Nelson García – Translating Cuba

Demanded Back by Mallorca, Antonio Maceo’s Chair is the Star of a Cuban Exhibition

The exhibition revolves around the chair but there are other objects, either used by the major general or otherwise connected to him. (14ymedio)

14ymedio, Nelson García, Havana, 9 December 2023 – If the mayor of Palma de Mallorca wants to get Antonio Maceo’s chair back he’ll certainly know where to find it. The Captain Generals’ Palace in Old Havana has opened an exhibition of objects connected to this commander of the independence movement, which includes the trunk of a palm tree made into a chair. This piece of furniture, expropriated by one Valeriano Weyler after Maceo’s death, actually belongs to the local council of the Balearic island, which loaned it to Cuba in 2018 and is now demanding it back.

The expiry date of the loan – 16 November, which was extended on more than one occasion at the request of the late official Havana Historian Eusabio Leal – was the subject of a meeting between the mayor of Mallorca, Jaime Martínez, and Alejandro Castro Medina, the Cuban consul in Barcelona. The request to return the chair to Palma fell on deaf ears and Havana confirmed this with the Antonio Maceo exhibition – along with other campaigns and arguments – organised by the Historian’s Office and open to the public from 7 December for the anniversary of the leader’s death.

The back of the chair has carvings of a star, the leader’s initials and the date the chair was made. (14ymedio)

The exhibition revolves around the chair but there are other objects, either used by the major general or otherwise connected to him, such as the well known oil painting, The Death of Maceo, by Armando Menocal, which depicts – but not without many historical inaccuracies – his fall at Punta Brava on 7 December 1896.

Another well known painting, by Aurelio Melero, of a besuited Maceo, also forms part of the exhibition, as well as a good luck charm relic – a piece of a shirt – “authenticated” by the ex president of Cuba, Salvador Cisneros Betancourt.

Behind glass screens one can also view the leader’s riding saddle, his German ’Fernando Esser’ machete – replicas of which the regime entrusts to dignitaries of the island – a Winchester rifle from 1873, a Smith & Wesson 44 calibre revolver, a watch, a wallet, a sword, shoes and other personal effects.

In September, when the Mallorcan Martínez met with the Cuban Castro Medina, this newspaper established that the chair wouldn’t be exhibited to the public, as the second floor of the Captain Generals’ Palace was under repair. The restructuring of the building has not been completed, but a small room on the ground floor has been air conditioned to house the object. continue reading

A Winchester rifle and a sword, both owned by Maceo. (14ymedio)

Maceo’s chair arrived in Cuba as part of Spanish president Pedro Sánchez’s luggage when he visited Havana in 2018. Eusabio Leal said at the time that the chair was of significant importance to Cuba. The Weyler family had donated it to the Palma de Mallorca council in 1931, and it remained on exhibition until negotiations for its loan to the island bore fruit.

The Spanish press gave assurance, before the polemic about the return of the object, that Havana was exhibiting it in “a special room”, as it was a “treasure of incalculable value for strengthening the revolutionary message which still prevails in the post-Castro era”.

The Historian’s Office itself gave assurances that it would quickly build a room for what Leal described, just a few days before he died, as “an important part of the soul of our country”. And in doing so, it sent – through the very mounting of the exhibition – a clear message to Madrid: the chair is staying in Cuba.

The Captain Generals’ Palace, where the exhibition is held. (14ymedio)

Translated by Ricardo Recluso

____________

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.

A Poster from Cuba’s Jewish Community for the Hostages in Gaza Demands ‘Free Them’

Jewish cemetery in Guanabacoa. (14ymedio)

14ymedio, Nelson Garcia/Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 4 December 4, 2023 — On the tombs of the two Jewish cemeteries of Guanabacoa there are no flowers, but rather stones. It is an ancient custom that has survived throughout the centuries and that represents the solidity of Jewish traditions in the world. The cemetery, several synagogues, a hostel, a kosher butcher’s shop and not a few family homes retain the imprint of the Jews in Havana, the capital of a country whose government is hostile to their cultural and religious homeland: Israel.

The 14ymedio tour of the Jewish map of Havana, where the majority of the one thousand Jews who have stayed on the Island are concentrated, in addition to small groups in Santa Clara and Cienfuegos, begins in its only kosher butchery, at number 708A Cuba Street.

The term “kosher” defines the food that, according to Jewish law, which has been practiced for several millennia, a Jew can eat. Pork and its derivatives are prohibited, for example, while beef, chicken and eggs are allowed. About 95% of the 15,000 members of Cuba’s Jewish community have left the country since 1959, almost all for the United States and Israel.

The difficulties in respecting that tradition are obvious in a country that is undersupplied, especially with meat. “The butcher shop opens once a month, without a fixed date, when the product arrives,” a worker from the Sephardic Center of Havana tells this newspaper. The meat is regulated, according to the number of Jews registered at the establishment. To consume it, it is necessary for a rabbi – the spiritual leader of the community – to certify that the meat meets the parameters of purity required by law. continue reading

The same source, in a community that is always suspicious of strangers, answers 14ymedio’s questions. In Cuba, he admits, the Jewish community has not had frontal attacks or felt watched, but the regime’s support for the Palestinians, and the terms it uses about Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, which triggered an armed conflict on October 7, are not welcome.

At the entrance of the Center and also in the Bet Shalom synagogue, a large poster has been installed with the photos of the more than 240 hostages kidnapped in Gaza: “Free them. Help us bring them home!”

“There have been many posts against Jews on social networks, which have bothered us, and although none of them refer directly to the Cuban Jewish community, it is known that the Government has a lot to do with those publications. We are disappointed and worried,” he says.

If someone wants to buy meat at the kosher establishment, they must first prove that they are Jewish. The community investigates, and if it’s true, the process is not difficult. If the shop is closed, it’s also a matter of survival: secrecy prevents informants of the regime and serves as a filter against unwanted visitors, especially after the conflict broke out in Gaza.

