Category: Juan Diego Rodríguez

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodriguez, Havana, 21 April 2022 — The line this Thursday to take a bus to the fortress of San Carlos de La Cabaña, the venue for the XXX Havana Book Fair (FILH) until April 30, was long and crowded. The wait for transport was almost an hour, as transit is, once again, experiencing a crisis in Cuba.

“This year things are worse than last time,” observed a woman from Havana as she covered herself from the sun with her hand. “There are very few buses.”

During the wait, the visitors were filling the bags they carried in their hands with food. They would eat upon arrival, in the gardens surrounding the fortification, from where one can see, in the distance and with the sea in between, the advanced construction of the so-called “López-Calleja tower” competing for the first time in more than 63 years with the profile of the emblematic Habana Libre hotel.

At the gates of the fairgrounds, the waiting time multiplied: hundreds of people waited in line for up to two hours. “Fortunately there is something cool,” commented an old man with a snort.

Once inside, visitors milled around and crowded around the counters, but they didn’t buy much. In the first FILH after the launch of the so-called Ordering Task*, complaints about high prices were widespread. Miniature books (ranging from literary classics such as The Little Prince to titles with jokes for adults or self-help) at 650 pesos, glitter at 400 pesos, markers at 1,200 pesos… “Not to mention, even water and soft drinks,” protested a young man who asked about the price of a backpack. continue reading

The featured guest country, Mexico, aroused some expectation, judging by the line of people waiting to enter its pavilion, located in room A. However, people left soon, dissuaded by the more than 400 pesos average cost for the books, almost all of them edited by the state publisher Fondo de Cultura Económica.

Among the few Mexican private publishers represented were Planeta, Almadía and Sexto Piso, all of them at small tables covered with a precarious table cover and colored “papel picado” – elaborate paper cuts – typical of the traditional Day of the Dead in Mexico.

It was the books of these publishers that were offered at a more accessible price, which was understood by looking at the publication dates: none was new and there were titles from 2012 and 2013. Unsold inventory.

One of them stood out: Commander. The Venezuela of Hugo Chávez , by Rory Carroll from the Sexto Piso publishing house (2013). It is a report that illustrates the rise of authoritarianism in Venezuela and the failure of the social programs of Bolivarism, something that would surprise the Cuban authorities who allowed it to be offered if they knew. Such a thing is doubtful: the two copies on display were closed, and the public passed by when they saw the face of the deceased president.

Outside the fairgrounds of La Cabaña, in the Casa Benito Juárez (known as Casa de México), in Old Havana, Paco Ignacio Taibo II, director of the Mexican state publishing Fund for Economic Culture (FCE), presented Nueve noches con Violeta del Río [Nine nights with Violeta del Rio], by Leonardo Padura.

The Havana author was not present in person but he sent a video message from Madrid, where, he said,  he is “for work.” In the message he thanked the FCE for the presentation and expressed his wish that the Fair be successful and bring reading closer to the Cuban public.

Taibo, for his part, highlighted the relationship between the two since they met in the International Association of Police Writers in the 1980s and referred to Padura as a “author critical of the Cuban reality that he lives.”

The director of the Fund explained that the new book, which he defined as a “long love story,” will be included in the Vientos del Pueblo collection, a series of books launched by the Mexican state publisher at very low prices (and published at very low quality).

*Translator’s note: Tarea ordenamiento = the [so-called] ‘Ordering Task’ which is a collection of measures that include eliminating the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), leaving the Cuban peso as the only national currency, raising prices, raising salaries (but not as much as prices), opening stores that take payment only in hard currency which must be in the form of specially issued pre-paid debit cards, and other measures. 

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 19 April 2022 — One day after 14ymedio reported the return to the restriction by municipality of residence on the sale in pesos in the Plaza de Carlos III, the official press confirms the measure for the entire capital as of this Thursday 21.

The decision has been made, the Tribuna de La Habana acknowledges this Tuesday, “taking into account the existing situation with the availability of products and with the aim of making sales more viable, achieving greater equity and therefore reducing the crowding of people in the establishments.” That is, because of the shortages and to avoid the long queues.

From now on, warns the local newspaper, “all the products that are sold will be controlled and regulated,” and in the establishments of Cimex and Caribe the “scanning system” for identity cards will be re-established.

