It is a pastime some discover entertaining, even truthful commentary, however the 33-year-old is coming beneath growing scrutiny from these loyal to Cuba’s communist mission for disrespecting his ancestor’s legacy.
For others locked in a each day battle for survival, the youthful Castro’s high-flying life-style and obvious lack of empathy is offensive on a complete completely different stage.
On his Instagram account, Sandro regales his 127,000 followers with photographs of him partying, at occasions with scantily-clad girls, typically with a beer in hand.
He is typically dressed as a monk or a vampire, sporting cat whiskers or the jersey of the Barcelona soccer membership.
From time to time, he mocks the struggles engendered by the nation’s worst financial disaster in three a long time.
“I wakened right now with my favourite recipe, rooster with beer… however there isn’t a rooster,’ he says in a single submit whereas holding up a bottle of the nationwide lager, Cristal.
He additionally jokes concerning the energy outages which have plagued the island, suggestively addressing a lady with the phrases: “If I caught you like the UNE (electric company), I’d get you every four hours, Monday to Monday.”
The character entertains some, annoys others, however by no means fails to make a splash.
Mr. Castro’s followers jokingly seek advice from him because the “next President,” however voices aligned with the communist authorities are demanding he be silenced.
Loyalist historian and creator Ernesto Limia complained on Facebook that Mr. Castro “does not respect the memory” of his well-known grandfather, who led the revolution that toppled a dictatorship and put in a communist authorities.
“El Necio,” a web-based influencer, has argued that Sandro Castro “goes against the security of this country” and “against the ideals” of the revolution.
Despite his well-known identify, some imagine Castro could also be pushing his luck.
Activists and critics in Cuba are sometimes rounded up for sharing anti-government views, and a number of other are serving sentences for crimes similar to “contempt” or disseminating “enemy propaganda.”
‘Little toys’
Manuel Cuesta Morua, a dissident historian who has been detained a number of occasions for his democratic activism, stated the Sandro phenomenon embodied “the distance of the grandchildren’s generation from the original revolutionary project.”
It additionally put Mr. Castro in stark distinction to the remainder of his household, who in contrast to him take pleasure in their privileged standing “discreetly,” he stated.
While Fidel Castro was alive, Cubans knew little or no about his second spouse, Dalia Soto del Valle and their 5 sons — certainly one of whom is Sandro’s father, Alexis Castro Soto del Valle, 63.
The household lived out of the general public eye in Punto Cero, an intensive wooded space west of Havana with entry managed by the army.
In 2021, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Sandro got here into the highlight in a leaked video that confirmed him driving an opulent Mercedes-Benz.
“We are simple people, but every now and then we have to take out these little toys we have at home,” he stated within the clip that went viral and sparked public outrage, forcing him to apologize.
Three years later, he precipitated one other stir by celebrating his birthday at a bar he owns within the capital, burning huge neon lights and dancing on tables because the nation reeled from the after-effects of a large blackout.








