white man so much. There is

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<v Speaker 1>something about standing on the soil where you were born,

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<v Speaker 1>about bathing in your homeland. It is a wish so

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<v Speaker 1>many of US Cubans still long for. I am Penny,

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<v Speaker 1>later Metz and this is chess peace. The Elian Gonzalez

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<v Speaker 1>Story a production of Futura Studios in partnership with Iheart's

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<v Speaker 1>Michael Duda podcast network. In the US, Elian was constantly

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<v Speaker 1>followed by cameras, but back in Cuba, he was mostly

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<v Speaker 1>a normal kid again, mostly because there were moments like

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<v Speaker 1>when he turned ten, when there was a big birthday

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<v Speaker 1>celebration at his school, Elian sang and in the front

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<v Speaker 1>row Videl Gastro looking proud. To be clear as I

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<v Speaker 1>can remember, no other kid in Cuba, not even Castro's

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<v Speaker 1>aunt sons, ever had a public celebration of their birthday

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<v Speaker 1>with Castro attending. After Castro's speech, the school children chanted

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<v Speaker 1>his name. Back in Miami, Cuban Americans cringed at Fidel

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<v Speaker 1>and Alien's friendship, but.

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<v Speaker 3>Also them on his wing. It was a shining star

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<v Speaker 3>of the revolution. Elian became all of a sudden, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>because Fideo had one. And that's what's so hurtful for

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<v Speaker 3>us in Miami.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Alina mayoas the veteran Miami journalist you heard

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<v Speaker 1>from earlier in the series.

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<v Speaker 4>You know, they keep him happy, and he's a symbol

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<v Speaker 4>that it was good to stay, that it was good

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<v Speaker 4>not to kind of abandon your homeland.

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<v Speaker 1>And here is Cuban American historian Alfere talking about older Aliens.

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<v Speaker 4>The whole thing is just so sad, right like, because

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<v Speaker 4>what does it mean that he says he wants to

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<v Speaker 4>stay in Cuba. What does that mean? You know, in

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<v Speaker 4>what Cuba? Does he want to stay? He lives very well,

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<v Speaker 4>I think so would he say that if he was

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<v Speaker 4>living like a majority of people. I'm not sure.

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<v Speaker 1>Some of the Cuban Americans we interviewed bilieve Elian has

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<v Speaker 1>received a special treatment from the Kuban government, but the

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<v Speaker 1>extent of the peruks Alian's family received from Fidel Castro

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<v Speaker 1>is hard to say. Because the Quban government denied me

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<v Speaker 1>a journalist visa, I wasn't able to interview Alian to

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<v Speaker 1>ask him directly about this. But what we do know

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<v Speaker 1>is that Elian and his family went on a two

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<v Speaker 1>month government sponsored vacasion when the boy returned to Cuba,

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<v Speaker 1>and that when Alian's home floated in a hurricane, they

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<v Speaker 1>were moved to a much larger house. The government also

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<v Speaker 1>provided bodyguards for Alian, which he described as some of

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<v Speaker 1>his best friends in childhood. But Delian's father went back

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<v Speaker 1>to work as a bartender. I even saw him working

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<v Speaker 1>once in Barradero while I was on vacation with my family.

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<v Speaker 1>He seemed like any other person, and Elian went back

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<v Speaker 1>to the same public school he attended before leaving Cuba.

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<v Speaker 1>Despite the occasional attention. Eliam seemed to live a relatively

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<v Speaker 1>normal life. He went to college where he studied industrial engineering.

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<v Speaker 5>When I was a professor in the university and I

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<v Speaker 5>would see him, it was very encouraging to see that

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<v Speaker 5>apparently he didn't have any special attention. He would behave

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<v Speaker 5>like a normal student. You could actually miss him because

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<v Speaker 5>there was no special treatment towards him.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Harold Cardinas, the Cuban journalists you have heard

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<v Speaker 1>in previous episodes.

