Fidel Castro Makes Rare Public Appearance at 90th Birthday Event

Cuba’s ex President Fidel Castro has made a rare public appearance at an event to mark his 90th birthday on Saturday, August 13.

Fidel Castro appeared at a gala in Havana’s Karl Marx Theatre with his brother, President Raul Castro, and Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro.

In his first public appearance since April, Fidel Castro appeared frail and remained seated during the event.

Fidel Castro, who stood down in 2008, had earlier attacked President Barack Obama in a newspaper column.

The former Cuban leader criticized President Obama for not apologizing to the people of Hiroshima for the nuclear bomb dropped there by the US in World War Two.

Barack Obama visited Hiroshima in May.

Fidel Castro wrote: “He lacked the words to ask for forgiveness for the killings of hundreds of thousands of people.”

Ties between the United States and Cuba have been restored under Raul Castro’s presidency, but after a visit by Barack Obama to Havana in March, Fidel Castro wrote that “we don’t need the empire to give us anything”.

The gala in Havana focused on key moments of Fidel Castro’s life, including the CIA-backed invasion attempt in the Bay of Pigs in 1961.

A large street party was also held in Havana on August 12, and fireworks exploded when the clock hit midnight.