Like the stones on the tombs or the traditional diet, the hamsa — a hand-shaped symbol that Arabs and Jews share — is an everyday part of Jewish culture. These designs decorate the paintings and cushions of the Chateau Blanc hostel, near the Zoo on 26th Avenue, in the Nuevo Vedado neighborhood. They signify good fortune, divine protection and prosperity. The Raquel hotel and its restaurant, Garden of Eden, also serve Jewish clientele in a spectacular building built at the beginning of the 20th century in Old Havana and now owned by the Gaesa military conglomerate, which means it appears on the black list of accommodations published by the United States in 2020.

Highly recommended by several Jewish tourism magazines, Chateau Blanc — described on its website as a “Kosher Boutique Hotel” — was founded in 2018 by a Cuban-American who grew up in the Havana Jewish community and also offers a kosher diet to anyone who requests it. The kitchen, served by a Jewish baker and chef, offers fish, milk and vegetables. “We do not provide beef and chicken, because a rabbi must give the go-ahead,” explains the manager. On the wall, next to the newspaper clippings that praise the hostel, a letter signed by an American rabbi assures that the place is “strictly kosher.”

After Hamas missiles fell on Israel, many rabbis advised Jews around the world to be cautious. If they wanted to wear the kippa – the small ritual hat that orthodox Jewish men wear – it was advisable to put a cap on top. Take care of yourself, don’t expose yourself, walk with caution. The advice is also good for Cuban Jews, who watched with concern although without surprise, the recent march in support of Hamas called by the Government .

In Guanabacoa, the two adjacent Jewish cemeteries – one for the Ashkenazim, Jews who emigrated from Central Europe, and another Sephardic, for Jews of Spanish descent – are a haven of peace for those who visit them. Everything there invites you not to forget, especially the three-meter-high monument that pays tribute to the six million Jews who died during the Holocaust.

Under the stone lie six soaps, made with human fat from those killed by the Nazis in the concentration camp of Chelmno, Poland. For Roberto, caretaker of the “Polish cemetery” (Ashkenazi), the place has a special symbolism. For years, he has seen hundreds of families come to pay their respects to the deceased, or to put them in “the hole,” as he calls the grave.

The burial process is also unusual, Roberto says. The bodies are washed in a special room, dressed in white and make seven stops before reaching the grave. Along with the well-known Havana synagogues – two in El Vedado and one in Old Havana – the cemeteries have deep meaning for the Jewish community. Luckily, says Roberto, “no one has started desecrating tombs,” although an incident was reported in October 2013 when it was discovered that five tombs were opened to steal bones, probably for religious rituals.

The grave of Cuban filmmaker Saúl Yelin, who died in 1977 – visited by the film director Steven Spielberg – and that of the Cuban writer Jaime Sarusky are there

In his years as a caretaker, Roberto has seen important personalities pass through the cemetery, where about 1,100 people are buried, the same number of Jews who presently live in Havana. The grave of the Cuban filmmaker Saúl Yelin, who died in 1977 – which was visited by the film director Steven Spielberg – and that of the Cuban writer Jaime Sarusky, buried with his family, are there.

The Communal Services attend to the cemetery and pay the caretaker his salary. The Jews of Havana have wanted to pay him for his work, but the Government does not allow it, Roberto regrets. However, some foreign guests sometimes bring him “help and gifts.” And he is grateful as if he were part of them, even though, he admits, he is not Jewish.

There are hundreds of stories in the cemetery – such as that of the young Isaac Bondar, who died in the Korean War in 1952, fighting with American troops – and Roberto knows them all. Every stone on the graves, without going any further, is a life and a story.

Although the Jewish community in Havana has known better times, it does not renounce – in the face of the ruling party’s hostility – its best values: memory, tradition and a character as firm as the stones of the “Polish cemetery.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

In Cuba, an Abandoned Thermoelectric Plant Serves as Homes for About 50 People

In the old thermoelectric plant, built by a North American company in the 1950s and closed in 2001, people live under the persecution of being destitute. (14ymedio)

14ymedio, Nelson García, Havana, 25 November 2023 — The abandoned site of the Frank País thermoelectric plant, a mass located in the vicinity of Havana Bay, could serve as the setting for an apocalyptic film. However, a rusty armchair next to a turbine, two recently used buckets, and lines hung with clothes, are signs that several families live inside the building – presided over by a colossal map of Cuba and a globe.

“Around 50 people, more or less,” estimates Jorge, a 67-year-old retiree who used to work – like most of those who live in Frank País – for the capital’s Electric Company. “There are 18 houses,” he adds, alluding to the headquarters cubicles converted into homes. Without privacy or the usual conditions, of course, but at least, he claims, they have a space.

A rusty armchair next to a turbine and some buckets are signs that several families live inside the building. (14ymedio)

In the old thermoelectric plant, built by a North American company in the 1950s and closed in 2001, people live under the persecution of being destitute. “We don’t have a ration book or water, although we do pay for the electricity,” says Jorge. The entire area is precarious. To get to the Frank País plant you have to follow a route that starts from the Casablanca pier, on the other side of Havana bay. The desolate faces of those who reside in the flimsy wooden houses, on both sides of the road, give the measure of the area’s misery.

“This building is still property of the Electric Company,” Jorge clarifies. “Neither the Government nor Housing have wanted to ’take it on’.” This absence of authority to complain to has caused the families’ situation to remain in limbo. They have been waiting for a response for more than 20 years, when the authorities allowed them to occupy the plant, which had been left inactive during the Special Period in the 1990s, after operating for several years as an electrical substation.

The absence of an authority to complain to has caused the situation of families to remain in limbo. (14ymedio)

Frank País now belongs to the jurisdiction of the Electric Company of San José de las Lajas, the main municipality of Mayabeque. “But they don’t care and they are not going to take care of us,” warns Jorge, who is concerned about the gigantic aluminum sheets that serve as the roof of the facility. “They are a danger,” he adds, unlike the structure of the plant, which remains firm “because the Americans built it.” Although it should not be neglected, since the building “was completed by Che.”

Among all the residents of Frank País, only Jorge is willing to talk to 14ymedio. The others dodge any questions and first demand “permission from the Electric Company” that authorizes them to offer statements or appear in photographs. They all have the same problems, Jorge laments: “Leaks, mosquitoes, dirt. This here is a disaster.”