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<v Speaker 5>He was very discreet, he was very shy. I was

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<v Speaker 5>in the trivenal took his final test in the philosophy class,

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<v Speaker 5>and I remember him sitting there taking the test, and

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<v Speaker 5>when I said the grade that wasn't the highest grade,

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<v Speaker 5>I saw him look at me and he seemed like

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<v Speaker 5>he felt he was fair.

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<v Speaker 1>Eleen eventually fell in love and had a daughter. He

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<v Speaker 1>got a job at a government tourism company, and in

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<v Speaker 1>twenty twenty three he got into politics, serving in the

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<v Speaker 1>Kuban Congress.

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<v Speaker 3>That's what the exile community feared that once he's over there,

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<v Speaker 3>as much as we didn't want to use him as

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<v Speaker 3>a political pawn, that's what Fidel was going to do,

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<v Speaker 3>and that's exactly what happened.

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<v Speaker 1>In interviews, Elean has insisted that his heart is in Cuba,

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<v Speaker 1>that he's there because he wants to be. This is

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<v Speaker 1>him as a young adult in a television show in

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<v Speaker 1>Ecuador called La Cajale Pandora Alemjardo made in Peru. Another

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<v Speaker 1>child may have chosen material things provided by the Empire,

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<v Speaker 1>he said, as a child, I attended the Lianza in

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<v Speaker 1>public school system in Cuba, so I am not surprised

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<v Speaker 1>to hear Eliani us in terms like the Empire to

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<v Speaker 1>refer to the United States. Whether or not you think

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<v Speaker 1>this is an accurate way to describe the US is

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<v Speaker 1>beside the point. It is definitely language that is part

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<v Speaker 1>of our political education, or some might say in doctrination

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<v Speaker 1>in Cuba. It was printed in the school books we

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<v Speaker 1>all needed to study and memorize. In the same interview

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<v Speaker 1>in Ecuador, Elian talked about why he preferred to stay

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<v Speaker 1>in Cuba. Don't came REFERI fendela. But on the other hand,

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<v Speaker 1>I chose to be with my father and the and

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<v Speaker 1>the revolution. He also went on to say, fight for justice,

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<v Speaker 1>liberty and world peace. Again, I remember this language from

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<v Speaker 1>my own classes in Cuba, defending the revolution, fighting for justice.

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<v Speaker 1>On paper, it sounds nice, right. The problem is that

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<v Speaker 1>the same government who teaches the terms to its kids

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<v Speaker 1>also expects them to stay quiet about the lack of

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<v Speaker 1>press freedom and to never criticize the elections that confirmed

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<v Speaker 1>the same Cuban Communist Party over and over again for

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<v Speaker 1>over six decades. Elean is aware that if he had

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<v Speaker 1>made it to the US with his mother alive, he

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<v Speaker 1>would have a different life. In one of the handful

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<v Speaker 1>of interviews Elien has given as an adult, he was

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<v Speaker 1>emotional when thinking about what could have been.

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<v Speaker 6>She iota bass on you.

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<v Speaker 1>If she had not died, maybe I would be in

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<v Speaker 1>the United States and I would be coming to Cure

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<v Speaker 1>frequently to visit my father. But that is not how

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<v Speaker 1>his life turned out. He had to work within the

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<v Speaker 1>choices or lack of them, that he had as a child,

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<v Speaker 1>and Alien says that in Miami, when he was separated

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<v Speaker 1>from his father, he had no choices at all. When

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<v Speaker 1>asked about his time in the US, Ellen has said

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<v Speaker 1>he was kidnapped.

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<v Speaker 6>Joe to the.

