May 2025 – Page 7 – Translating Cuba

Havana Carlos III Shopping Center Joins in on Cuba’s Dollar Fever

“Good morning, this store is now open only in foreign currency, cash or card,” warns an employee.

The Sport store previously operated in freely convertible currency (MLC) until its closure. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 30 April 2025 — The long-awaited dollarization has arrived at Plaza Carlos III with the opening this week of the first store operating exclusively in dollars within the well-known Centro Habana shopping complex. Upon arriving at the entrance to the Sport store, an employee greets customers with a clear warning: “Good morning, this store is now accepting only foreign currency, cash or card.”

Sport previously operated in freely convertible currency (MLC) until its sudden closure. Several employees confirmed to 14ymedio in March a change in its reopening: “It’s not a rumor, they’re going to change it to dollars very soon.” Although they didn’t know if the measure would affect the entire Carlos III complex or just certain locations, they explained that all cashiers were receiving training to operate the Clásica, a national dollar top-up card.

A couple of regular Sport customers told 14ymedio about their impressions: “When I was at MLC, I bought some shoes that were supposedly from well-known brands,” says Mario, “but when you read the fine print, they turned out to be Chinese copies. They lasted three or four months and then fell apart.”

With the reopening, she says little has changed: “The sweaters are faded; you can tell they’re made in Cuba, and they have no visible branding. The store just opened, and those stained and dirty sweaters cost $12.”

Sandra, his girlfriend, adds: “The sneakers are Italian brands, although unknown in Cuba, and cost $113. There are others, worse, that look like cheap imitations of those sold by some MSMEs [micro, small and medium-sized businesses]. The flip-flops are plastic.”

Dollarization is an active part of the current economic policy on the Island.
In October 2020, then-Economy Minister Alejandro Gil Fernández asserted that the MLC stores were a temporary measure and that the country’s strategy was not to dollarize. Now, in 2025, the minister’s exact whereabouts are unknown, but what is no longer in doubt is that dollarization is an active part of the island’s current economic policy.

Parliament, without the slightest hesitation in its own rhetoric, announced a “partial” dollarization in December 2024. To close out the year, it reopened the brand-new supermarket on 3rd and 70th Streets, where payments in Mexican pesos, much less Cuban pesos, are no longer accepted. As 2025 approaches, dozens of state-owned businesses across the country have joined the dollar fever, which shows no signs of being temporary.

The Clásica car—whose name evokes tradition—has been presented by Cimex on social media as “a financial product denominated in USD, designed to facilitate your transactions in the country.” It requires no minimum balance or predetermined amounts, offers a 5% discount for its use, and charges one dollar for each balance recharge transaction.

More stores in Carlos III are expected to adopt this approach, although customers aren’t confident that it will improve product quality. Mario and Sandra agree when talking about Sport: “It seems like a store without an owner. A ‘revolutionary’ attempt by the Carlos III chain to embrace dollarization. No one was there. But yes, right from the entrance they warn you that it’s in dollars.”

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The Cuban Revolution Celebrates Its Agony This May 1st With a Lackluster Display

Tens of thousands of disaffected citizens were herded into a parade in front of Raúl Castro and President Díaz-Canel.

Decrepit, Raúl Castro and José Ramón Machado Ventura escort Miguel Díaz-Canel, wearing his tight-fitting national flag sweater. / Cubadebate

14ymedio, Juan Izquierdo/Juan Diego Rodríguez/José Lassa, Havana, 1 May 2025 — In a city drowned in garbage, like Havana, you can march on all sorts of things this May Day. Papers, shells, cans, and even Cuban flags scatter beneath your feet. They are the best symbol of a parade where apathy is as common as the slogans, and whose zero coordinate is the giant “abrasion” in Revolution Square.

On the platform, at the feet of JoséMartí, in a Masonic pose—as designed by Batista’s architects—the regime’s top brass also wave small flags. Decrepit, Raúl Castro and José Ramón Machado Ventura escort Miguel Díaz-Canel, in his overly-tight national flag sweater. Manuel Marrero in garish red, generals in a dry olive green, sweaty guayaberas: the colors of Castroism.

A crowd that the official press estimates at “almost a million” also passes by, poses for a photo, and continues walking under the Havana sun. The nearly 30 degrees of steamy heat that plagues the capital today hasn’t stopped a small group of elderly military personnel, displaying a sort of vest covered in medals, from enthusiastically waving their portraits of Fidel.

A “worker” parades alongside a solemn poster of Fidel, but his shorts feature rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine. / 14ymedio

If May Day is good for anything, it’s for creating picturesque symbolic convergences: a “worker” parades alongside a solemn poster of Fidel, but his shorts feature rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine—a great friend of the Revolution—making an obscene gesture. A clean-shaven man in running shoes rests next to a ragged beggar. Upside down and already forgotten next to the curb, a banner: “Together we create Cuba.”

