English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Until now, the main route for private merchandise has been Miami-Havana, and from the capital it fans out to the rest of the country. Although it could also make the reverse trip, from an eastern province to the west of the island. Private imports of products from abroad tend to come from Cubans who have … Continue reading “The Route Jeans and T-Shirts Take to Cuba”
Cuba produces passions, but also pain. I am taking the liberty of reprinting here the comments of some readers, showing how much this island in the Caribbean Sea is hurting. Laritza Diversent Gabriel “I’ve met many Cubans living in Spain, and their greatest trauma was not just the loss of their home. I’m talking about … Continue reading “My Island Hurts”
Cuba produces passions, but also pain. I am taking the liberty of reprinting here the comments of some readers, showing how much this island in the Caribbean Sea is hurting. Laritza Diversent Gabriel “I’ve met many Cubans living in Spain, and their greatest trauma was not just the loss of their home. I’m talking about … Continue reading “My Island Hurts”
Sandy Olivera is a young Cuban who, two years ago, emigrated as a political refugee to the United States. His girlfriend remained on this side of the sea. A week ago, he returned to Cuba to marry her. The formalization of the marriage took place in the Specialized Notary at 23rd and J, in Vedado, … Continue reading “The Foreignization of Cubans”
Cubans are outcasts in their own land. Both those who reside in the country, as well as those living abroad. The latter are doubly discriminated against. They cannot invest in the economy because they are citizens of the State, yet when they return to the country they are treated as foreigners. Law No. 77, “On … Continue reading “Cuba and Its System of Exclusion (II)”
It is fair to acknowledge that foreign investment in Cuba brings benefits to the economy. But by itself it is not the solution for confronting the overwhelming problems. Law No. 77 was adopted in 1995 to provide security and guarantees to foreign investors, and from this to achieve economic recovery. So stated the Cuban Parliament, … Continue reading “Cuba and Its System of Exclusion (I)”
For six months Sandra has lived in Havana with her father. She’s 24 and is an “emerging” elementary school teacher. She used to work in her hometown, Holguin; but she left teaching because the salary wasn’t enough. Now she sells pastries in the doorways of Monte Street. Sandra was saving to buy a little house. … Continue reading “The Revolution Gives and The Revolution Takes Away”
Nothing will be solved with the hard discourse. There will be no solution because General Raul Castro launches the call to slaughter against the dissidence. Neither will there be a way out of the deep crisis that Cuba inhabits, with the usual television Roundtables, where four rigid guys share their uniform opinions. Cuba needs a dialogue, … Continue reading “Waiting for a Dialogue….and an Inquest”
For Yamil Domínguez Ramos, 37 years old, October 13, 2007 was an unlucky day. Yamil, a Cuban man who emigrated in 2000 to the United States and who has been a U.S. citizen since 2003, is serving a sentence of 10 years in a maximum security prison in Cuba, the Combinado del Este, accused of … Continue reading “No Man’s Land”
Carlos Serpa Maceira, 43, a freelance journalist born in the former Isla de Pinos, now Isla de la Juventud, is one of the leading communicators of the activities of The Ladies in White. More than a few times the taking of photographs or the writing of notes has ended up with his being dragged along … Continue reading “Barricade Journalism”
On February 11th, they left a comment in the blog: Sorry for the bother. I am a Spanish professor at a French school and in our classes we our studying the subject of free press in Latin America and, more specifically, in Cuba. We have studied an article about the Cuban bloggers, taken from the … Continue reading “The Students of Delphine”
On the afternoon of February 27th, Havana looked run-down. A persistent rain engulfed the worn out streets of the Santo Suarez neighborhood with mud. The sky, with its rat-like color, added a sad touch to the city. Around 3 o’clock in the afternoon, Laritza and I arrived to the house of the house of the … Continue reading “Martha Beatriz Roque Remembers Orlando”
In Cuba we live on the edge of a precipice. If you want to get by, you have to take risks. In almost every sector of Cuban life you have to resort to illegal activity to be able to survive. Market shortages in freely convertible currencies have become a frequent prospect. Furthermore, its normal to … Continue reading “On the Edge of the Precipice”
El Calvario (Calvary) is a dusty and steep village, with many half-paved streets. It is located south of Havana, in the municipality of Arroyo Naranjo, the poorest and the one with the greatest number of imprisoned men in the entire city. It was once a major town. When it was founded in 1753 by a … Continue reading “A Calvary of Problems”
Sonia Garro at her sewing machine It all started one sunless noon, on the 24th of February, 2007. “Up here,” said Sonia, a laboratory technician, who sews on a 50-year-old machine on the porch of her home, from where she often saw accidents involving children playing without the watchful eyes of their parents. And her large … Continue reading “Sonia Garro, or the Cruelty of a Regime”
