The Emblem of Biran: The New Man, Castro-Style / Miriam Celaya

Cubanet, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 27 October 2020 — It was the serial murderer, Ernesto Guevara –“Che” to his friends, if he had them, and also to his cult followers, whom he does have — who defined the original concept of “New Man” as a kind of superhuman being, a permanent revolutionary, whose mission in life … Continue reading “The Emblem of Biran: The New Man, Castro-Style / Miriam Celaya”

The New Man Does Not Know How To Lose / Cubanet, Miriam Celaya

Cubanet, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 14 November 2016 — A friend, a US citizen, once told me that it does not really matter who wins the US elections. “It does not depend so much on who heads the government, because the system is what really works.” I have heard that phrase from more than one person, … Continue reading “The New Man Does Not Know How To Lose / Cubanet, Miriam Celaya”

Why Cuba could not build the New Man promised by Che Guevara / Regina Coyula

Regina Coyula, from BBC Mundo, 4 June 2015 — One of the most attractive promises of the 1959 Cuban Revolution for a Third World thirsty for paradigms, was, undoubtedly, the prospect of a generous, industrious, learned and well-mannered human being. This New Man would be the result of the new schools that as the cradles … Continue reading “Why Cuba could not build the New Man promised by Che Guevara / Regina Coyula”

The Scam and the New Man / 14ymedio, Eliecer Avila

14YMEDIO, Havana, Eliecer Avila, 23 July 2014 – I grew up listening to my teachers saying that our society was building the man of the future, a different one, one that would have no defects, no malice, none of the vices “inherited from capitalism.” Those of us who over the years strived to bring ourselves … Continue reading “The Scam and the New Man / 14ymedio, Eliecer Avila”

The New Man in Cuba in Search of Anabolic Steroids / Juan Juan Almeida

You don’t need to be an expert critic, clairvoyant sociologist or a wise politician to understand that when you grow up in a totalitarian and absolutist country like Cuba, flooded with numerous afflictions, it’s normal to feel small. Thus, because of the great restrictions on individual freedom, the meager access to modernity and a determined … Continue reading “The New Man in Cuba in Search of Anabolic Steroids / Juan Juan Almeida”

The New Man, Fraud and Reggaeton / Camilo Ernesto Olivera Peidro

HAVANA, Cuba, October, www.cubanet.org – A teenager, a wannabe to the “reggaeton fashion,” succeeds in paying for his Spanish Language exam grades on a regular basis: “In my high school you can do business, provided that you are willing to pay well.”  The young man, whose name I was not permitted to disclose, aims to get through the remainder of his … Continue reading “The New Man, Fraud and Reggaeton / Camilo Ernesto Olivera Peidro”

The New Man in Front of the New TV / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo

Now that TeleSur is broadcast live on Cuban TV, will the island see an end to censorship or is it just another “fraudulent change”? At the beginning of the 1950s Cuba stood as a pioneer of commercial television broadcasting. However, decades of hard-line state censorship have transformed Cuban television into a weapon of ideological subjugation. … Continue reading “The New Man in Front of the New TV / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”

The New Man vs. The Honest Man / Yoani Sánchez

Villa Marista is the main operations center of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior. Its huge structure was built to house a school run by a religious order, but since 1963 it has been home to the most feared jail cells in the country. At the beginning of the Revolution there was talk about “converting … Continue reading “The New Man vs. The Honest Man / Yoani Sánchez”

The New Man Needs Toys / Dora Leonor Mesa

Without detracting from the prestige gained by Cuban education since 1959, in my view the shortage of toys that children in Cuba have suffered, and do suffer, has been ignored. While the Russians were sending millions of rubles every day, our parents gave up sleep to buy three toys a year. In schools and kindergartens … Continue reading “The New Man Needs Toys / Dora Leonor Mesa”

Letter from the New Man in Defense of the Gang of Three / POLEMICA: The 2007 Intellectual Debate

For more information about this series of posts, please click here. From “The New Man” Dear comrades, close comrades, Those who now warn us, memorializing the life and work of Papito, Pavón and Quesada, instead of ridiculing them as flunkies, or treating them as model sacrificial snitches from a gray period of our history, should … Continue reading “Letter from the New Man in Defense of the Gang of Three / POLEMICA: The 2007 Intellectual Debate”

The Joke of the New Man / Ivan Garcia

The formation of the New Man has always been a fruitless task. Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara, its precursor, with his straw full of mate (a kind of tea that Argentinians drink from a bulb-shaped container, through a straw), was delirious in his moments of rest in the guerrilla war, on the road to Santa Clara … Continue reading “The Joke of the New Man / Ivan Garcia”

No News of Political Prisoners Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Maykel Castillo, Sissi Abascal or Sayli Navarro

The PEN Club of Cuban Writers in Exile calls for the “immediate release” of the poet María Cristina Garrido, imprisoned in El Guatao 14ymedio, Madrid, 6 February 2025 — The Pen Club of Cuban Writers in Exile, a subsidiary of the international organization that works for freedom of expression and protects persecuted authors, has demanded … Continue reading “No News of Political Prisoners Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Maykel Castillo, Sissi Abascal or Sayli Navarro”

Overwhelmed by Garbage, the Inhabitants of Manzanillo Fear the Arrival of a New Epidemic

“What started in a corner with a small nylon bag, today is a mountain of branches, rubble and dead animals,” they say. 14ymedio, Carlos. A. Rodríguez, Manzanillo, Granma Province, 6 Febraury 2025 — “I woke up with chest discomfort and shortness of breath. It was after 2 in the morning, and I could tell that … Continue reading “Overwhelmed by Garbage, the Inhabitants of Manzanillo Fear the Arrival of a New Epidemic”

Cuba Announces a New Exchange Rate for the Dollar That Varies ‘With Supply and Demand’

Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero admits that the foreign exchange market mostly operates irregularly 14ymedio/EFE, Madrid, 18 December 2024 (delayed translation) — Prime Minister Manuel Marrero acknowledged on Wednesday that citizens have lost confidence in the Cuban state banking system. In his speech before the National Assembly of People’s Power, he said that the government … Continue reading “Cuba Announces a New Exchange Rate for the Dollar That Varies ‘With Supply and Demand’”

Changes in the Selection for the Humanitarian ‘Parole’ Benefit New Cuban Applicants

14ymedio, Havana, 13 May 2023 — In an attempt to expedite the procedures of Cubans, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Haitians who opt for humanitarian parole, the US Government announced a modification in the selection process of beneficiaries. Starting in the next few days, the program will begin the processing of about 1,000 candidates a day, as … Continue reading “Changes in the Selection for the Humanitarian ‘Parole’ Benefit New Cuban Applicants”