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<v Speaker 1>American this is a lean as a young adult. In

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<v Speaker 1>the same interview with the media in Ecuador, but he

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<v Speaker 1>says he's thankful for the other Americans who pushed for

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<v Speaker 1>his return to his father. The raid when Elian was

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<v Speaker 1>taking from the Miami house was a distressing event for

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<v Speaker 1>a young child, but it was also what led him

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<v Speaker 1>to be reunited with his father. To Elian, the raid

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<v Speaker 1>was not the betrayal that it was for Cuban exiles

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<v Speaker 1>in Miami.

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<v Speaker 3>We fought so hard to keep the boy here.

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<v Speaker 1>Here is Alena again, the Miami based journalist. Years after

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<v Speaker 1>Elean returned to Cuba, she maintained hope he would eventually

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<v Speaker 1>be back in Miami.

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<v Speaker 3>Cami naive. I always thought that little boy, somebody put

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<v Speaker 3>a little seed in him, you know, and that seed

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<v Speaker 3>was going to one day sprout. I thought one day

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<v Speaker 3>he would say enough of this. I know how much

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<v Speaker 3>they loved me in Miami.

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<v Speaker 1>But now with Elean as an adult, the hope has

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<v Speaker 1>greatly diminished.

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<v Speaker 3>Though possibility every year dims even more because of the circumstances,

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<v Speaker 3>because of the things he has said. You know that

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<v Speaker 3>he doesn't believe in God. If he did, the only

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<v Speaker 3>God he believed in was Fidel.

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<v Speaker 1>This is true, by the way. In the twenty seventeen

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<v Speaker 1>c And documentary Elian said, no.

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<v Speaker 6>Profession Pero de Seluel, But I meanel.

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<v Speaker 1>It wasn't the first time he said this, Just like

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<v Speaker 1>people spoke about his father being pressured by the Cuban

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<v Speaker 1>government more than twenty years ago. Many Miami Cubans now

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<v Speaker 1>seem to think the same of Ilian Joe Kemucho's I

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<v Speaker 1>know many think I'm brainwashed, Lean said in the twenty

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<v Speaker 1>seventeen Ciena documentary.

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<v Speaker 6>Pero and and went to Meatli.

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<v Speaker 1>But if I wanted to leave this island, I could go.

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<v Speaker 1>Elean knows people think he will controlled by Fidel Castro.

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<v Speaker 1>He has said it in interviews before, not for ame,

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<v Speaker 1>but Elian said the relationship was just a friendship. He

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<v Speaker 1>has also said he has a lot of gratitude for Castro.

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<v Speaker 1>Here is Ada Ferede again, the Queban American historian.

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<v Speaker 4>It just shows this insistence on hanging on to to

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<v Speaker 4>these platitudes and to these old categories on either side,

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<v Speaker 4>because in Miami too, I mean, like it's either God

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<v Speaker 4>or the devil. But come on, that's not that's not

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<v Speaker 4>what history is, right.

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<v Speaker 1>And then recently, Elian said something in an interview with

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<v Speaker 1>Cuban media that really moved me. Ua for.

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<v Speaker 7>San Diego, that it will be cowardly of him to

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<v Speaker 7>leave Cuba. Yo, he said, I owe the Cuban people something.

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<v Speaker 1>They fought hard for me to be with my father.

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<v Speaker 1>It will be hypocritical for me to leave. This shows

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<v Speaker 1>there is another level of complexity here. Dailian feels in

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<v Speaker 1>debt to his own people. Maybe it's not so much

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<v Speaker 1>about Castro, but that it would feel wrong to leave

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<v Speaker 1>after a whole country fought for his return. I would

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<v Speaker 1>love to have asked him about this, but I could not.

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<v Speaker 1>I was not authorized by the same government. He defends

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<v Speaker 1>in the same interview he went a step further and

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<v Speaker 1>if I don't fight for Cuba, how will I fight

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<v Speaker 1>for us to be better? But in reality, despite the

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<v Speaker 1>land's convictions, things have not improved in Cuba for many

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<v Speaker 1>people from his and my generation. Most of the kids

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<v Speaker 1>I grew up within Cuba have left. Most of my

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<v Speaker 1>family is now out of the island. I could visit

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<v Speaker 1>all the people I know in Cuba just on a

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<v Speaker 1>weekend trip, and I'm not alone. Ten percent of the

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<v Speaker 1>island's population. More than a million people left. Between twenty

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<v Speaker 1>twenty two and twenty twenty.