14ymedio never misses the parade, but not to demand rights—the independent press doesn’t have them in a dictatorship—but to report in great detail on the carnival of reaffirmation of a regime that calls its workers together out of obligation, and that turns May Day into an event of pure pathos. continue reading

Early in the morning, Havana even resembles a city with electricity. “There was no blackout last night!” is repeated insistently by the crowd, like another slogan. The avenues leading to the “abrasion” were momentarily spared from the power outage so that drones from the Armed Forces, Cubadebate, and Granma could take photos of the umpteenth “historic occasion.”

Members of the police and the FAR [Army] spill onto the sidewalk, exhausted even before the march begins. / 14ymedio

The Cuban Television cameras—directed by the voiceover of Froilán Arencibia, the regime’s master of ceremonies—relentlessly focus on the section of the stands where the “friendly” diplomats are sheltering from the sun. Standing out among them are Hua Xin, the Chinese ambassador, and a large group of North Korean soldiers, for whom the atmosphere could not be more familiar.

On the street, the parade is seen in its true form: buses miraculously “appearing” to transport the participants, legs tired from a walk of several kilometers, half-asleep “proletarians” taking a nap on the curb, and garbage that is only a harbinger of the tons of waste that will remain in the streets after the event.

The trucks packed with “unionists” start rolling off, with a picture or banner plastered on their noses. The buses start rolling off with stickers designed and printed by the Communist Party’s Propaganda Department, which recently boasted on television that May Day was its time of plenty. The protocol cars, with tinted windows, start rolling off with the “high-class” leaders inside.

The trucks and buses carrying their “haul” heading to the parade. / 14ymedio

Since Wednesday, the Red Cross and other institutions have deployed medical tents and command posts. “We need to provide a lot of stretchers,” says a staff member. “With the number of people who will be arriving without breakfast, fainting spells will be common.”

This year is special, Cubadebate warns, because 25 years ago, an ailing Fidel Castro pronounced the “concept of Revolution,” an apostolic creed that officials repeat and canonically fail to fulfill: “change what must be changed” in the country of immobility; “full equality and freedom” with hundreds of political prisoners in the cells; “defend values” when those who express a dissenting opinion are imprisoned; “never lie” when corruption, violence, drug addiction, and despair are the order of the day.

Foreigners wait excitedly in the Plaza. They are the Revolution’s groupies, invited by the Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, headed by former spy Fernando González Llort. Americans, Latin Americans, Africans, Europeans… all shout slogans in support of a regime they don’t understand, yet support.

From early morning, after a night without a blackout, the main avenue was filled with thousands of people heading to the Plaza. / Cubadebate

Cubans are also marching—in large numbers, of course—but they know what awaits them when they return home: blackouts and hardships, which won’t be erased no matter how many signs and flags they wave, regardless of whether they’re Cuban, Palestinian, or from any “brother country.” Many wouldn’t know how to find Palestine or Vietnam on a map, but the order to support causes aligned with the regime has been given.<

There’s no shortage of Armed Forces cadets and Interior Ministry agents, cordoned off along the street in case any proletarian gets out of control and shouts the wrong slogan. They, too, are human and spill onto the sidewalk, exhausted even before the march begins. Others gamble, flirt with a female captain, or grab a cigarette from someone lucky enough to have a pack in their jacket.

When the event ends, another parade begins: that of the street sweepers. / 14ymedio

The march ends, and the soldiers look irritably at the contingent of foreigners. Even they don’t understand the outpouring. “Comrade,” a soldier says to a groupie leader, not sure if he understands, “thank you for your solidarity, but you need to leave.”

Now comes the next parade: that of the street sweepers, who throw their brooms at the holy cards of Díaz-Canel and Fidel that have been left on the ground. They gather the banners, gather the slogans, and mix them with the dust of the Plaza. They are little bundles of the Revolution that belong in the trash.

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Tuambia Announces Its Closure Due to Difficulties in Offering a “Sustainable” Service in Cuba.

The platform assured that it will fulfill all orders placed until April 30.

The unloading area of a Tuambia warehouse in Havana. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 1 May 2025 — The e-commerce platform Tuambia announced this Thursday the “interruption of its operations” and the suspension of new orders through its website. This is a “difficult but necessary decision,” which the company attributes to the difficulties in continuing to operate “sustainably” in the current context of the crisis and financial difficulties in Cuba.

In a statement posted on its social media, the platform assured that it will fulfill all orders placed by April 30th and that it has opened lines to address “any issues.”

However, it promised that Tuambia customers will continue to have access to their purchase history through the website, and that their customer service team—at least during the closure process—will remain active.

Tuambia’s farewell message was also sent by email to all customers registered on the portal.

Tuambia’s farewell message was also sent by email to all customers registered on the portal. For weeks, the company had announced that it was discontinuing the digital wallet, where consumers could store funds for continue reading

future purchases. Last week, it also announced a 10% discount on all its products, including household appliances. In light of Thursday’s announcement, this offer indicates a clearance sale of merchandise in its warehouses.

