English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, 28 October 2016 – Every October 28 the action is repeated, already converted into a tradition in the elementary schools throughout the country. Children bring flowers to their classrooms and from there leave to through them into the sea as a reminder of Commander Camilo Cienfuegos, who disappeared in 1959 in strange circumstances. … Continue reading “Camilo Cienfuegos, Nowhere to be Found / 14ymedio”
*Camilo Cienfuegos
14ymedio, Generation Y, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 28 October 2015 — The wall of the Malecon tastes of salt and is rough to the touch. Standing on it, my school uniform splashed by the waves, every October of my childhood I threw a bouquet of flowers into the sea. The tribute was addressed to a man who … Continue reading “I no longer want to find you, Camilo / 14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez”
Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 31 October 2014 – For the first and last time, I saw him from afar for a fraction of a second on 21 October 1959, the day he passed through Camaguey to arrest Comandante Huber Matos. No one understood anything, but the presence of Camilo in the midst of the confusion gave … Continue reading “What You Saved Yourself From Camilo! / Reinaldo Escobar”
For years I tried to imagine his face, but it didn’t appear anywhere. He had been erased from the national history with meticulous cruelty. They airbrushed him out, even in one of the most iconic images of the Revolution, the one where he and Camilo Cienfuegos accompany Fidel on top of a Jeep, during the … Continue reading “The Day I Asked Forgiveness from Huber Matos / Camilo Venegas”
February 6 marked the 81st anniversary of the birth of one of the most emblematic figures of the Cuban Revolution. A personality who, simply by mentioning his name, arouses passions, conflicting opinions and some unknowns; I am referring to the man with the open smile, Camilo Cienfuegos. Undoubtedly charismatic and popular, the strange conditions of … Continue reading “The Unruly Ghosts of Camilo and Arnoldo / Juan Juan Almeida”
Agricultural companies in Artemisa owe more than 95 million pesos to producers alone, not counting the financial debt from loans. 14ymedio, Madrid, September 23, 2026 – “The debt of millions of pesos persists, like a virus that refuses to be removed.” This is how the official press characterizes the nonpayments by state agricultural companies to … Continue reading “Cuba’s Official Press Is Concerned About the Government’s Nonpayments to Farmers”
A retiree walks around the city of Matanzas, appalled by the prohibitive prices of tomatoes, avocados, and green beans. 14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Matanzas, September 20, 2026 – As if he were fulfilling his wife’s last wish, Anselmo went out into the street on Friday with an errand that years ago would have been simple … Continue reading “‘She Has a Craving for a Salad’”
Manufactured in Spain, where its sale is prohibited, this beverage is consumed mainly in Cuba. 14ymedio, Havana/Madrid, September 4, 2026 – On sidewalks or along the curb, among all the accumulating garbage, empty Shaka cans stand out, with their bluish color and the characteristic lion in their logo. It is a scene that any Cuban … Continue reading “Shaka, a Chemical Jolt with Massive Doses of Caffeine, Vodka, and Sugar, is Consumed in Cuba”
Díaz-Canel says the frustration caused by the prolonged blackouts is “understandable,” but “there will be no impunity for vandalism and violence.” 14ymedio, Havana, March 14, 2026 — On the same day as yesterday, Friday the 13th – which ended with a teenage protester injured, according to videos circulating on social media, by a police shot … Continue reading “The Cuban Regime Is Rehearsing a “People’s War” While the Police Brutally Repress Protests”
The place chosen for landing fuels doubts about a possible ambush. 14ymedio, Havana, February 27, 2026 – The list of names released by the Cuban regime after the February 25 shooting, near Cayo Falcones in Corralillo, Villa Clara, draws the human map of an episode still surrounded by gray areas. Ten Cubans who set out … Continue reading “The Ten from the Boat: Recklessness and Despair”
Reporters from 14ymedio and users confirm widespread shortages in Havana and Matanzas 14ymedio, Havana / Matanzas, Olea Gallardo / Pablo Padilla Cruz, January 30, 2026 – “They’re all false, the capital is paralyzed.” Comments like this are how users in groups dedicated to gasoline sales in Havana responded to the this Thursday about a false … Continue reading “Cuba’s Oil Union ‘Cupet’ Labels as ‘False’ a Statement Announcing the Suspension of Fuel Sales to the Public”
A look at the year’s most significant farewells Throughout 2025, numerous farewells took place. The obituaries published during these 12 months in 14ymedio have not only been a record of the end of those lives, but also a way to contextualize the legacy they left behind. It is worthwhile now to take stock of those … Continue reading “Cuba: The Deaths That Marked 2025”
Staff shortages turn afternoons into lost teaching hours at Camilo Cienfuegos Elementary School 14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, San José de las Lajas, 23 December 2025 –At four in the afternoon, the air on Avenida 40 is thick with smoke in front of the Camilo Cienfuegos Elementary School in San José de las Lajas. Under the … Continue reading “Due to a Lack of Teachers in Cuba, Recess Is Permanent at a School in San José De Las Lajas”
The Castro brothers consolidated their power through purges that eliminated key figures of the Revolution, many of them born in the capital. 14ymedio, Rafael Bordao, Miami, November 12, 2025 — It is striking that, for the past 73 years, Cuba’s main heads of government have shared a common origin: a rural background. From Batista, Fidel, … Continue reading “Castro’s Mistrust of Havana Politicians”