The official note details that in the Cuatro Caminos market, only residents of Old Havana and Cerro will be able to buy; in the Plaza de Carlos III, those of Centro Habana and Plaza de la Revolución, and in El Pedregal, those of La Lisa.

It was the Cuatro Caminos shopping center that was the scene, on April 7, of a line that reached a length of almost 20 blocks, and, two weeks before, the area was heavily guarded by the security forces, coinciding with a blackout of the internet that the State telecommunications company Etecsa attributed to an “energy failure.” continue reading

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 15 April 2022 — Several policemen and patrol cars, blows, arguments and many, many people set the tone for a line to buy vegetable oil, which extended through Salud Street in Centro Habana this Good Friday, a holiday in Cuba.

“The police can’t fight the hungry people. People brutalize themselves to buy oil and chicken,” says a resident who from her house sees how several women hit each other in one of the fights provoked by the massive line for the store El Bodegón, with its entrance through Belascoaín street.

“I don’t understand why on July 11 there wasn’t a little more force, like in this line to buy oil because the police go after people, but people don’t let go, they keep hitting,” adds the resident. “On a day like today God was dead and the devil is on the loose.”

A liter of vegetable oil in the capital’s informal market costs between 500 and 700 pesos, while the sale of oil in state stores continues to be rationed like other basic necessities. For more than two years, vegetable oil has begun to be scarce.

People who were able to purchase the product today at El Bodegón, at a price of 50 pesos, had to present their supply book from the rationed market where the purchase was recorded and they will not be able to purchase oil again in another state establishment for the next 15 days. continue reading

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 7 April 2022 — Thousands of people formed a line this Thursday near the Cuatro Caminos market in Havana. Neighbors of the place confirmed to this newspaper the unusual line, which can be seen in videos and photos on social networks.

“A thing never seen before: the line began in Matadero, went along Omoa to the corner of Tejas and went down Monte,” a resident of Centro Habana said in surprise. A total of 16 blocks.

All of them waited, in a muffled murmur, to hand over their cards and be put on a list that determines what day they can go shopping within the next two weeks. Outside of the day they get, they can’t shop, and on the day they get lucky, there may not be what they need in the stores.

“The Special Brigade does not enter that mob,” joked a young man who witnessed the crowd. “The Cuatro Camino Revolution is drawing near.”

Another neighbor is not so optimistic: “Can you imagine if the cause of those people, instead of chicken, was democracy? Chicken has won the battle for us.” continue reading

“This line forms every 14 days, but it has been getting longer and longer for some time,” explains another resident of the neighborhood, who says that on March 24, the area was heavily guarded by the security forces.

That was the day that the island suffered a general outage of internet service for about an hour, which Etecsa attributed to an “energy failure.” At that time, there were many who, on social networks and in the streets, feared that the reason for the blackout was something else, as happened during the protests on July 11, to prevent information about the demonstrations from continuing to circulate.

In the surroundings of the Plaza de Cuatro Caminos , the connection problems lasted several days, according to several residents.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 5 April 2022 — Customers of the Youth Labor Army market on 17th and K in Havana were stunned this Tuesday when they saw a policeman riding a motorcycle enter the crowd.

Three sellers of plastic bags, routine in the place despite the prohibition on selling product, left terrified, two men and a woman, but the agent only went after the woman. The girl slipped through the crowd that was doing its shopping at the market and disappeared from sight.

Some of the vendors confronted the agent saying: “Hey, officer, you can’t come in here.” The policeman, perplexed, answered them loudly: “I don’t understand why that woman who came in disappears in here,” implying that the merchants themselves had hidden her.

Without ever getting off the motorcycle, the agent turned around and went back out into the street. He was stationed at the door of the market for a few minutes with a vigilant attitude, until another woman approached him, pointing out a path – which way did the pursued person go? – and, only then, did the man leave. continue reading

“Luckily he didn’t come in at high speed, what if he hits someone?” said a customer in her forties under her breath, while protesting: “They feel impunity.”

Another young witness to the events reported: “This reminds me of the stories my grandmother told me about Batista, when the police pursued people and the people themselves hid them.”

The market, located on a busy street in El Vedado, has at least two entrances, which made pursuit more difficult for the uniformed man. With a nearby passport and identity card preparation office, plus a polyclinic where PCR tests are carried out for those planning to travel travel, the area is permanently full of people who come and go.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 1 April 2022 — With a ticket price of 250 pesos, the Fábrica de Arte Cubano [Cuban Art Factory (FAC)] resumes its cultural presentations this Friday night after being closed for more than two years due to the pandemic.