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<v Speaker 5>Three, Cuba saw its largest departure of people last year

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<v Speaker 5>since Fidel Castro's revolution in the nineteen fifties.

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<v Speaker 1>Agricultural production on the island dramatically decreased after COVID and

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<v Speaker 1>stricter US sanctions have made it difficult for the country

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<v Speaker 1>to import for supplies. This created big shortages in La

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<v Speaker 1>Padago Can. I will not turn by back on Cuba,

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<v Speaker 1>Elian said in a recent interview with Cuban Press. We

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<v Speaker 1>must fight for it here. Listening to Alian makes me

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<v Speaker 1>think of how once I felt that way too, when

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<v Speaker 1>I was just a kid. How I once, many years ago,

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<v Speaker 1>before I knew anything about the world outside of my island,

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<v Speaker 1>also believed in the propaganda. How I once believed that

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<v Speaker 1>defending the revolution was to defend my country. Now I

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<v Speaker 1>know my country and its government are different things. I

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<v Speaker 1>can love Cuba without defending its government, and even still

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<v Speaker 1>I long for the days when I lived and breathed

0:16:41.120 --> 0:16:44.800
<v Speaker 1>and loved in my homeland, just like Elean is doing now.

0:16:45.720 --> 0:16:50.280
<v Speaker 1>I see his interviews and he's so Cuban, his mannerisms,

0:16:50.400 --> 0:16:56.000
<v Speaker 1>his accent, that things he says they also Kuanimo, something

0:16:56.080 --> 0:17:00.000
<v Speaker 1>that far from my homeland. I sometimes fear has been

0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:33.399
<v Speaker 1>taking from me or not?

0:17:33.440 --> 0:17:33.680
<v Speaker 7>Really?

0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:37.320
<v Speaker 1>Another important would you like to be more Cuban? I

0:17:37.359 --> 0:17:41.320
<v Speaker 1>asked my ten year old Santiago. Santiago goes by Tago.

0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:45.520
<v Speaker 1>He's a sensitive and smart boy who loves to play soccer,

0:17:45.920 --> 0:17:50.959
<v Speaker 1>listen to rock music, and practice his drums every day.

0:17:52.359 --> 0:17:58.040
<v Speaker 1>And what would you like about being more Cuban? I asked?

0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:02.280
<v Speaker 1>Well to be the cue to start with. Tago was

0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:06.160
<v Speaker 1>born and has grown up mostly in Mexico. Last time

0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:09.720
<v Speaker 1>I visited Cuba, I was pregnant with him. My other

0:18:09.880 --> 0:18:12.400
<v Speaker 1>son was a toddler all the time, so he has

0:18:12.440 --> 0:18:21.200
<v Speaker 1>no memories of that busy either. Lunga, I don't feel

0:18:21.280 --> 0:18:23.840
<v Speaker 1>very Cuban because I have never been to Cuba, he

0:18:23.920 --> 0:18:31.520
<v Speaker 1>tells me. Sea. I tell him, you have been to Cuba,

0:18:31.640 --> 0:18:35.520
<v Speaker 1>but he says inside my Tommy doesn't count. Of all

0:18:35.560 --> 0:18:38.480
<v Speaker 1>the things that make me proud of Santiago is that,

0:18:38.600 --> 0:18:41.879
<v Speaker 1>even at his young age, he's able to recognize and

0:18:41.960 --> 0:18:48.240
<v Speaker 1>express his opinion, even to adults and even to me. Cula,

0:18:48.800 --> 0:18:52.680
<v Speaker 1>I have never seen Cuba. Tago is right. He has