Next to the faded map of Cuba, there is a slogan that defines life in Frank País: “One hundred years of struggle.” (14ymedio)

Unlike other precarious properties in Havana, the Government has never tried to evict them. “Here we were all workers at the Electric Company, or family members,” Jorge emphasizes. However, the obstacles to receiving the food quota through the rationing system are insurmountable. The retiree considers it a relief that, after much asking, they have given him a “card for the ’module’,” his small monthly food allowance.

Crime and misery have hardened the residents of the plant, who have welded iron bars over the cubicle doors. The most reliable example is offered by Jorge: “When there is a cyclone, no one cares anymore. What are we going to do?” The roof eaten away by saltpeter, the lack of maintenance of the building and the absence of basic habitability conditions are a daily danger to life. Next to the faded map of Cuba, there is a slogan that defines life in Frank País: “One hundred years of struggle.”

In the lower left corner, the Frank País Electric Plant, across the city and the bay of Havana. (Secret Nature)

____________

Two Buildings Renovated with Saudi Money Now Occupied by Friends of the Cuban Regime

Armed with walkie-talkies, security agents control access to both properties. (14ymedio)

14ymedio, Nelson García and Olea Gallardo, Havana, 22 November 2023 — Judging from the buildings at 202 Obispo Street and 653 Cuba Street in Old Havana, one would never guess it has been sixty-five years since the Cuban revolution. Neat and tidy, with smooth walls and new paint, the buildings — recently renovated with Saudi money — contrast with the surrounding buildings, which remain on the brink of collapse.

Local officials were present at the inauguration ceremony on Saturday, which marked the the 504th anniversary of the city’s founding. The state-run press covered the event with its usual fanfare.

Tribuna de la Habana reported that the reconstruction was carried out by the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana with help from the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD). The eleven renovated homes at 653 Cuba Street – the former Palace of the Marquis of the Royal Proclamation – and another thirteen at 202 Obispo Street are to be occupied by “families who were facing difficult housing situations.”

It seems, however, that the apartments, described by the newspaper as “renovated and very comfortable,” are not being occupied by people of modest means. “No way,” said a local resident on Wednesday who has been observing the comings and goings. “What few families like that there are were very carefully chosen.” Security agents armed with walkie-talkies control access to both buildings.

Neat and tidy, with smooth walls and new paint, the buidings — recently renovated with Saudi money — contrast with the surrounding buildings, which remain on the brink of collapse.

Inside, all is luxurious, pristine and quiet. “You think they’re going to give these homes to someone who isn’t shouting ’Viva Fidel’?” the woman asks rhetorically. “These are not for average people.”

As Tribuna de La Habana reported, the FSD also financed the Havana Aquarium, located in the city’s historic center. That project was also managed the Office of the Historian, which had become its own power center under the command of the late Eusebio Leal until the Cuban armed forces took it over after his death and depleted its resources.

What the newspaper did not say is that this same fund also financed the grandiose Fidel Castro Ruz Center, which opened in Havana’s Vedado district in late 2021. At the time, a source from the Office of the Historian confessed, “The money was supposed to be for housing but some of it was used for the center and for the Capitol restoration as well.”

Inside, all is luxurious, pristine and quiet. “You think they’re going to give these homes to someone who isn’t shouting ’Viva Fidel’?” (14ymedio)

In 2017 the SFD loaned Cuba 26.6 million dollars for the Office of the Historian’s building restoration and social welfare program which, officially, was supposed to help alleviate Havana’s ongoing housing crisis.

14ymedio has learned through unofficial sources that another the project made possible by the SFD is the Práctico del Puerto building, which has views of the Plaza de Armas, the Royal Military Fortress and Havana Bay.

Of Práctico del Puerto’s former residents, who were evicted at the start of construction, only one — Francisco Muñoz — has returned. Neighborhood residents claim that the apartments, which enjoy a spectacular view of Havana Bay, went to employees of the Ministry of Health.

Thirteen units have been “allocated” at 202 Obispo Street. (14ymedio)

Muñoz told 14ymedio in late 2021 that he was able to return to his former home in late 2021 because he spent “eight years living in front of the building, inside a container, without moving.” He also had help from Eusebio Leal, with whom he worked for twelve years as construction manager at the the Office of the Historian. “At one point a military officer even came to evict me and [Leal] came to my defense with a copy of the law in his hand,” he said at the time. As for his former neighbors, “there were people here who went to the shelter and weren’t able to return. I hear there’s a married couple still living at the shelter.”

The SFD began operations in 1975 and has as its principal objective the financing of projects in developing countries. It has approved loans to Cuba for projects related to rehabilitating hydraulic networks (122 million dollars in 2016), improving the Camagüey sewage system (40 million dollars in 2014), overhauling Havana’s water system (30 million in 2013) and acquiring medical equipment for maternity care centers (in 2010).

Of Práctico del Puerto’s former residents, who were evicted at the start of construction, only one has returned.

In 2013 the island signed an agreement to send Cuban doctors to Saudia Arabia in exchange for 10,000 dollars a month per doctor, of which each individual physician receives only 1,000 dollars in compensation.

The Prensa Latina news agency reported that Ricardo Cabrisas, the minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, paid a visit to Saudi Arabia in October to “review” the state of bilateral relations. It appears they are as strong as ever.

____________

‘I Don’t Even Know Where Gaza Is,’ Says a Cuban Student Marching for Palestine

Unlike other demonstrations around the world for the same cause, the scarcity of Palestinian flags was striking. (14ymedio)

14ymedio, Nelson García and Natalia López Moya, Havana, 23 November 2023 — The march called for this Thursday in Havana by the Union of Young Communists of Cuba (UJC) “in defense of Palestine” began two hours late. Initially announced for 1:00 pm, the event began at 3:00, at G and the Malecón, to the annoyance of those marching, hundreds of young people and workers brought from their study centers and state jobs. President Miguel Díaz-Canel led the demonstration, together with the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero, and the Palestinian ambassador to Cuba, Akram Samhan.The march toured the Malecón and culminated with an event in La Piragua, the esplanade next to the National Hotel that for years it has replaced the Anti-Imperialist Bandstand, in front of the US Embassy, as a place for pro-government rallies.