“What is the cheapest rum you will sell?” a young man interested in being there asked a FAC employee this Friday afternoon. The state worker replied that the Santiago and Habana Club brands would be the cheapest.

The cultural center, near the iron bridge that crosses the Almendares river, is managed by the musician X Alfonso; before the pandemic, it mainly attracted tourists and artists from the alternative scene who had the resources to pay the price of its tickets and services.

But between the closing of its doors and this opening, there was the Ordering Task* the currency unification in January 2021, which shook a good part of the Cuban economy, raising inflation and shooting up the price of foreign currency in the informal market. Hence, the big question of this restart night is how much the Art Factory will cost now and which customers will be able to afford it.

The event schedule of the first reopening day includes the presentation of the DJs Tievo and Cusko, artists from the National School of Dance, and Roberto Fonseca and Temperamento.

*Tarea ordenamiento = the [so-called] ‘Ordering Task’ which is a collection of measures that include eliminating the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), leaving the Cuban peso as the only national currency, raising prices, raising salaries (but not as much as prices), opening stores that take payment only in hard currency which must be in the form of specially issued pre-paid debit cards, and other measures. 

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 30 March 2022 — No one saw anything and few are talking, but the truth is that this Tuesday the office of the State telecommunications company Etecsa on Obispo Street, in Old Havana, woke up with a broken glass.

“They have already begun to break the windows of the Etecsa offices that sell in MLC (hard currency),” said the activist Ángel Cuza in a video transmitted through Facebook, while government Criminalistics agents were observed placing boards in the windows.

A curious customer who came in to buy a phone card asked the employee: “Are you going to fix it here, I see that you are boarding up the window?” The young woman replied: “No, no, it’s that there was an incident and they put that there until they change the glass.”

A neighbor residing on Havana Street, a few meters from the Etecsa office, told this newspaper that “at dawn we heard a noise but we didn’t look out.” The man, who prefers to remain anonymous, says that “this area is very noisy and until the wee hours you hear a lot of noise, music and voices, so we didn’t think it was important.”

The next morning, when he went downstairs, he found “a strong police operation and everyone commenting that someone had thrown a stone at the Etecsa window.” continue reading

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 24 March 2022 — In Cuba, the telecommunications services of the state monopoly Etecsa stopped working this Thursday morning for about an hour, a problem that the company attributes to an energy failure and that increases uncertainty about the capacity of the Island’s National Electric System.

“Etecsa informs that due to a power failure there has been instability in the voice service, SMS, mobile data, as well as recharges and purchase of packages. At this time, the affected equipment has already been restored, which will allow the services to be restored progressively,” the company explained on its official Twitter account.

The first problems have begun to be noticed in the lack of data connection in Havana, where the newsroom of 14ymedio has kept in touch through text messages.

However, several users on social networks reported the impossibility of making calls or sending SMS texts.

“The problems with the Internet connection for Mobile Data continue. Right now they do not work. I report from Pinar del Río,” said a user. Another confirmed that it was also happening in Ciego de Ávila. One more tweeted that it was only possible to connect via wi-fi.

In Havana, nervous glances at cell phones and questions showed people’s anxiety at not having service. “Something big must be happening,” said a nurse at the gates of the Calixto García hospital.

Many Cubans have feared that the cutoff was intentional, as happened during the July 11 protests to prevent further information about the demonstrations from circulating. At that time, the Island remained “blind” for three days. continue reading

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 24 March 2022 — “It doesn’t taste like milk, it tastes like a powder that they give to the elderly on the ration book called lactosoy. That’s the flavor,” complains Ernesto, a Havanan at the gates of Coppelia. A local regular and fan of ice cream, the young man went to the popular ice cream parlor for the first time since the price increase on Thursday, but his discomfort could not have been greater.

After paying 90 pesos for two five-ball ’salads’, his conclusion was that it was made with soy milk, a product that, in addition to his disliking it, “it dislikes me.” He hates those inventions of the Special Period: soy mincemeat, soy burgers and croquettes, even soy yogurt. And now the soy ice cream.

