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”
Coveted by clients, merchants and informal sellers, the tuber has also been the motive for several crimes on the Island. 14ymedio, Havana, 17 April 2024 — The potato harvest during this year’s campaign in the fields of Artemisa has been a failure. This is admitted by the official press, which reports that of the 5,600 … Continue reading “Cuban Leaders in Artemisa Attribute the Failure of the Potato Harvest to the Energy Situation”
Manuel Piñeiro died in strange circumstances while preparing his autobiography 14ymedio, Juan Izquierdo, 26 March 2024, Havana — This Tuesday, not a single official newspaper alluded, in the eulogies dedicated to the anniversary of State Security, to its most famous founder, Commander Manuel Piñeiro, known as Barbarroja. On the other hand, there are many tributes to … Continue reading “The Cuban Regime Erases ‘Barbarroja’ from State Security History”
The new status means more money and resources, in addition to brand-new printing machines 14ymedio, Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 13 April 2024 — The purpose is to “market the image of Cuba,” and the means are furnished by the Communist Party. Protected and paid for by the highest authority of the country, the Propaganda and Events … Continue reading “Converted Into a Company, the Propaganda Section of the Communist Party Sells ‘Stamps’ and Flags”
14ymedio, Havana, Natalia López Moya, 16 March 2024 — “They told us to remove the photos,” explains the employee of a bodega (ration store) in Nuevo Vedado, Havana, before the question of a customer surprised by the disappearance of the images of Fidel Castro, his brother Raúl and Ernesto Guevara who, until recently, alternated on … Continue reading ““No Martyrs or Leaders,” the New Directions for the Diminished Cuban Bodegas”
14ymedio, Havana, 16 February 2024 — Drop the “inertia” and “be nice” were the instructions given this Thursday by Miguel Díaz-Canel on his tour of the municipality of Consolación del Sur, in Pinar del Río, as part of his official tour of the regions of the Island that “do not work well.” Between scolding for … Continue reading “Cuban President Diaz-Canel Tells the Farmers To Be ‘Nice’ and Produce More Milk”
14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 11 February 2024 — Only once in my life have I been in the same city as James Bond. It was Havana. Or rather, a fake Havana that had a seaside promenade like the Malecón but no Morro Castle. It was actually the Spanish city of Cádiz, used as a stand-in … Continue reading “A Country of James Bond Villains”
14ymedio, Havana, 30 January 2024 — Cuban hospitals, whose crisis of supplies, facilities and personnel has been continually denounced by the population and the independent press, currently live on donations provided by governments and foreign organizations. This same Monday, the regime celebrated the help of 280 kilograms of expendable material from a new contributor: the … Continue reading “One of the Poorest Countries in Africa Donates to Cuba’s Healthcare System”
14ymedio, Pedro Corzo, Miami, January 7, 2024 — The totalitarian Castro regime was constituted and established based on a network of lies and myths that have been reconstructed for generations, always maintaining a false epic and honor that do not correspond to the historical truth, creating a narrative of heroic victimization that confused and made … Continue reading “Lies Are the Foundation of Castro Totalitarianism”
14ymedio, Claudia Padrón Cueto and the team at Partos Rotos, Havana, 11 August 2023 — The obstetric violence suffered by Cuban women had the attention of the authorities for a brief period. In fact, in 2022, the problem was recognized in the State press, and a guide was presented to improve childbirth care. Action plans … Continue reading “Respectful Birth in Cuba: A Right in Words Only”