In schools of all levels in Havana, the order given was categorical: “After noon we leave for the march,” they announced in the morning assembly. Guaranteeing that volume of students added hundreds, if not thousands, of participants to the demonstration, a practice that is common in official calls but that had not been used for some time.

A strong police operation was deployed throughout the perimeter of the route from early on. (14ymedio)

Several parents consulted by 14ymedio made it clear that their teenage children were not going to add one number to the march. “I told the director that my daughter was not going to participate because she had not been able to have breakfast,” the father of a 10th grade student at the Saúl Delgado high school in El Vedado declared categorically.

Others took advantage of the march to escape in the middle of the street despite the vigilance of the teachers who accompanied the groups of students from their schools to the vicinity of Havana’s Malecón. But others, however, had no choice. continue reading

“They had told us to show up at 12:50 and there was no one there,” protested a girl with a backpack at one point during the long wait under the Girón Building, the deteriorated behemoth that at the time was the standard of experimental architecture in the Cuban capital and which has ended up being, like so many buildings in the city, another modern ruin, with stairs about to collapse and residents upset by the lack of official response to the deterioration. Another student standing next to her answered: “I won’t have time to get the rations from the bodega.” A third teenager complained: “With the kind of hunger there is here, what is all this silliness about?”

“Why do they put up these tents, if none of us students can buy anything,” a young man wondered bitterly. (14ymedio)

A strong police operation was deployed throughout the perimeter of the route from early on. Officers, both in uniform and plain clothes, were there every few yards.

By noon, they were already blocking passage along Havana’s iconic avenue that faces the sea. From the basement of the Girón Building, next to the meeting place of the march, an officer kicked out two women up to three times.

The only thing left was for the groups that were approaching G and Malecón to drag their feet. The vast majority were students, many from the UCI (University of Computer Sciences) and some from pre-university, but also employees from state and healthcare workplaces, guided under the watchful eye of teachers or bosses. If there were onlookers in the crowd, they seemed more like state security agents than anything else.

Others took advantage of the march to escape in the middle of the road despite the teachers’ vigilance. (14ymedio)

They had not arrived on foot. Between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the José Martí Sports Park, out of sight from the Malecón, were parked the dozens of state buses the students had been transported. “There is fuel for this,” a passerby said quietly.

The annoyaned reaction of the attendees worsened when passing by a private fair installed on F and Malecón. “Why do they put up these tents, if none of us students can buy anything,” a young man wondered bitterly. “It’s a lack of respect.”

Unlike other demonstrations around the world for the same cause, the scarcity of Palestinian flags was striking. A few loomed overhead when, finally, at three in the afternoon, a Palestinian medical student spoke to begin the march.

In broken Spanish and with a strong Arabic accent, he repeated a string of misinformed slogans: that the United States supports Israel “bombing Palestine every day,” that “it is not a war, it is a genocide,” that “they are attacking children and the elderly and hospitals,” and “have dropped the equivalent of the two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”

Out of sight from the Malecón, were parked the dozens of state buses the students had been transported in: “There is fuel for this,” a passerby said quietly. (14ymedio)

The speech was not far from the one repeated in the official media since, on October 7, militiamen of the terrorist group Hamas infiltrated Israel from Gaza, massacred 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 200, still being held by the Islamists.

Israel’s forceful military response has claimed, according to Hamas sources, but not independently verified, more than 13,000 lives.

With the mediation of Qatar, this Friday Israel agreed to a four-day truce and Hamas is expected to release 13 hostages.

Far from recounting these events in this way, the organizers of the march denounced “the more than 70 years of subjugation of the Palestinian people,” the “Dantesque usurpation” and “the impunity with which the Government of Israel launches its war machine like a wild beast.”

In broken Spanish and with a strong Arabic accent, he repeated a string of uninformed slogans. (14ymedio)

While he spoke, numerous State Security agents made strategic movements to dissuade people from leaving the place.

This newspaper asked some teenage students: “But do you know what is happening with Israel and Palestine?” Only one daring student responded: “Dude, I don’t even know where Gaza is.”

____________

William Aguero, the Cuban Artist Who Transforms Garbage Into Art

Agüero has a certain Rastafarian air about him, he wears a blue T-shirt and likes to chat (14ymedio).

14ymedio, Nelson García/Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 26 October 2023 — William Agüero is sitting in the center of his workshop, which is also his world. The mess is noticeable. Masks, fans, a typewriter, tubes of oil paint, paint brushes, an old Philco refrigerator, skeletons of Soviet radios, and objects impossible to classify. If they call him an artist it is by chance; he prefers another definition: daring.

He has a certain Rastafarian air about him, is dressed in a blue T-shirt, and likes to chat. If rum is involved, so much the better. Some time ago, Agüero discovered that the true calling within his work was to avoid any confinement and go out in the open air. He started at home: 21st Street, between 8th and 10th, in Havana’s El Vedado district.

Even if they don’t know Agüero, everyone has visited his world: big open eyes on poles and trees, discs that turn into shiny scales, faces on burnt logs, toilets in which all kinds of plants grow. “In my head I have many more things,” he warns.

Agüero’s creative power does not rest. If he had money, more paint and materials, he would have already expanded his work throughout Havana. A city in ruins, where garbage dumps seem to have a life of their own, is the ideal terrain for his objective: to transform what everyone considers useless into art.

“I started out playing around,” he told 14ymedio. “I used to make shoes, but a painter friend of mine, by the last name of Miruelo, who died recently, asked me to sell some paintings. I knew a lot of people and I sold them all, except one.” That was enough to unleash the world that, according to Agüero, he carried hidden within. continue reading

A city in ruins, where garbage dumps seem to have a life of their own, is the ideal terrain for his objective (14ymedio).

When he had that revelation, his wife was hospitalized, so art was also a remedy to relieve the tension of those days. He began painting “his way,” but continued to sell the work of others – vinyl records of “some young guys, who are very good painters” – until he decided to make his first “masks.”

“I liked it and immersed myself in that world,” he recalls now. He bought canvases and some materials. He also saw some toilet bowls in the trash and said, “Let’s give them a use.” So it has been with all sorts of “tarecos,” or “pieces of junk,” as he calls the artifacts he has rescued from the garbage dump. He has become almost famous, he explains, and his work has been on television.