0:18:52.760 --> 0:18:56.000
<v Speaker 1>never seen the place where I was born. Tago has

0:18:56.040 --> 0:18:58.840
<v Speaker 1>not walked in my beautiful Havana where I spent my

0:18:58.960 --> 0:19:02.520
<v Speaker 1>life until I was born teen. I left Cuba because

0:19:02.520 --> 0:19:05.240
<v Speaker 1>I wanted to be closer to my dad, my mom,

0:19:05.320 --> 0:19:08.640
<v Speaker 1>who also left my brothers, and the rest of my family.

0:19:10.600 --> 0:19:15.240
<v Speaker 1>But it came with a price, very limited access to Cuba,

0:19:15.440 --> 0:19:18.640
<v Speaker 1>to the place that once was home. I can visit

0:19:18.680 --> 0:19:22.080
<v Speaker 1>the island as a tourist, not as a journalist, but

0:19:22.359 --> 0:19:25.320
<v Speaker 1>even as a tourist, I suspect the government could be

0:19:25.440 --> 0:19:29.040
<v Speaker 1>monitoring my work or my Twitter account, and I can

0:19:29.160 --> 0:19:32.520
<v Speaker 1>be called in for questioning while on the island. To

0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:35.240
<v Speaker 1>be honest, I have been a bit scared to go

0:19:35.359 --> 0:19:38.840
<v Speaker 1>back for that reason. But I was excited to visit

0:19:38.880 --> 0:19:50.200
<v Speaker 1>Cuba for this podcast. My husband and my sons even

0:19:50.240 --> 0:19:54.440
<v Speaker 1>wanted to come along. Jorge, my oldest who goes by Koke,

0:19:55.200 --> 0:19:56.440
<v Speaker 1>was looking forward to it.

0:19:58.680 --> 0:20:04.399
<v Speaker 6>Less to It's okay, Simpremius Kumano.

0:20:08.560 --> 0:20:11.040
<v Speaker 1>You have always talked about Cuba so much that I

0:20:11.119 --> 0:20:17.760
<v Speaker 1>crave to go, Coca says, this is the sacrifice I

0:20:17.800 --> 0:20:20.680
<v Speaker 1>paid to live the life I wanted. That my children

0:20:20.920 --> 0:20:24.399
<v Speaker 1>do not know my homeland, they don't identify as Cuban,

0:20:25.040 --> 0:20:28.120
<v Speaker 1>but I still see glimpses of Cuba, and my kids

0:20:28.760 --> 0:20:31.680
<v Speaker 1>like when they are a little naughty and sacno when

0:20:31.720 --> 0:20:35.560
<v Speaker 1>they are frustrated or surprised. It is a swear word,

0:20:35.960 --> 0:20:39.159
<v Speaker 1>but I love when I hear them saying it. I

0:20:39.240 --> 0:20:49.120
<v Speaker 1>recently told my dad about it. I told my dad

0:20:49.200 --> 0:20:53.479
<v Speaker 1>how happy it made me. It is in the blood.

0:20:53.800 --> 0:21:04.760
<v Speaker 1>My dad said, okay. My oldest is twelve years old.

0:21:05.320 --> 0:21:08.240
<v Speaker 1>He loves reading, so he speaks very proper, like a

0:21:08.320 --> 0:21:12.520
<v Speaker 1>little adult. He told me something I had not realized.

