Search results for: microbrigade

Ramiro Valdes Proposes Resurrecting the Microbrigades To Solve the Housing Problem in Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 20 April 2023 — The ninety-year-old Ramiro Valdés got angry during a meeting with leaders of Santiago de Cuba last week over the terrible state of housing in the province. The soldier, ratified this Wednesday as Deputy Prime Minister of the Island, “punched the table,” according to the local official newspaper, after unraveling … Continue reading “Ramiro Valdes Proposes Resurrecting the Microbrigades To Solve the Housing Problem in Cuba”

After a Brief Reappearance, the Lights Went Out Again in Havana, and the Banging of Pots and Pans in Indignation Began

The banging of pots was played by workers, government employees, and even officials who live in this area of ​​El Vedado. 14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Generation Y, Havana, July 17, 2026 / On Thursday night, after 28 hours of blackout and a brief period with electricity, the people in my neighborhood reached a state of collective … Continue reading “After a Brief Reappearance, the Lights Went Out Again in Havana, and the Banging of Pots and Pans in Indignation Began”

When a Line Means There’s Still Bread Left

The irregular operations of bakeries and the high prices on the informal market are worsening the finances of households in Matanzas. 14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Matanzas, July 5, 2026 — Teresa breathed a sigh of relief when she turned the corner and saw a line outside the neighborhood bakery in the Versalles district of Matanzas. … Continue reading “When a Line Means There’s Still Bread Left”

Old Age Without Rest at the La Micro Market in San José de las Lajas, Cuba

Elderly people sell nylon bags, guard their turns in line, and hope for opportunities in the doorways of this municipality in Mayabeque. 14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, San José de las Lajas (Mayabeque), May 3, 2026 / Under the peeling roof of the arcades at La Micro market in San José de las Lajas (Mayabeque), the … Continue reading “Old Age Without Rest at the La Micro Market in San José de las Lajas, Cuba”

Havana Chronicles: Under a Picture-Postcard Blue Sky, the Country is Crumbling

The grass is encroaching on the train tracks and the children’s center is no longer open, but they are calling on us to “celebrate May 1st with joy.” 14ymedio, Havana, Yoani Sánchez, April 30, 2026 — The daycare center in my neighborhood is in ruins. Hardly any children are being born. Although no one has … Continue reading “Havana Chronicles: Under a Picture-Postcard Blue Sky, the Country is Crumbling”

Propaganda and Ruin, the Two Faces of a Building in Cuba

The flags on the high-rise buildings of Peñas Altas, in Matanzas, barely hide the deterioration, which puts neighbors and passersby at risk. 14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Matanzas, 6 May 2025 — Looked at from one side it looks majestic, but the 13 storey building in Peñas Altas, in the city of Matanzas, only has one … Continue reading “Propaganda and Ruin, the Two Faces of a Building in Cuba”

Academics, Engineers and Retirees Sell Their Goods in a Second-Hand Market in Havana

“Everyone is doing it, selling the belongings of family members who have emigrated” 14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 3 November 2024 — They arrive early; some spread a blanket but others simply used the stairs of a building to spread their goods. The flea market on the corner of Loma and Tulipán, in Nuevo Vedado, … Continue reading “Academics, Engineers and Retirees Sell Their Goods in a Second-Hand Market in Havana”

In Havana’s Accountability Assemblies, the Blackouts Arrive on Time

Most of the residents are over 60 years old, and apathy reigns 14ymedio, Havana, 27 September 2024 — While the notes of an untuned violin mistreated the Bayamo anthem, a dirty lightbulb illuminated the flag, some papers and a desk in the middle of the street. It was the first accountability assembly in a neighborhood … Continue reading “In Havana’s Accountability Assemblies, the Blackouts Arrive on Time”

Cuba’s Deputy Prime Minister Ramiro Valdés Visits Sancti Spíritus to ‘Put His Foot Down’ Against Illegalities

With the economy on the rocks and the usual voluntarism, nothing will stop the province from celebrating July 26 in style. 14ymedio, Havana, June 20, 2024 — A delegation of ministers and senior officials arrived in Sancti Spíritus this Wednesday to carry out a government visit that soon turned into a hunt for “illegal MSMEs” … Continue reading “Cuba’s Deputy Prime Minister Ramiro Valdés Visits Sancti Spíritus to ‘Put His Foot Down’ Against Illegalities”

April Rumors: Raúl Castro’s ‘Chemical’ Grandson, Death of Ramiro Valdés, Dog Meat

14ymedio/Yucabyte, Havana, 22 May 2024 — El químico (the chemical), the fashionable synthetic drug in Havana, slowly takes over the Cuban underworld. The possibility that Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, El Cangrejo (The Crab), grandson and bodyguard of Raúl Castro, is the man behind its manufacture and traffic – in increasingly vast networks – was one … Continue reading “April Rumors: Raúl Castro’s ‘Chemical’ Grandson, Death of Ramiro Valdés, Dog Meat”

Salvador Valdes Mesa Reproaches Cuban Producers for Selling ‘To Whoever Pays the Most’

14ymedio, Madrid, April 17, 2024 — Salvador Valdés Mesa, annoyed, reproached Cuban producers on Tuesday for “getting used” to taking their products “to the highest bidder, the one who pays them the most.” The surprising argument encouraged a few days of bureaucratic meetings around the “Government’s projections to boost the economy” from which, despite having … Continue reading “Salvador Valdes Mesa Reproaches Cuban Producers for Selling ‘To Whoever Pays the Most’”

‘Fama y Aplausos’, the 20 Story Havana Building That Has Become a Hell

14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 14 December 2023 — A quick touch with the index finger and middle finger on the shoulder is the key to knowing that the building known as Fama y Aplausos (Fame and Applause), on the corner of Infanta and Manglar in Havana, is the home of important official spokespeople who handed … Continue reading “‘Fama y Aplausos’, the 20 Story Havana Building That Has Become a Hell”

My Personal Granada: Fidelito and El Gordo

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 25 October 2023 — All the data is on the internet: how many Cuban soldiers died in Granada, how many surrendered, the weapons of the 82nd US division, the fight between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher over the invasion, the importance of the airport… but not everything has been told. At … Continue reading “My Personal Granada: Fidelito and El Gordo”

Repression Breaks Out in Cuba in the Face of the Increasing Protests on the Fifth Day of the Post-Hurricane Blackout

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 2 October 2022 — With the mobilization of police officers, State Security agents dressed in civilian clothes and military service recruits armed with sticks, the authorities responded on Saturday night to the popular protests on the fifth day without electricity in several municipalities of Havana. The cacerolazos [banging on pots … Continue reading “Repression Breaks Out in Cuba in the Face of the Increasing Protests on the Fifth Day of the Post-Hurricane Blackout”

There Will Be No Foreign Investment for the Private Sector in Cuba

14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 23 July 2022 — In recent days, we have witnessed a torrent of measures by the Cuban regime to get the economy of the island out of the vicious circle in which it has been locked by the communist economic model that the authorities are stubbornly determined to apply. And … Continue reading “There Will Be No Foreign Investment for the Private Sector in Cuba”