My father, the romantic

Those of you who thought Raul Castro was a dull, uncharismatic military man who enjoys doing the dirty work for his older brother are seriously mistaken, according to his daughter Mariela.

Ms Castro, who is in her early 40s, is relatively well known outside Cuba not just as Fidel Castro's niece but in her capacity as head of the Centro Nacional de Educacion Sexual – the regime’s official study centre for sexuality.

In that job, she has taken a very public role in support of homosexuals and transsexuals on the island while at the same time, becoming a very effective apologist for the Castro regime’s appalling (and well documented) treatment of homosexuals over its 47 history.

Now, she has given an extensive interview to the BBC about her work – and about her father.

In that interview, Ms Castro described her Papa Raul as being pretty close to the perfect father: funny, loves a good joke, is hard working, very supportive of his children, dutiful, a strong revolutionary who enjoys reading history books, lovable …

And a romantic at heart, too.

Referring to her father and her mother, Vilma Espin, Ms Castro reveals: “As a couple, our parents taught us to love, to be romantic, to believe even in people who lie and deceive you.”

Read the whole thing here. In Spanish.