English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
As the results of their proposals have been the same, perhaps it makes no sense to discuss how they carried them out. 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 26 April 2024 — Any attempt to theorize about methodological issues in the way of governing is usually dismissed when the results are the same. That is one of … Continue reading “Cuba: Gradual Process Versus Voluntarism, a Matter of Methodology”
While breakdowns and blackouts disrupt pumping, a 1,000-liter tank delivered to your home can cost up to 15,000 pesos. 14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, September 9, 2026 – There has been a great deal of activity since early morning on Nueva del Pilar Street, in Havana’s Cerro municipality. There, at giant dispensers, tanks are being … Continue reading “In Havana, Water Now Arrives Faster on Wheels Than Through the Pipes”
Schools face numerous difficulties, including shortages of teachers, uniforms, transportation and food 14ymedio, Madrid, August 31, 2026 – The desperate race to guarantee a normal school year, something the Government has already acknowledged will not happen, has pushed authorities to turn to small and medium-sized private enterprises. In Camagüey, the official press reports, “state and … Continue reading “Private Companies Will Sponsor Schools in Camagüey, Cuba, to Alleviate State Shortages”
Lacking a sense of humor, vengeful towards anyone who dared to challenge him, Fidel Castro’s image is at an all-time low in the social imagination. 14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Generation Y, Havana, February 4, 2026 — Her photo with Fidel Castro hung in the living room for decades, and Rita proudly displayed it. But a few … Continue reading “The Removal of the Photos: Fidel Castro’s Regime Retreats in Cuba”
The Agricultural Group has set out to sow 200,000 hectares (494,212 acres), half of which are under the responsibility of “large enterprises and specialized centers” 14ymedio, Havana, October 15, 2025 — The lack of production in Cuba is not easy to solve, but it usually finds compensation in a corresponding show of ‘voluntarism’. This is … Continue reading “As in Cuba’s Special Period, Authorities Hope the “Popular Rice” Will Reduce Imports”
This measure aims to increase exports to 250 tons, which barely reached 36 tons in 2024. 14ymedio, Havana, August 11, 2025 — The Pinar del Río Agroforestry Company only exported 36 tons of charcoal out of the 400 tons it produced last year, but it promises very different results for 2025. According to its director, … Continue reading “A Hard-Currency Incentive Is Promised to the Charcoal Producers of Pinar Del Río, Cuba”
The coverage of teaching positions was at 84.4% in 2024, which represents approximately 26,871 vacant positions throughout the country. 14ymedio, Havana, 2 April 2025 — Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel wants Cuban teachers to return to school, to be better trained, to learn languages, and to teach “quality” classes. The problem, the same reason teachers fail … Continue reading “For a Monthly Salary Equivalent to $15, Díaz-Canel Demands ‘Quality’ From Cuban Teachers”
An article in ‘Granma’ describes the bleak outlook for the sugar harvest in Guantánamo province. 14ymedio, Havana, 18 March 2025 — The International Agroindustrial Food Fair of Cuba began this Monday in Havana, at a time when national agriculture is experiencing a deep crisis and desperately needs foreign investors to revive production. Proof of this … Continue reading “At the Agroindustrial Fair, Cuba Seeks Foreign Investors for Its Ruined Agriculture”
14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Generation Y, Havana, 23 January 2025 — Cuba had been removed from the United States’ list of countries sponsoring terrorism for just six days. This Monday, after Donald Trump took office, the island’s regime was once again on a list that carries serious diplomatic and financial restrictions. Havana has barely had time … Continue reading “The Havana Regime Swallows Hard Before the New Winds Blowing in Washington”
“The optimists, the group in which we revolutionaries belong, believe that the important thing is to have conquered the test,” said the president, without specifying what that supposed victory is. 14ymedio, Havana, 14 December 2024 — In response to Cuba being kept on the US list of countries sponsoring terrorism for another year, President Miguel … Continue reading “President Díaz-Canel Calls on Cubans To Join a ‘March of the Fighting People’ Against the US”
Police found 168 boxes of Occidental Rum, from a state-owned company, diverted to the black market 14ymedio, Havana, 6 December 2024 — Private businesses are the main target of the persecution by inspectors in the “national exercise against crime and illegalities,” but they also do not escape cases of corruption in state entities, such as … Continue reading “Cuba’s Pre-University Students Are Mobilized To Detect ‘Illegalities in the Self-Employed Sector’”
Two people from San Antonio del Sur are still missing: Kaliannis Hernández Urgelléz, 35, and Orlenis Gamboa Pérez, 42 14ymedio, Havana, 31 October 2024 — The United Nations System in Cuba will dedicate 33,235,167 dollars to assist the half million victims of Hurricane Oscar in Guantánamo. The emergency recovery plan, for which six million dollars … Continue reading “The UN Will Dedicate 33 Million Dollars to Repairing the Damage of Hurricane Oscar in Cuba”
Unicef donates 1.5 tons of medicines to Cuba for those affected by Hurricane Oscar 14ymedio, Havana, October 26, 2024 — A first donation of 1.5 tons of “medicines and consumable material” from Unicef arrived this Saturday in Havana to be delivered to the victims of Hurricane Oscar, which left seven dead in the eastern province … Continue reading “Cuba: The Methodist Church of Guantánamo Welcomes Dozens of People Evacuated After the Floods”
UNE announced the “total disconnection” of the Electrical System The Antonio Guiteras power plant had scheduled maintenance, but it did not last until the scheduled date With the country in darkness and the economy paralyzed, Marrero says that Cuba “is not yet in a bottomless abyss” 14ymedio, Havana, 18 October 2024 — The Cuban Ministry … Continue reading “Cuba Will Remain Without Electricity at Least Until Saturday”
The ’politics of the cadres’ is ’the Achilles heel’ of the Party, and food production is ’the stone in our shoe’ 14ymedio, Madrid, 6 October 2024 — On Wednesday he was in Las Tunas, on Thursday in the Havana municipality of Diez de Octubre, on Friday in Santa Clara, and on Saturday back in Havana … Continue reading “Cuban President Díaz-Canel Admits That the US ‘Blockade’ Is Not Responsible for All the Problems”