Being Home

About this episode

Peniley reflects on Elián González's life after returning to Cuba and her own relationship with the country.

Peniley tells us the story of Elián after he returned to Cuba, where he studied engineering, fell in love and had a daughter. Back in his country, Elián became a favorite of Fidel Castro, much to the chagrin of Miami Cubans. Peniley reflects on Elián's journey and her own relationship with Cuba. She speaks to her children about her and Elián's Cubanismo. This season's cover art by Ranfis Suárez Ramos. Original Material Appeared In: Al Jazeera English AP Archive Belly of The Beast CNN's "Elián: The Remarkable Story of A Cuban Boy's Journey to America" CNN Fidel Castro Ruz, Soldado de las Ideas La Caja de Pandora See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Peniley Ramírez

Topics covered

• Cuban history
• personal journey
• Cubanismo
• family
• Cuba
• Fidel Castro

Keywords

• Elián González
• Cuba
• Fidel Castro
• Cubanismo
• engineering
• family
• personal journey

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Fidel Castro, Al Jazeera English, CNN

Books & works: Elián: The Remarkable Story of A Cuban Boy's Journey to America, La Caja de Pandora

More episodes of Chess Piece: The Elián González Story

• Our Thing: The Birth of Salsa in Nueva York (hosted by Rosie Perez) · June 2, 2026 · 40 min
• The First Time The Men’s World Cup Came to the U.S.A. · May 29, 2026 · 27 min
• Introducing – La Brega: Season Three · February 11, 2026 · 36 min
• Through Each Other’s Eyes · November 27, 2024 · 24 min
• "Crazy Cubans" · November 20, 2024 · 23 min
• The Punishment Vote · November 6, 2024 · 36 min