“This ice cream doesn’t have milk. The other day I was here, when they announced that they were going to raise prices and in the end they didn’t, and the ice cream had milk, it was good that day. And now they raise the price and it doesn’t have milk,” he protests.

Last Friday, the capital city’s government announced that Coppelia’s ice cream scoop would have a price of 9 pesos, while Varadero’s ice cream, of lower quality,  would be priced at 7. The Internal Trade Business Group indicated that the cost “of fresh milk had risen, which impacts the wholesale costs of industrial production of milk, as is the case of ice cream.”

When customers like Ernesto went to the store on Saturday, located in Havana’s Vedado district, they breathed a sigh of relief to see that the prices were the same and the quality was not inferior. The measure was postponed until Tuesday, according to what the employees told 14ymedio, and this was confirmed today, when this newspaper visited the ice cream parlor again. However, complaints about the taste of the product were the dominant note. continue reading

“I asked the employee if they were adding soy instead of milk and she laughed. I asked the custodian and he told me that they had been adding soy for a while,” insists the customer.

This newspaper consulted with the Coppelia worker about the preparation of the product, but she claimed not to know. “I can’t tell you what’s in the ice cream, if it has milk or soy, because here what we do is sell the ice cream. If you want to know what’s in it, you have to call the factory,” she said.

The answer is unusual, since the store is depriving their customers of knowing the composition of a product and exposing them to possible risks if, for example, they have an allergy or intolerance.

At the Complejo Lácteo company, which manufactures Coppelia ice cream, a worker insists that what is being said “on social networks is a lie” and the ice cream has the same formulation as always.

However, since the beginning of the year, several provinces have been alerted to the change in the preparation of Coppelia ice cream and the authorities admitted in a report by Telecubanacán, in Villa Clara, that the change is not a response to a desire to diversify the offer with plant-based milk or eliminate milk with lactose or animal origin, a trend in many European countries.

“The reality is that the ice cream we have right now is not what the population expects, but it has good quality. It is an ice cream made with 50% soy and 50% milk, flavorings and stabilizers. The problem is that consumers are used to ice cream made only with cream, but right now we don’t have that possibility because right now the country doesn’t have enough raw material (milk),” he said.

On that occasion, the official admitted that the price increase was linked to the price of soy milk, more expensive than cow’s milk in general terms. “The price of ice cream is according to the cost of the raw material and that is set through Provincial Finance and really the decision of the cost lists already comes from Havana. It is at the country level.”

But it is forced by the shortage of cow’s milk.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 22 March 2022 — The control of the sale of fuel in Havana began this Tuesday without prior notice. As this newspaper had anticipated, the authorities planned to extend the regulation established in Matanzas from Sunday to the entire Island, but it has been sooner than the employees themselves expected.

A sign surprised customers at the Cupet on 25th and G, in Havana’s Vedado neighborhood: “Only 20 liters per gasoline vehicle will be sold.” As for diesel, there simply isn’t any, service station employees inform 14ymedio.  

The line, first thing in the morning, occupied more than ten blocks, although it was only visible on G Street, between 23 and 25, and on 23, between G and F. To be able to see the rest, one has to travel on the smaller streets. As the authorities do with the sale of the products most in demand, they had arranged the line by dividing it. Once on F Street, it was glimpsed that it turned to the right on 27th, and there was no end in sight.

“I had never seen anything like this in my life,” a local resident told 14ymedio. “They hid the line, as they do with the sale of chicken and hotdogs.”

Inside the gas station, a truck driver begged one of the Cupet managers to sell him more than the regulated 20 liters, because with that amount he wouldn’t solve anything. “If it were up to me, I would give you forty, but I can’t disobey the order,” responded the employee, who explained that the establishment found out about the rule that same day, through “a piece of paper… If you want, go complain to the provincial government,” he told the driver. continue reading

Another Cupet employee reported that the day before, when this newspaper confirmed the lack of fuel at smaller service stations, the tension in the line of customers waiting to be served rose to the point of shock.

The same trend was observed in the Infanta and San Rafael gas station, in Centro Habana: customers begging at the doors of the establishment and an endless line of cars, which turned into Zanja Street and merged with other lines to buy food.

In the Cupet on Zanja, also in Centro Habana, the presence of people waiting on foot, with a plastic container in hand, was striking.

This Tuesday, the lines did not “discriminate”: there were the same taxis, trucks, motorcycles, private cars, state cars and – proof that the problem is serious – vehicles from the Ministry of the Interior.