0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:16.160
<v Speaker 1>He noticed. He told me he saw what the similarity

0:21:16.359 --> 0:21:24.080
<v Speaker 1>was between Alan's story and mine. Passion familiar, tramitil, tramitielramite,

0:21:24.720 --> 0:21:29.720
<v Speaker 1>a complicated family separation, except Elean was reunited with his

0:21:29.800 --> 0:21:34.000
<v Speaker 1>family in Cuba and I was reunited with my family

0:21:34.080 --> 0:21:49.360
<v Speaker 1>in the United States after many years. Yo, tengo the better,

0:21:49.480 --> 0:21:53.920
<v Speaker 1>not than I got the possibility to shoot where I live,

0:21:54.320 --> 0:21:57.440
<v Speaker 1>what I say, what I do for a living, how

0:21:57.480 --> 0:22:08.960
<v Speaker 1>to make money. But Liang got something I didn't, Misi,

0:22:08.960 --> 0:22:22.439
<v Speaker 1>Who's the second? I missed so many things, like the

0:22:22.480 --> 0:22:25.359
<v Speaker 1>sound of the drums down the street from my Grandma's

0:22:25.440 --> 0:22:28.840
<v Speaker 1>house and the salt on my nose when we walk

0:22:28.880 --> 0:22:33.760
<v Speaker 1>in a malekon. I missed the frank and direct a

0:22:33.760 --> 0:22:37.840
<v Speaker 1>way people speak in Cuba, even if we're considered rude

0:22:37.920 --> 0:22:42.399
<v Speaker 1>by people from abroad. I miss that feeling of belonging,

0:22:42.960 --> 0:22:46.919
<v Speaker 1>of not needing to explain myself. Once I was in

0:22:46.960 --> 0:22:50.520
<v Speaker 1>a club in New Orleans dancing with my husband, and

0:22:50.600 --> 0:22:54.080
<v Speaker 1>the singer, who did not know me, said, let's cheer

0:22:54.119 --> 0:22:58.000
<v Speaker 1>for the Cuban dancer we have tonight. I asked her

0:22:58.160 --> 0:23:02.440
<v Speaker 1>how she knew I'm Cuba. Only Cubans can dance like you, girl.

0:23:02.760 --> 0:23:03.240
<v Speaker 4>She said.

0:23:05.040 --> 0:23:21.439
<v Speaker 1>I treasure that moment, Miki, after all. During one of

0:23:21.480 --> 0:23:24.959
<v Speaker 1>his rare interviews with US media as an adult, Alien

0:23:25.080 --> 0:23:26.560
<v Speaker 1>said something I agreed with.

0:23:27.280 --> 0:23:32.200
<v Speaker 6>I want to then punto Herita Ferente boy, still.

0:23:33.880 --> 0:23:38.359
<v Speaker 5>Differentia Politic is a band.

0:23:39.680 --> 0:23:44.080
<v Speaker 1>Everyone can hold different ideological and political views. But we

0:23:44.160 --> 0:23:47.640
<v Speaker 1>don't have to be separated as people, he said.

0:23:48.400 --> 0:23:49.480
<v Speaker 7>Is a Bandla familia.

0:23:49.960 --> 0:23:54.480
<v Speaker 1>We don't have to be separating families. He said. I

0:23:54.520 --> 0:23:58.080
<v Speaker 1>am grateful I'm not separated from my children and that

0:23:58.160 --> 0:24:02.159
<v Speaker 1>I can pass down my heritage to Cuban music like

0:24:02.280 --> 0:24:06.199
<v Speaker 1>Silvia Rodriez. For example. Now my son Koke is a

0:24:06.240 --> 0:24:07.960
<v Speaker 1>fan of Silvia's love songs.

0:24:10.840 --> 0:24:14.760
<v Speaker 6>It is common deskuriminental kisimprestuo kurito.

0:24:14.960 --> 0:24:17.840
<v Speaker 1>Cuban music, and Silvia was a discovery that was hidden

0:24:17.840 --> 0:24:21.800
<v Speaker 1>in me. Kok recently told me. For many Cuban exiles

0:24:21.800 --> 0:24:24.920
<v Speaker 1>in the United States, even mentioned in Silvio is taboo,

0:24:25.160 --> 0:24:28.440
<v Speaker 1>as he is considered a defender of the Cuban Revolution

0:24:28.600 --> 0:24:31.880
<v Speaker 1>for many years. But I grew up listening to him.