However, and despite the fact that many fellow painters have invited him to exhibit his work in various galleries, he has never received state aid. “I have done everything with my own resources and efforts,” he says proudly. If anything, friends and admirers stop by his studio and leave him “a little something over there,” which he later transforms into art.

“I eliminate garbage,” Agüero points out. “If it weren’t for this project, the garbage dump at the corner of my neighborhood would be reaching my house by now. One day they pick it up, and then they don’t come for a while.” Recycling is his counterattack and his way of showing his community that, despite Cuba’s unacceptable conditions, life doesn’t have to be depressing.

Of course, some have called him crazy or worse. The project has had its detractors. “But the vast majority,” he says with satisfaction, “is very pleased with what I’ve done in the neighborhood. There are those who are annoyed by it. What can we do? Criticism exists everywhere,” he says. The best part of the work is when the children come. Where others see only trash, they – like the artist – are able to see fantastic cars or imaginary motorcycles.

He is willing to do more, much more, but everything has “its economic part,” he reasons. “Everything is expensive, especially paint, and it’s difficult. Nevertheless, visitors from all over the world continue to pass through the neighborhood. People who explore the other Havana, the one that does not appear in the tourist guides, and discover the magical “tarecos” of Agüero.

Agüero discovered that the true calling within his work was to avoid any confinement and go out in the open air (14ymedio).

Translated by Allison Reyes as part of University of Miami/Spanish 321

____________

Nighttime Brawls, Drugs, Prostitution Spread in the Cuban Capital City

Cumbaking, on the ground floor of 212, serves as a hamburger and beer stand during the day. (14ymedio)

14ymedio, Nelson García, Havana, 14 November 2023 –Havana’s nightlife has its Bermuda Triangle on Galiano Street, where the Cumbaking*, 212 and V&S bars are concentrated. In that circuit of Central Havana, very close to the House of Music – the state establishment that many foreigners visit – handsome men and thugs, addicts and drunks, prostitutes and pole dancers stop by. The three establishments reach their boiling point at two in the morning, when security personnel prohibit customers from turning on their phone cameras.

In nightlife slang, places like this are still called “clubs,” and the name does them justice. In the surrounding area, everything – from a young body to a marijuana joint – is available for the right price and with the right signs. Precaution is essential: every night, half a dozen police officers stand guard in the vicinity, check identification cards and arrest some “character,” who disappears into a small gray truck.

“Of the three bars, 212 is the most ’quiet’,” insists Yoan, one of its employees, in conversation with 14ymedio. It is true that the hookers fight for their respect and that in the early morning – cell phones banished – two young people go up to the bar to dance while the public throws money at them, but even so, he believes, “there is not as much debauchery” as at the V&S or, down stairs, in the Cumbaking. continue reading

Caution is essential: every night, half a dozen police officers stand guard in the vicinity, check identification cards and arrest some “character”

The owner of 212 is called Ismael and he was imprisoned for two years. He had converted a house in Playa into a bar, which he called Las Piedras. It didn’t last long: the Police closed the business because drugs and prostitution had reached unacceptable levels, even for the underworld of Havana, they alleged.

“The authorities made a fool of themselves,” says Yoan, “and they couldn’t prove anything on him.” However, Ismael was imprisoned for two years. This did not prevent him, along with his wife, Yeni, from obtaining the license to open 212 in 2019.

Cumbaking, on the ground floor of 212, serves as a hamburger and beer stand during the day. At night, the loud music and the strongest alcohols – although never of good quality – lead the Police to take frequent “walks” through its doors.

Neighbors’ complaints about loud music reached the official press on November 9. In a note about the capital government’s agenda, a user residing in Galiano denounced “night brawls,” “ingestion of narcotics,” “insecurity,” and “prostitution” and demanded the “closure of all the bars on the block.” On their social media account the poster also lamented that the residents’ proposals have been presented without success to the authorities of Central Havana and various popular councils. The lack of solutions to such a scandalous reality could only have one explanation: “Our decision-makers have deaf ears.”

The neon lights of 212, the cheap wooden gate of Cumbaking and the black and white façade of V&S have become symbols of an increasingly harsh city. (14ymedio)

In theory, all bars in the capital must close their doors at three in the morning, explains Yoan. Only LM and Tuyo y Mío escape from this law, and can operate until six in the morning “because they are associated with El Cangrejo,” says Yoan, alluding to Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, Raúl Castro’s bodyguard grandson, whose nickname is “The Crab.”

However, the time of the “last bell” is the least relevant difference between Galiano’s “clubs” and the bars of the “good people” associated with the regime’s leadership. If in Playa and El Vedado you can get drugs and alcohol of superior quality – and no rank-and-file police officer would dare to show up there – in Central Havana the prostitutes have to “fight” to get in and the squabbles are resolved on the street.

Those who manage to “classify,” says Yoan, hug the customer as soon as she enters the V&S – the roughest of the three bars – and shoot him the offer point-blank: “Are you up for something, papi? For 5,000 I’ll go with you the whole night.”

“From there you can actually leave for the prostitute’s room, which for that price can be considered ’low cost’, but it can also be the beginning of a scam.” (14ymedio)

We know how that story begins, but not how it ends, says the employee of the neighboring bar. “From there you can actually leave for the prostitute’s room, which for that price can be considered ’low cost’, but it can also be the beginning of a scam.” She is just a bait for the client to let his guard down, go to a certain place and, once there, the woman’s “relative” appears, knife in hand and searches his pockets until he finds the wallet.

“Public fights” are the business of the security guards – when they occur inside the bar – and of the Police, when the “gorillas” lift the “troublemakers” and throw them onto the street, so that they can finish resolving their differences there. The agents finish the situation with tonfas, handcuffs and the little gray truck. “But the normal thing is that they don’t get involved,” says Yoan.

The neon lights of 212, the cheap wooden gate of Cumbaking and the black and white façade of V&S have become symbols of an increasingly harsh, decadent and dangerous city. They are the last station of a deterioration that not even all the alcohol in Havana can anesthetize.