However, the service dedicated to preparing ready-to-serve food was still operating this Thursday, according to 14ymedio‘s website. The delivery of pre-cooked food is linked to restaurants and eateries located in several Havana municipalities, which apparently continue to offer a menu ranging from Creole dishes to Asian recipes.

In recent years, Tuambia had emerged as an alternative to other digital portals selling food, basic products, and household appliances for delivery on the island. With a diverse catalog, the online store grew rapidly and expanded to all provinces, also delivering pre-cooked and ready-to-eat meals, construction materials, and pharmaceutical supplies.

On the streets of Havana, its fleet of minibuses became an increasingly frequent part of the urban landscape, and the company also became an attractive source of employment for couriers who make a living delivering goods to homes.

On the streets of Havana, its fleet of minibuses became an increasingly frequent part of the urban landscape.

On the company’s Facebook page, the post with a farewell had surpassed 600 comments in just a few hours. Some customers inquired about the possible return of operations in the near future, but Tuambia’s response was emphatic: “The store has closed its operations. We appreciate that you were part of this process.”

The company had been taking its final steps for months. Last October, in another public statement, they noted the impact of the energy crisis on the normal operation of their services. At that time, they had to suspend deliveries “to protect the preservation of frozen foods, and taking into account that they could not be received by recipients at this time if they do not have the conditions to maintain their refrigeration.”

“As soon as the energy situation stabilizes, we will resume deliveries,” they promised at the time. The long-awaited stability never arrived. In the following months, the country faced four complete blackouts caused by total disconnections from its electrical system.

In addition, the platform faced technical difficulties also caused by the energy imbalance.

In addition, the platform was facing technical difficulties also caused by the power outage. “We have implemented solutions to continue working, but we ask for your cooperation to avoid overloading the service at this time, as the high volume of messages slows our response capacity,” they stated.

According to its own figures, Tuambia has made more than 1,200,000 deliveries, benefiting, it claims, more than 360,000 homes on the island. The company was allegedly linked to former Deputy Prime Minister Jorge Luis Perdomo Di-Lella – who was dismissed last December – through his brother Yoel, a businessman with very good connections within the elite.

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The CELAC Summit in Honduras: Another Missed Opportunity

This is the umpteenth juncture in which the regional organization demonstrates its inability to embody the urgencies and dreams of an entire continent.

The group signed the Tegucigalpa Declaration, which was adopted by 30 member states of the Community. / EFE

14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Generation Y, 12 April 2025 — Alliances are tested in times of crisis. The worst moments subject relations between nations to a strain that either breaks them or strengthens them. The 9th Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), held on Wednesday in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, demonstrated that Latin America still lacks the diplomatic maturity to face, as a bloc, difficult situations.

In the midst of the tariff war unleashed by Washington, the regional mechanism has opted to appeal to belligerent rhetoric rather than putting forward practical proposals.

The regional meeting, which includes 33 countries, has made clear the lack of a common strategy in the face of new economic pressures and mass deportations of migrants. None of this is surprising in a CELAC (National Commission for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women), which has been structured more around political interests and ideological affinities than as a representative body for the millions of inhabitants of this part of the world. Confronting the choice between articulating joint action to ease trade tariffs or resorting to empty pronouncements, they have chosen the latter.

Confronting the choice between articulating joint action to ease trade tariffs or resorting to empty pronouncements, they have chosen the latter.

The group signed the Tegucigalpa Declaration, adopted by 30 member states of the Community, which will be forgotten as soon as the trails of condensation of departing presidential planes dissipate in the sky. Bland, the declration emphasized its support for “democracy and the rule of law, multilateralism, and the protection continue reading

and promotion of all human rights,” even though the organization’s membership includes three of the hemisphere’s largest dictatorships: Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

While Europe meets to agree on how to respond to new trade challenges, Latin American leaders have preferred to pose as intransigent and vociferous for the family photo, although many of them are already negotiating quietly and alone with the White House. The meeting in Honduras also lacked a regional plan to improve the quality of life for those young people seeking to realize their dreams on the other side of the Rio Grande, mostly due to the lack of opportunities in their countries of origin.

At times it gave the impression that each new president who spoke before the microphone wanted to demonstrate greater integrity and bellicosity towards the United States.

This has also been a meeting for catwalks and political posturing. At times, it seemed as if each new president who took the microphone wanted to demonstrate greater integrity and bellicosity toward the United States than his predecessor.

The excesses of the quarrelsome posturing led Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to denounce the arrest of immigrants on U.S. soil “without respect for due process, without proof of guilt, and under harshly repressive conditions.”

The same man who, on 11 July 2021, claimed on national television that the combat order had been given against the protesters of that day, now says he is concerned about the possible arbitrary arrests of those who had to flee the island precisely because of his repressive excesses.

Once the frowns were caught on camera, the well-worn slogans repeated, and the final declaration signed, the IX CELAC Summit concluded by missing another opportunity, the umpteenth opportunity in which the regional organization demonstrates its inability to embody the urgent needs and dreams of an entire continent.

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