0:24:32.359 --> 0:24:34.679
<v Speaker 1>He is part of the story of my life and

0:24:34.760 --> 0:24:39.320
<v Speaker 1>the life of many other Cubans. And then there is

0:24:39.359 --> 0:24:43.160
<v Speaker 1>the literature. I am remarried and divorced from the father

0:24:43.240 --> 0:24:46.159
<v Speaker 1>of my sons. So when Koka spends time with his

0:24:46.320 --> 0:24:50.639
<v Speaker 1>dad and he misses me, he reads Leda Deo, the

0:24:50.680 --> 0:24:53.840
<v Speaker 1>most famous book of the Cuban poet and independence hero

0:24:54.040 --> 0:25:00.800
<v Speaker 1>Jose martizim is a li It is a book that

0:25:00.960 --> 0:25:04.000
<v Speaker 1>means a lot for many Cubans, and it is also

0:25:04.040 --> 0:25:07.159
<v Speaker 1>the book that Videl Castro gave to Elian upon his

0:25:07.320 --> 0:25:11.000
<v Speaker 1>return to Cuba. My son Coke doesn't care about the

0:25:11.000 --> 0:25:14.399
<v Speaker 1>political uses of the book. He just cares that it

0:25:14.560 --> 0:25:21.640
<v Speaker 1>reminds him of me. Miami, Yesusta, and I asked him,

0:25:21.920 --> 0:25:24.560
<v Speaker 1>when we go to Miami together and you see me

0:25:24.640 --> 0:25:29.080
<v Speaker 1>in my Cuban and element dancing, eating my favorite meals,

0:25:29.560 --> 0:25:43.800
<v Speaker 1>recovering full in my accent, do you like Italy. It's

0:25:44.240 --> 0:25:47.479
<v Speaker 1>it's so pleasant to see you that way. Gok tells me.

0:25:48.200 --> 0:25:52.720
<v Speaker 1>It's like being home. It's so natural. I remember from

0:25:52.720 --> 0:25:58.760
<v Speaker 1>when I was a baby. I hear my children and

0:25:58.800 --> 0:26:02.560
<v Speaker 1>I recognize what they are telling me. Remember the word

0:26:02.680 --> 0:26:05.879
<v Speaker 1>Coke used when he said he wanted to go to Cuba.

0:26:06.240 --> 0:26:11.920
<v Speaker 1>Com He said he had that craving to go. Craving

0:26:12.080 --> 0:26:16.880
<v Speaker 1>develops from having something and then wanting it again, remembering

0:26:17.000 --> 0:26:20.840
<v Speaker 1>what it tastes like in your mouth. Something in Cocay

0:26:21.000 --> 0:26:27.000
<v Speaker 1>longs for Cuba, maybe even recognizes it, just like Cuban music,

0:26:27.960 --> 0:26:32.760
<v Speaker 1>a discovery that was already inside. My son said. And

0:26:32.840 --> 0:26:36.240
<v Speaker 1>when they see me dancing salsa, Kogi told me, come on,

0:26:37.040 --> 0:26:46.879
<v Speaker 1>start coming, it's like being home. It is my hole

0:26:47.000 --> 0:26:50.520
<v Speaker 1>that one day my children will experience Cuba like a

0:26:50.560 --> 0:26:54.239
<v Speaker 1>Lian's child has. That one day there will be no

0:26:54.359 --> 0:26:57.560
<v Speaker 1>need for families or people to separate like a lean,

0:26:57.680 --> 0:27:03.159
<v Speaker 1>said Liza Bandor. We don't need to keep separating people.

0:27:03.800 --> 0:27:07.280
<v Speaker 1>We don't need more kids growing up without their parents,

0:27:07.720 --> 0:27:11.400
<v Speaker 1>and we don't need your politics telling us how to live.

