Sandro Castro, grandson of late Cuban communist mass murderer Fidel Castro, responded on Monday to widespread outrage and disgust at his planned birthday party, a lavish event at a club he “owns” in a communist country where private property is theoretically illegal.
The younger Castro called for “unity” and defended his right to celebrate while Cuba, in a state of collapse after decades of his family’s rule, faces its worst-ever humanitarian crisis.
Sandro is one of Fidel Castro’s several grandsons. His father, Alexis Castro Soto del Valle, is one of the five sons Fidel had with his life partner Dalia Soto del Valle, in addition to other children he fathered with other women.
The late communist dictator’s grandson announced on social media over the weekend that he will throw a lavish birthday party on Thursday, December 5, at the EFE Bar, a private “VIP” establishment he owns in Havana.
The flyer for the party, shared by Castro himself on Instagram, states that the birthday bash will be attended by both artists and “first class surprise guests,” with a mandatory white dress code.
The party will also feature a welcome cocktail for Sandro’s personal guests, a complimentary beer for the rest of the attendees, “a shot of tequila Rose for the first 20 women,” and “free sparkling wine for everyone.”
Castro’s birthday bash announcement immediately drew condemnation from both Cubans living in their nation and members of the Cuban exile community in the United States and other countries. Cuba is currently on the brink of complete ruin as a result of more than six decades of disastrous communist policies, facing rampant hunger, poverty, worsening blackouts and other public infrastructure failures, and the decline of its population in what is now considered the largest exodus of Cubans fleeing from communism in the nation’s history.
Sandro Castro published a video on Instagram on Monday addressing the criticism over his birthday party. In the video, Castro asserted that he is celebrating his birthday at his EFE Bar as a “young Cuban revolutionary with all my rights” and told his listeners, “you are all invited” to the event.
Castro attributed the backlash over his party to falsehoods and defamations allegedly espoused by content creators and “some U.S. spokespersons.”
“I have seen a trend in the [social media] networks that has been created in part by many people with falsehoods, with defamations, sowing discord. Especially some YouTubers, some U.S. spokespersons and so on,” he claimed. “And what I want to make clear so that no one is confused is that I am celebrating my birthday as a Cuban revolutionary youth with all my rights.”
“In my place, in my business, in which everything is in the image of legality always. And there will be a healthy atmosphere,” he continued. “We invite everyone who wants to attend, as long as we have the capacity to give you our service and a warm welcome.”
Castro continued by stressing that his interest was not to “give prominence” to the people “who create so much hatred and so much discord” through the criticism of his event when, according to him, “we all have to do is to be united in these difficult times.”
“What I want is to make it clear to people who may feel confused that I am doing my birthday as per the right of a normal, ordinary young person, of all the people who want to celebrate their birthday,” Castro said. “I am always with my country, with my homeland. And well, all those who want to attend, well, you know, you are invited as long as we have the capacity. A big hug and greetings.”
Carlos Rogelio Bolufé García, the organizer of Sandro Castro’s party, also addressed the backlash through Instagram on Monday evening.
In the video, Bolufé García — who opens by taking a sip from a drink — said that he is addressing the controversy after seeing the backlash on several websites that “attacked” him for being the organizer of the party. He defended both the event and the advertisement flyer by clarifying “to all people who have been offended or damaged by this publication” that EFE, the VIP bar owned by the late communist dictator’s grandson, is the “most humble place there can be in Cuba.”
“I want them to know that it does not make any kind of sense. This flyer we made is not to harm or offend anyone. We even did it in the most humble place there can be in Cuba, the EFE. Because Sandro owns the business. And so we decided to do it there. But without any intention of harming the people,” Bolufé García said.
“Anyway, we are very supportive of the revolution. Long live [Cuban figurehead-President Miguel Díaz-Canel], long live the revolution, long live Cuba,” he concluded.
Cubanet reported over the weekend that Bolufé García is a relative of the “well-known agent of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), Rogelio Enrique Bolufé Izquierdo.” Bolufé García reportedly arrived in Miami in 2020 and presented himself as an “opponent” of the Castro regime on a local television show at the time.
The Spain-based outlet Diario de Cuba reported on Tuesday that the cheapest beverages sold by Castro’s “humble” bar cost just under ten percent of the minimum wage of a Cuban state worker, with alcoholic beverages reportedly ranging from $7.50 to upwards of $208.33 for a bottle of wine. As for food, the outlet reported that the bar sells French fries for around $31.25 a serving and an unspecified amount of “fried chicken” for about $50.
Since 2021, the communist Castro regime established the nation’s monthly minimum wage at 2,100 Cuban pesos, which translates to roughly $87.50.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.