Translator’s note: In the photo the venue appears to be named “Cumba King” but its Facebook page is titled “Cumbaking”

____________

To Keep the ‘Ninja’ Children Away, Several Restaurants in Havana Create a Private Security Agency

The police declared themselves unable to control the flood of minors dedicated to stealing. (14ymedio)

14ymedio, Nelson García/Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 11 November, 2023 — Several burly men, with black pullovers, guard the restaurants on the alley of Espada, on Peña Pobre Street in Old Havana. Their mission: to prevent the beggars, crazies and undesirables of the mythical Angel neighborhood from disturbing the clientele, usually foreigners, and they keep an eye on the children, true ninjas when it comes to stealing a wallet or picking the pocket of a distracted tourist.

Antojos, 7 de Espada and Chacón 162 – three of the most expensive and well-known Havana restaurants – decided to pay attention to a situation that was already beyond the hands of the police. “They are children and we can’t do anything,” the officers alleged when a robbery was reported on the terraces. Hardened by poverty, at only 9 or 10 years old, the children of the area prepare to accept a candy while reaching out to someone else’s pocket, or to ask for alms with all kinds of stories and tricks.

“It all started with a nine-year-old boy who lives in this neighborhood. His father is in prison and he lives with his grandparents. He is the one who supports everyone at home,” a member of the staff of Antojos tells 14ymedio, whose administration is the one that provides the security service to the neighboring premises. continue reading

As the police declared themselves unable to control the flood of minors dedicated to looting – and also “recommended” a quick solution to the problem – the restaurant owners took it upon themselves to find one. First, the waiters and clerks tried to expel the boys, but this “affected the service,” says a source in Antojos. “People stopped coming, and we had to look for a security team,” he adds.

The results of the security personnel are evident: they have “scared off” the beggar children. (14ymedio)

Although not as effectively as children, other beggars used to ask for money from those who come to eat at the “loma del Ángel,” as that corner of Old Havana is known. Now the job is more than difficult: stationed at the door of the premises, the guards prevent the beggars from even stepping past the ornamental pots at the entrance to the terraces. If anyone manages to reach a table, the security officer will have no qualms about grabbing him by the arm and escorting him out of the place. Whether or not they take him out violently or calmly depends on the beggar.

The results of the security personnel, who charge about 2,000 pesos for each day of work – in addition to tips and money to watch over the diners’ cars – are evident: “Security has ’scared off’ the children,” acknowledges a member of the Antojos staff. The beggars know where to look. Antojos as well as 7 de Espada and Chacón 162 have astronomical prices. Only those who can afford to pay dine there. In Chacón 162, a ceviche is sold at 1,300 pesos, beef carpaccio at 2,300 and a few croquettes at 530.

And those are just the starters. A lobster prepared “to your taste” costs 2,800 pesos, while the shrimp is 2,450. The most exclusive, without a doubt, is the octopus dish – a rarity in Havana – which in Chacón 162 is sold at 4,800 pesos.

“Now the clientele is quite balanced between Cubans and foreigners, because tourism is a little dead,” says a source to this newspaper, who prefers not to reveal the identity of the owner of the Antojos restaurant, someone known as “Reinaldo” and related by marriage to a high military official.

Placed at the door of the premises, the guards prevent the beggars from even getting past the ornamental pots at the entrance to the terraces. (14ymedio)

As for Chacón 162, its owner is José Héctor Argiles Agüero, who is proud on social networks of the visit to his premises of international figures such as the Spanish actor Mario Casas and the Mexican Gael García Bernal, the chef Pepe Rodríguez – presenter of the show Masterchef Spain – and the Cuban artists David Blanco, Raúl Paz and Carlos Acosta.

The comment that someone from the leadership of the regime protects the owners of the restaurants in the Espada alley is recurrent. Their ease of getting food – Antojos operated even during the pandemic, at home – and their decorations, with allusions to Republican Cuba, have been arousing suspicions among the poor neighbors of the Angel neighborhood for years.

Calling attention at the entrance to Antojos is a gigantic mural with the image of Celia Cruz – flanked by Benny Moré and Compay Segundo – whose music is still banned on Cuban stations. A sign with the word “Azúcar!”, which the singer made famous on the international stage, receives the diners.

“This area is for people with power,” acknowledges a staff member of Antojos to 14ymedio. The severity of the muscular guards, who guard the street once famous for the novel Cecilia Valdés, prove him right.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

‘A Complete Skeleton for a Religious Ritual Costs Between 10,000 and 12,000 Cuban Pesos’

“Monument to the Common Man”: human remains in the Cementario de Colón in Havana. (Radio Television Martí/Archive)

14ymedio, Nelson García/Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 5 November 2023 — The Cuban police only respect one religion: Palo Monte. The hermetic world of its rituals, its sorcerers and cauldrons, its fragmentary language – the kikongo – with which they pronounce incantions and curses, have made it since colonial times the most feared of the Island, according to its own followers. There is only one aspect of the Palo Mayombe, as it is also known, that agents do not let pass: the desecration of tombs to obtain ritual bones.

“The human bone is the center of the foundation,” Ta José, a 42-year-old habanero who has been practicing this cult from Central Africa for several decades, explains to 14ymedio. The foundation – also called garment or nganga, cauldron – is the most sacred object of the paleros. It consists of a container where pieces of wood, earth and endless objects are deposited that the palero [practitioner] should not reveal. It also contains human remains.

The importance of the foundation doubles if the bone belonged to someone prominent or a former member of the religion. Hence, to achieve it, a palero does not skimp on resources or think twice before entering a cemetery. As complicated as it is, “a way has always been sought to achieve it,” admits Ta José.

The most common way is to go to the cemetery and steal it. The other way is to find another palero that already has one

“The most common way is to go to the cemetery and steal it. The other way is to find another palero that already has one, because he went into the cemetery himself or bought it from the custodian,” he says. The business of buying and selling bones has caused the systematic dismissal of the cemetery’s custodians on the Island. The most well-known case of this year, last January, was that of the continuous desecration of the Matanzas cemetery, which provoked the intervention of the provincial Communist Party. continue reading

“Among us or with the help of friends we look for the key points,” describes the palero. “When someone needs, for example, a head (skull), he asks his contacts, even if they are from a different branch of palo monte, or he goes to the cemetery to ask the custodian. It’s always resolved. Of course, it’s quite expensive.”