0:27:12.680 --> 0:27:15.320
<v Speaker 1>I dream about a day when the water's between my

0:27:15.480 --> 0:27:19.200
<v Speaker 1>homeland and my new home will not represent a wound,

0:27:20.040 --> 0:27:25.000
<v Speaker 1>a divide in line between people's But until then, Cuba,

0:27:25.280 --> 0:27:30.520
<v Speaker 1>my homeland, is inside of me, in my music, my books,

0:27:30.640 --> 0:27:35.720
<v Speaker 1>my accent, my beliefs, and to my children, I am Cuba,

0:27:36.680 --> 0:27:40.000
<v Speaker 1>a Cuba that they have come to love, even from

0:27:40.119 --> 0:28:24.480
<v Speaker 1>the other side of the ocean. And Lean survived jess

0:28:24.520 --> 0:28:28.120
<v Speaker 1>Peace Belian Gonzales Story is a production of Utuda Studios

0:28:28.160 --> 0:28:32.680
<v Speaker 1>in partnership with Iheart's Michael Tura podcast Network. This show

0:28:32.720 --> 0:28:37.000
<v Speaker 1>is written and reported by me Pennilei Ramdez with Maria Garcia,

0:28:37.280 --> 0:28:42.000
<v Speaker 1>Nicole Rothwell, and Tasha Sandoval. Our editor is Maria Garcia,

0:28:42.200 --> 0:28:47.360
<v Speaker 1>additional editing by Marlon Bishop. Our senior producer is Nicole Rothwell.

0:28:47.920 --> 0:28:52.920
<v Speaker 1>Our associate producers are Tasha Sandoval and Elisabeth Loental Torres.

0:28:53.800 --> 0:28:57.920
<v Speaker 1>Sound designed by Jacob Rosati with help from Julia Caruso,

0:28:58.240 --> 0:29:02.600
<v Speaker 1>and our intern is Evely Fajardo Alvares. Our senior production

0:29:02.720 --> 0:29:06.800
<v Speaker 1>manager is Jessica Elis, with production supports from Nancy to Hillo,

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<v Speaker 1>Francis Poon and Lodimar Martuez. Mixing by Stephanie Levo, Julia

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<v Speaker 1>Caruso and j J Caruvin, fat checking by Media Bautista,

0:29:17.400 --> 0:29:22.480
<v Speaker 1>Scoring and musical creation by Jacob Rossati and Stephanielevo and

0:29:22.680 --> 0:29:27.400
<v Speaker 1>credits music from Los Aceros or. Executive producers are Marlon

0:29:27.440 --> 0:29:32.680
<v Speaker 1>Bishop and Maria Garcia. Legal review by Neil Rossini. Whuturo

0:29:32.800 --> 0:29:37.840
<v Speaker 1>Media was founded by Maria Inovosa. For more podcasts, listen

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<v Speaker 1>to the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen

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<v Speaker 1>to your favorite shows A Penileira Mirez, See you in

0:29:45.240 --> 0:29:55.720
<v Speaker 1>the next episode Novemo, Henessey and Episodia. To end this

0:29:55.880 --> 0:29:58.560
<v Speaker 1>season of Chess Peace, we are going to bring you

0:29:58.640 --> 0:30:02.840
<v Speaker 1>bonus content this next two weeks. Extended the interviews from

0:30:02.960 --> 0:30:06.520
<v Speaker 1>or reputting of the Lian Gonzales story. Next week, I

0:30:06.560 --> 0:30:10.360
<v Speaker 1>am co hosting with Tasha Sandoval and we are discussing

0:30:10.440 --> 0:30:14.560
<v Speaker 1>how the Lian saga impacted the Quban exiled community. See

0:30:14.600 --> 0:30:18.600
<v Speaker 1>you then for our first bonus episode. Novemo episode of

0:30:18.680 --> 0:30:19.240
<v Speaker 1>the Bonus