English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 24 November 2020 — Four, three, two … A countdown marks the closing time of the Western Union office in Cuba this Monday. When the clock strikes six in the evening, a long era of remittances through the US company will be over, an end resulting from the sanctions imposed … Continue reading “Adios Western Union, Come Back Soon Western Union”
14ymedio, Havana, 13 November 2020 — On Friday, Western Union announced it will no longer provide remittance services in Cuba as of November 23 after the island’s government rejected a proposal that would have allowed the US-based to comply with American regulations governing its transactions with Fincimex*. The deadline for sending money from the United … Continue reading “Western Union’s Offices in Cuba to Close at 6 PM, November 23”
14ymedio, Havana, 9 November 2020 — “We invite our clients to speed up shipments to their relatives in Cuba,” advised Khalid Fellahi, general manager of Western Union Digital, assuring that the more than 400 offices the company has on the island are currently operating. “It is important that your loved ones collect the funds sent … Continue reading “‘Accelerate Shipments to Your Relatives in Cuba’ Advises Western Union”
14ymedio, Havana, 27 October 2020 — Fincimex, one of the companies in Cuba’s military conglomerate GAESA, reported in an ambiguous statement that they will close the 407 Western Union offices in Cuba, after the new provisions announced by the United States last Friday which prohibit the sending of remittances through companies linked to the military. In a call from this … Continue reading “Western Union Employee Says Fincimex Lies: "They Have Not Ordered Us to Close"”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 26 October 2020 — The lines at several of the Western Union branches in Havana were longer than usual this Monday, three days after the US Government announced that it will prohibit the sending of remittances to Cuba through companies controlled by military. The conversations among those who waited ranged from uncertainty … Continue reading “Small Cuban Businesses Will Try to Replace Western Union’s Services”
14ymedio, Havana, 5 October 2020 — Western Union, a US company, dropped the exchange rate between the dollar and the Cuban convertible peso (CUC) by 2%, according to El Nuevo Herald. “We have made a correction in the exchange rate for money transfers from the United States to Cuba and from now on for each … Continue reading “Western Union Improves the Exchange Rate for the Dollar in Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 6 June 2020 — On Thursday afternoon, two of the Western Union offices in Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución municipality had closed earlier than usual because they no longer had cash. At dawn on Friday, the lines in front of the premises were longer than normal and were marked by uncertainty. After the … Continue reading “Many Cubans Fear Western Union is "On The Brink…"”
14ymedio, Marcelo Hernández, Havana, 5 February 2020 — You hear the sound of hammers and a wheelbarrow that comes loaded with mortar to finish building the bathroom. At the home of Olivia, age 28, there is an incessant movement of builders but the sound of the works can stop at any time. “I am waiting for … Continue reading “"Saint Western Union" Builds Houses in Cuba”
14ymedio, Marcelo Hernández, Havana, 31 January 2018 — Carmen Moya puts on her most comfortable shoes, those that her son sent from New Jersey with a warning “only for special occasions.” Now she uses them to go from one Western Union to another in search of the money the young man sends her, but the lack of … Continue reading “Large Remittances Deplete the Cash at Western Union”
Tempting the Cuban Transition Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo FOLLOW THIS EVENT ONLINE HERE and HERE Since December 17th, when President Obama and General Raul Castro performed their simultaneous speeches, many Americans insist on congratulating me. I wonder why no Cuban has congratulated me so far, and why I still haven’t congratulated any other Cuban, whether in favor … Continue reading “Sunday: Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo at Northwestern University for a Free Cuba, Damn It!”
To this day, in the universal history books in junior high or high schools in Cuba, the Soviet theme is handled with kid gloves. They recall its founding father Vladimir Illych Lenin, the epic of the Second World War with its 20 million dead (old data, it was 27 million and more than a few … Continue reading “What the Soviet Union Left Cubans / Ivan Garcia”
Graphic from: http://www.cubaenmiami.com/ I am not going to tackle an everyday plot related to the cinemagraphic or literary genre that became one of the cardinal points of the United States, but that historic company that offers financial and commercial services, Western Union. Until sometime more than three months ago, if some friend or relative abroad … Continue reading “Western Pumpkins / Rosa Maria Rodriguez”
14ymedio, Madrid, 18 May 2022 — Ending the limits on remittances sent from the U.S. to Cuba — one of the measures announced by Washington on Monday, in addition to resuming flights — seems to be one that could have the greatest impact on the Island. It is for the benefit of Cuban families, which … Continue reading “Competing with the ‘Mules’: The Cuban Government’s Complicated Goal for Remittances”
14ymedio, Luis Zúñiga, Miami, 5 February 2022 — On June 5, 1960, Fidel Castro ordered the nationalization of the Texaco company’s oil refinery in Cuba. The following month, on July 5, he ordered the seizure of the two remaining US refineries, Shell and Esso. Castro let the owners know that there would be no monetary … Continue reading “The True History of the United States Trade Embargo on Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 1 June 2021 — Cuba’s state-run currency exchange company, Cadeca, has announced “a new service”: prepaid cards in dollars to be used exclusively within Cuba to pay for goods and services in the country’s hard-currency retail network. The new operation, which is not yet available, is an effort to take over cash remittance transfers … Continue reading “Cadeca to Issue Pre-Paid Cards in Another Step Towards Dollarization in Cuba”