“It depends on the type of work that is going to be done and what part of the body is going to be worked on,” he explains. “The smallest and cheapest piece you can get costs 1,000 pesos or its equivalent in dollars. A complete skeleton can cost between 10,000 and 12,000 pesos. The price may vary depending on the circumstances of the death, the illness that the deceased suffered. It also depends on the race: Chinese bones have more power for us and are sold at higher prices.”

The foundation – also called a garment or ‘nganga’, cauldron – is the most sacred object of the paleros. (14ymedio)

According to Ta José, there are people who are dedicated to going to the tombs and removing as many bones as they can. Then they find how to sell them on the black market, although no store of religious items – legal, such as self-employment – will announce it unless the person who asks can be trusted. “The police have always persecuted the desecrators,” he insists, but in general they “don’t mess” with the paleros.

Sometimes, of course, when they see someone wandering the streets “with a sack” late at night — as usually happens after a ceremony — the officers arrest the person and find that he is carrying a knife. The knives, he explains, are part of the foundation. When the person explains it to the police, they usually let him continue on his way.

There are families who provide the bones of their deceased, because they were practitioners and that motivates them to make the donation

“Bones are essential in palo monte,” emphasizes Ta José. For a palero, in the bones are “the foundations of power” and its material expression. If there is a spiritual foundation, which is “attended” with rum and tobacco smoke, the material cannot exist without the remains of some person. “There are families who provide the bones of their deceased, because they were practitioners and that motivates them to make the donation,” but it is not usual, he says.

All the “works” of the palero depend on the foundation, which Ta José synthesizes with an enumeration: “Consecrate, save, kill, solve problems and help the world.” According to the habanero, each cauldron is effective and achieves what its owner wants, sooner or later. “Some are stronger than others. It depends on the ceremony and the person’s knowledge,” he says, although he prefers not to say more: an important part of his religion is to keep secrets, which practitioners handle only after several initiations and tests. “I can’t say everything,” he admits.

Despite the difficulties and the mystery that has always surrounded palo monte, its impact on Cuban society has not stopped since religion arrived from Africa, he says. “There was always a certain discord between palo monte and santería, because each one wanted to be the strongest cult.” On the Island, studies say that santería is more widespread. However, Ta José insists, palo mayombe retains the reputation of being “the most effective, fastest and strongest.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

In the Midst of Havana’s Darkness, the Cuban Art Factory is Freed from Energy Savings

The hallways where the works of art are displayed were perfectly illuminated, as were the different bars that make up the establishment. (14ymedio)

14ymedio, Nelson García, Havana, October 23, 2023 — The rebellion of the Cuban Art Factory (FAC) against the energy saving measures required by the Ministries of Energy and Mines and of Culture has had an effect. On Saturday, as this newspaper confirmed, the cultural center was operating at one hundred percent or very nearly.

As explained to 14ymedio by an employee who asked to remain anonymous, they did agree to close on Sundays, and reduce their operating hours by two hours, opening one hour later and closing one hour earlier (hours will now be from 8:00 pm to 3 am). “Although that is relative because depending on the clientele, it may be extended,” the same source pointed out.

In addition, he confirms that they keep some air conditioning units off as well as a part of the lights in the exhibition area.

The hallways where the works of art are displayed were perfectly illuminated, as were the different bars that make up the establishment

It was not something that the public, who packed the place on Saturday and moved to the beat of the music, noticed. The hallways where the works of art are displayed were perfectly illuminated, as were the different bars that make up the establishment. Likewise, patrons could enjoy the images projected on a wall. Nor did the live jazz band lack light at any time. continue reading

The restaurant area was also providing normal service, despite the fact that during the week, another worker told this newspaper, they had to move all the food from the refrigerator because they did not have power. “Between Monday and Wednesday they took the food to other places and on Thursday they returned it, and today everything is working normally,” he said.

The previous week, the same young man said, “we worked with lamps,” carried by both employees and customers, just as the establishment had requested online. “Bring your light and join us on this adventure to keep the FAC beating!” those responsible for the cultural center had written in a statement on October 14.

Signed by its founder and the rest of the team – the musician X Alfonso and the so-called FacInBand — the text explained that it had re-opened on October 5th, after a month of closure, which reduced the regular power consumption by 80%. The consequences, therefore, would be opening two days a month, instead of the 16 that it had been (from Thursday to Sunday).

“We are aware of the energy situation that Cuba is going through, and consequently we have adopted the savings plans established for the state sector, limiting consumption in offices and other FAC spaces to the maximum extent possible, to contribute to the rational use of the energy resources of the country,” they explained.

In the statement, the institution claimed its position as a leading cultural center on the Island, with more than 300 concerts, 70 exhibitions, 60 dance presentations, 40 theater performances, 40 fashion shows and a long list of actions. “With an affordable price of 250 CUP, in an environment where access to Cuban art is increasingly expensive and high-value proposals are scarce.”

The FAC thus rejected the allocation of the National Electrical System, and defended that it would continue to open “with the help of the public, artists and followers from all over who want to contribute.” It has not been necessary to repeat the experience of customers bringing “their light.”

The success of the FAC in remaining active contrasts with other points of attraction for the national and foreign public, which have been forced to close at night due to the energy shortage, which shows no sign of easing. Several employees indicate both X Alfonso and his sister, the singer Eme Alfonso, “moved and then the Government allowed them to function as they had been doing.”

____________

The ‘Castle’ of the Cortinas in Havana, Converted Into a Military Zone and a Beggars’ Refuge

With a concrete structure and a design that imitates the fortresses of the Italian Renaissance, La Luisa has long passageways now filled with graffiti, garbage and weeds. (14ymedio)

14ymedio, Nelson García/Juan Izquierdo, Havana, October 23, 2023 — No one enters the ruins of the La Luisa farm, in the Havana municipality of Arroyo Naranjo, with good intentions. Where one of the most powerful families in Cuba once lived, now only beggars dare to sleep, surrounded by walls full of graffiti and vines. The sporadic visitors to the “castle” – the building retains its towers and walkways – are now criminals seeking temporary shelter to escape from the Police and young people who, according to the neighbors, come to “do evil things.”

