English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14YMEDIO, Havana, September 25, 2014 – An important meeting of Cuban civil society took place this Thursday in Havana, involving 16 activists from across the country, including five ex-prisoners from the 2013 Black Spring. The meeting was not announced ahead of time, and several of the invitees were unable to attend due to other commitments. … Continue reading “Activists Gather Around Four Points of Consensus / 14ymedio”
A group of Cubans in Cuba and its diaspora agreed to promote a roadmap for a constitutional consensus. Organizations and public figures from different generations, all ideologies, religious creeds and interests, we believe it’s good that, first, we agree on what kind of constitution we want that is established and take it as a reference … Continue reading “Toward a New Constitution / Rosa Maria Rodriguez”
14YMEDIO, 22 July 2014 – On 22 July 2014, the opposition leader Oswaldo Payá and the activist Harld Cepero died. Payá led the Christian Liberation Movement and promoted the Varela Project, which managed to collect some 25,000 signatures to demand a national referendum. Freedom of expression, of association, freedom of the press and of business, … Continue reading “The Political Legacy of Oswaldo Paya / 14ymedio”
My blog appears abandoned. But that is not the case. What happens is I want to do many thing and so I am behind in updating it. I follow what’s going on around me, I want to understand our history, our social paralysis. I am not brave. I realize it’s easy to stay home, have … Continue reading “The Stop: A Citizen Performance / Lilianne Ruiz”
14ymedio, Havana | May 23, 2014 A letter published this week, signed by more than forty American personalities, asked Barack Obama to ease measures toward Cuba. In an unusual gesture of consensus, former senior U.S. politicians, military, analysts and businessmen advocate relaxing the embargo on the Island. Among the signatories are Republicans and Democrats who … Continue reading “Letter to Obama Sparks Controversy / 14ymedio”
Every summer since 2009, in line with the economic openings of General Castro, Gerald, the owner of a photography business, has rented a room in a hotel in Varadero for 5 nights. Gerald, a white man married to a mixed-race woman, authoritatively calls attention to the small number of black or mixed-race Cuban tourists. “There are very … Continue reading “Blacks and Mixed-Race Still Marginalized in Cuba / Ivan Garcia”
The first time I set foot in that scary place called Villa Marista, similar to Lubyanka Prison in the now fortunately disappeared Soviet Union, it was by my own will. I accompanied Manuel Cuesta Morúa to see Investigator Yurisan Almenares, in charge of Case No. 5, 2014, against Cuesta Morúa, after he was arbitrarily arrested … Continue reading “At Repression’s Ground Zero / Lilianne Ruiz”
A group of Cubans in Cuba and its diaspora agreed to promote a road map for a constitutional consensus. Organizations and public figures from different generations, of all ideologies, religious beliefs and interests, we believe it is good that, firstly, we agree as to the type of constitution we want to establish or take as … Continue reading “Toward a New Constitution / Rafael Leon Rodriguez”
Carlos Millares, Frank Abel García y Tamara Rodriguez While 17 young Cuban dissidents attend advanced courses to master the tools of leadership and business at a university center in Miami, in Havana, the newly formed Fundación Sucesores, imparts courses to the civil society in Havana. Run by sociologist Carlos Millares, 65, Fundación Sucesores has been … Continue reading “Cuban Dissidents Prepare for the Future / Ivan Garcia”
Madrid, February 26, 2014 For recognition of the legitimacy of Cuba’s independent civil society We, activists of independent civil society, have agreed to promote a representative group to act as a channel of dialogue with international institutions and other potential partners. Since the ratification of our commitment to peaceful methods to achieve the Rule of … Continue reading “Declaration of Cuban Civil Society Activists Joining Forces in Madrid”
The trial schedules for this Tuesday against Gorki Águila, leader of the punk rock band Porno para Ricardo, was postponed because of the health problems of his defense attorney, according to the musician himself on his Facebook page. Gorki spoke about the background of his case with Diario de Cuba. Gorki, what are they accusing … Continue reading “#FreeGorki – The Gorki Aguila Case / Lia Villares”
Ángel Santiesteban, Manuel Cuesta Morúa, and Gorki Águila have in common that they dissent from the Cuban regime. The first was tried in a court so lacking in due process guarantees that he was declared by his attorney to be in a state of defenselessness, based on Cuban law. The witnesses for his defense, who … Continue reading “The Trials / Lilianne Ruiz”
Now Eduardo is back. In the wake of the Second CELAC Summit, an omnibus with police and paramedics made a sweep of the beggars who were camping out in Vedado or Old Havana. “I was in a shelter known as La Colonia, in Boyeros municipality (20 kilometers west of the center of the capital). The … Continue reading “The People of Havana Return to Their Routines / Ivan Garcia”
For Zoila, 38-year old nurse, the Second Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States that is now going on in Havana adds up to “politically correct” speeches, banquets and photos. “It’s more of the same. They talk about poverty, integration and social inclusion while in Cuba inequality grows. It is a cheeky … Continue reading “CELAC for Cubans: Indifference and Repression / Ivan Garcia”
HAVANA, Cuba — The morning of the 28th, there were fewer people on the street than any other Tuesday. Also it was notable that the flow of cars on a street as central as 23rd, in El Vedado, had diminished. Who can find out what is in the heart of the Cuban people, subjected to … Continue reading “No One Wants to Talk About CELAC / Lilianne Ruiz”
