Fidel Castro: Beyond La Revolución

One hundred years after Fidel Castro's birth, his legacy remains one of the most contested in modern history. To some, he was the leader who defied the United States and transformed Cuba through universal healthcare, education and a revolution that has endured for nearly seven decades. To others, he built an authoritarian state that imprisoned opponents, restricted freedoms and left generations of Cubans to endure economic hardship or seek a life elsewhere.

Today, Cuba faces another defining moment. Rolling blackouts, food shortages, failing public services and disease outbreaks have left the island under severe strain, while Washington's decision to cut off Venezuelan oil supplies has deepened an already critical energy crisis.

BBC Mexico, Central America and Cuba Correspondent, Will Grant explores the history of Cuba's often tumultuous history with the United States and examines what the future holds for this island nation.

From the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista and the Bay of Pigs to the collapse of the Soviet Union, mass exoduses, Obama's rapprochement and today's renewed confrontation with the United States, the programme traces how Cuba has been shaped as much by global events as by decisions taken in Havana. Through archive, eyewitness testimony and leading historians, Beyond la Revolución explores what remains of Castro's legacy, and what the island's uncertain future tells us about its past.

Producer: Duncan Bulling
Presenter: Will Grant
Sound Design: Rowan Bishop

A 2 Degrees West production for BBC Radio 4