Meanwhile, on the street the shortage of fuel begins to be noticed. This Tuesday, it is almost impossible to take a transport in the capital, and the situation is expected to worsen in the coming days.

Without fuel, in addition, the distribution of food and other essential products is at serious risk.

The official press announced on Sunday that the regulated sale of fuel for individuals in Matanzas would begin that same day , but it remains silent for the rest of the country, as does the Government.

There, the decision, as explained by Geobel Quintero Hernández, a provincial government official, was due to “the existing difficulties in the coverage of these resources in said establishments.”

Without giving further explanations, the authorities assured that the limits on sales are not a consequence of a fuel deficit in the country, “but rather that it responds to the logistical assurance for its distribution.”

They also explained that the state-owned company Transcupet, in charge of supplying the establishments, currently works with 62% of its vehicles, so that “they must give priority to the diesel that the generators need, which is extremely necessary at the moment due to the crisis. temporary energy that the country suffers.”

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 14 March 2022 — Cuban musicians who work for state institutions have not been paid since January, although many of them have already returned to the stage after the stoppage forced by Covid. The last payment, that month, consisted of the support in arrears for November and, partially, that for December, granted by the Government as compensation for the lack of action due to the pandemic.

No authority explained to the artists at that time why they reduced the payment and no one explains to them now why they have not been paid for two months. “We don’t know when and we don’t know if they’re going to continue paying, but get to work!” an employee from the Programming department replied rudely to Ernesto, a trumpeter in a group who asks to hide his real name for fear of reprisals, when asking for the umpteenth time a question that has him on the verge of despair.

“Artex has already opened, the Houses of Music are already working, they can no longer be protected any longer,” the official continued by way of explanation.

The truth is that, according to Ernesto, the places that have already opened their doors are not enough. “We are thousands of musicians, singers, comedy technicians and dancers,” he tells 14ymedio. “It is absurd that with so few sources of employment we can work as before, and to work in tourism you have to have leverage or a godfather and many hotels are also closed or do not have guests yet,” he continues, referring to the only sector where, although a minority, artists have been able to continue exercising.

In any case, despite the fact that the restrictions that prohibit dance performances and concerts have already been lifted, state institutions, such as museums and territorial directorates of culture, do not have the liquidity to hire artists. continue reading

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 10 March 2022 — The situation at the Panamanian Embassy in Havana has worsened 24 hours after the chaos generated this Wednesday after it was learned that the country had begun requesting transit visas from Cubans.

Hundreds of people arrived at the entrance of the consulate yesterday to find out how they could quickly acquire a necessary piece of paper a few hours before some of them had to board a flight stopping in the Panamanian capital.

The scene was repeated this Thursday, although the Police had taken control of the area today and it was impossible to approach the diplomatic headquarters. In addition, the internet signal had been cut off in the area.

The agents, among other missions, must control traffic, which has been diverted to prevent yesterday’s crowds. The dozens of people who get as close as possible brandish their tickets in their hands and, like yesterday, demand solutions and answers in the midst of desperation because they don’t know if they will be able to fly.

Among the agents, some are understanding with the citizens who insist on receiving more information, but the order, in view of the operation, is to prevent them from getting closer to the diplomatic headquarters. continue reading

However, the number of interested parties is increasing. A guard who was several blocks from the area asked the 14ymedio reporter what the exact address of the Panamanian Embassy was, because many people insist on asking him.

This Wednesday, the Panamanian Consulate assured Cubans who plan to travel on or before the night of Saturday the 12th that they will not need the new transit visa, but those who plan to travel between March 13 and 30 will have to reschedule their flights. The employee assured that whoever travels after March 31 will have no problem obtaining the visa, but must submit their application at least 15 business days before the departure of their flight.

The news that the Panamanian authorities would begin to require transit visas from Cubans fell like a pitcher of cold water on those who planned to make a stopover in the Central American country with the Copa airline, which stops in Panama, to continue towards Nicaragua. Nicaragua does not require visas for Cubans and since November that country has become the main exit point for those who want to emigrate. At the end of February, Costa Rica took the same measures.

The cost of the visa is 50 dollars and gives the right to stay 24 hours in transit through Panama.

Cuba’s authorities have taken advantage of the situation to denounce the immigration policy of the United States, which they accuse of failing to comply with the immigration agreements that establish the delivery of at least 20,000 annual visas for Cuban citizens.

“This has led to the establishment of alternative routes for Cuban citizens who wish to emigrate to that country, creating complicated situations for other countries that are used as transit to reach the United States,” affirms the official press in a note published this Wednesday that recounts the scenes of yesterday and stresses that the decision belongs to Panama, and the Cuban government cannot do anything about it.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 10 March 2022 — “The bikes arrived and Armageddon set in,” says Maria. The shouting on San Nicolás street, in Central Havana, called the attention of passers-by who, despite being accustomed to long lines and fights forming when the Mundo de la Fantasia [Fantasy World] toy store displayed merchandise, today stopped in surprise to see what the reason was for such exaggerated pandemonium.

The bicycles, a bright pink sprinkled with little flowers, were not entirely cheap. But the price, 3,439 pesos, was attractive enough for the resellers, eager to get a good profit in dollars on the online site Revolico, to compete with the fathers and mothers who milled around the store trying to get a hold of the product.

To get one of these toys, it is essential to show the card that proves the buyer has children, an obstacle that the resellers manage to overcome, sometimes with a real document, others with a borrowed one and others with the complicity of the seller.

The lines are constant in Mundo de la Fantasia, formerly La Casa Pérez, every time that, “from time to time” this store, located on Neptuno street, receives merchandise to sell. However, this Thursday the Police even had to approach the area when they saw the organized scandal, although, as soon as they left the area, chaos returned.

María laughs between amused and resigned. “Because of the messes that are formed, and today more than ever, in ’Fantasy World’ there is nothing. This store should be called ’Terror World’.”

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 7 March 2022 — This weekend it was easy to find your way around the Havana coastline from the spotlight that the Spanish Embassy in the Cuban capital has become these days. Illuminated with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, in solidarity with that country and in rejection of the Russian invasion, the imposing building stood out in the middle of streets with hardly any public lighting.

The initial image, posted on the embassy’s Twitter account, is far from the one seen this Sunday night where only a couple of windows were colored blue. However, the gesture goes straight to the eyes of the Cuban Executive, which has maintained a position of harmony with the Kremlin. The Government of the Island has abstained in at least two votes in the United Nations rejecting the Russian incursion into Ukrainian territory and the official media maintain that it is a “special military operation” to “denazify” that European country.

Other European embassies and consulates have also shown their support for the Ukrainians and their president, Volodymyr Zelensky, by placing the blue and yellow flag in their outdoor areas. In the case of the Spanish headquarters, it is not the first time that it has used the lighting system on its façade to celebrate or remember an event, such as when, close to October 12 and in view of its national holiday, they adorn the building’s art nouveau walls with the tonalities of the Spanish flag.

Passers-by have not missed the new decoration to sneer about the darkness that reigns around the enormous building, located on an enviable corner, overlooking the entrance to the bay and the Morro lighthouse. “Only the embassies and hotels are illuminated, the rest of this city is shadows,” a Havana resident complained this Sunday. There have also been those who regret not having seen the colors of the Cuban flag in the building, in solidarity with the popular protests of last July 11 or in demand for the release of those detained on those days.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 6 March 2022 — If something is going at full speed in Cuba, it is the construction of hotels. While the country seems to move in slow motion in other sectors, rooms for tourists continue to grow throughout the Island. In the heart of El Vedado, in Havana, the dilapidated structure of the Moscow restaurant is being rapidly demolished to make way for accommodations which will be managed by the Cuban company Gran Caribe and the Spanish company Be Live.

Passersby  walking along La Rampa this week are amazed at the jumble of steel that has been exposed as the walls of a building that was damaged in 1989 by fire are removed. Since then, the building has been closed to the public and turned into a garbage dump, a makeshift dormitory for the homeless, and a den for stray cats.

Now, there is no shortage of jokes about the pace of the works or allusions to the moment in which the Moscow restaurant is being demolished. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has coincided with the demolition of the emblematic construction and Havanans take advantage of the coincidence to air their criticism of the Kremlin’s actions, which has met with popular rejection on the island despite the support given by the Cuban regime.

With its surrounding fence, its “construction site” signs and its exposed beams, the Moscow restaurant can also be seen these days as a metaphor for Vladimir Putin’s international isolation, for his colossal loneliness.

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