La Luisa was one of the first properties confiscated by Fidel Castro after 1959. Its owner, the lawyer and politician José Manuel Cortina – who served as chancellor of the Republic on two occasions – was accused of being a “landowner” and died in exile in 1970.

The officials who occupied the “castle” after the triumph of the Revolution then received an order from Che Guevara: to install a metallurgy laboratory that ended up becoming the Research Center for the Mining and Metallurgical Industry (Cipimm). “That didn’t last long,” Jorge tells 14ymedio; he now works in the new offices of that institution, not far from La Luisa.

Without maintenance and after numerous instances of neglect, the old Cortina house ended up collapsing. (14ymedio)

Without maintenance and after numerous instances of neglect, the old Cortina house ended up collapsing. “One day, all the pipes were clogged, the drainage system failed and the bathrooms were unusable,” says Jorge. Shortly after, the “castle” was abandoned. continue reading

Over time, the Cortina lands – which bordered those of the family of former president Carlos Prío Socarrás – became a military zone. Now, the Army officers’ houses, as well as the new Cipimm – dedicated to studying the possibilities of gold and nickel exploitation in Cuba – are located where Republican politicians once built their summer estates.

“Many efforts were made, when the Historian of Havana Eusebio Leal was alive, for that Office to restore the ’castle’, but to no avail,” Jorge alleges. According to Leal’s architects, it was useless to repair La Luisa: no tourist was going to go to Arroyo Naranjo to see the building, no matter how interesting the construction.

No one else was interested in the farm, where several scenes from the Cuban-Spanish co-production The Nights of Constantinople were filmed, directed in 2001 by Orlando Rojas and featuring actors of the caliber of Francisco Rabal, Verónica Lynn, Rosita Fornés and María Isabel Díaz. However, the film failed to attract the authorities attention to the building.

Now, the Army officers’ houses, as well as the new Cipimm, are where Republican politicians once built their farms. (14ymedio)

A concrete structure with a design that imitates the fortresses of the Italian Renaissance, La Luisa has long passageways now filled with graffiti, garbage and weeds. Someone – probably a beggar or several, judging by the objects – blocked up several entrances to a room and now sleeps there, among the rubble.

Where there used to be a stately staircase to the second floor, now one made of boards is the only step to reach the upper floor. Balconies and windows, as well as several arches with mosaic work, still allow us to imagine the type of life that was led in La Luisa when the Cortinas occupied it.

Among the battlements, the central tower stands out from which – it is said – José Manuel Cortina watched over his property and the members of his family, as well as President Prío Socarrás. Trees and vines have broken through each floor, destroying not only the flooring but also the walls and beams.

Even so, the building is overwhelming and must have impressed those men in olive-green who, in the 60s – as a photo from the time attests – went to evict the Cortinas. Jorge knows it well, and continues to admire La Luisa under a demolished arch: “Even in these deplorable conditions, the ’castle’ is still a beauty.”

La Luisa was one of the first properties confiscated by Fidel Castro after 1959. (Ecured)

____________

It Wasn’t a Missile That Demolished the Lebredo, ‘The Best Maternity Hospital in Cuba’

El Lebredo is nothing reminiscent of the brand new hospital for tuberculosis patients it was in the 1930s. (14ymedio)

14ymedio, Nelson García, Havana, October 19, 2023 — Cuba’s ruins have one thing in common: slogans with large letters painted on pieces of walls. In the case of the old Lebredo maternity hospital, located in the Havana municipality of Arroyo Naranjo, the message – a dig at former U.S. President George Bush – ends with irony: “There is no aggression that Cuba cannot stand.”

What did keep standing, the neighbors say, is the solid structure of the building, founded in 1936, which today recalls a gigantic multi-storey hive surrounded by grasslands. “The Government came a few years ago with a crane, and no matter how much effort they put in to knock it down, it still resisted,”Tomás, 67, tells this newspaper. “In the end they gave up.”

“The idea was to demolish the hospital and build a retirement villa for the military,” says Julián, age 42 and the son of Tomás. Both live near the Lebredo and have witnessed its decline since 2000, when Public Health vacated the facilities. “All the equipment and machines of the former hospital were taken to Julio Trigo, who lives not far from here,” he adds.

After twenty years, the place is desolate. The perimeter of the building is full of debris and garbage. “It’s the landfill of Havana,” says Tomás, who explains that because it is on the outskirts of the city, the space is an ideal place to unload large amounts of trash and waste without anyone being interested in the hygiene of the area or the dangers of the ruin. continue reading

What did hold up, neighbors say, is the solid structure of the building, founded in 1936. (14ymedio)

“The Lebredo is still an area of collapse,” he warns, pointing to a fragment of a wall on which someone wrote, with triumphant blue characters: “Long live May 1: Everyone to the Plaza!”

A statement from the activist Agustín Figueroa – who worked as a doctor in the Lebredo during the Special Period – points out that, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the hospital had reached a phase of “almost total destruction.” The flight of the doctors, the theft of materials and the laziness of the authorities accelerated its decline.

For Figueroa, the Lebredo looks like “something out of a horror movie” and is nothing reminiscent of the brand new hospital of the 1930s, first used as a tuberculous sanatorium, to which the revolutionary government of 1959 added two additional wings and converted into a maternity hospital. After its abandonment, the little that was left – doors, pipes and salvageable materials – was stolen by thieves or by the neighbors of Arroyo Naranjo themselves.

Another document that attests to the ancient splendor of the building appeared in the magazine Arquitectura, in the November 1937 issue, a few months after its inauguration. The hospital, an initiative of the Cuban Anti-Tuberculosis League, had the capacity to house 400 patients.

The perimeter of the building is full of rubble and garbage: “It is Havana’s landfill,” say the neighbors. (14ymedio)

The good condition of the roads – an avenue had been built to facilitate the journey from Havana – and the breadth of the works, commissioned by the architect Luis Echevarría, surprised several delegations of foreign doctors visiting the Island.

The description of the facilities leaves little doubt that the Lebredo came to be one of the best hospitals in the region: “It has an operating room, X-ray department, fluoroscopy, pharmacy, clinical laboratory. Complete refrigeration service, with departments for meats, food, fish, milk, medicines, and a morgue with capacity for twelve corpses, together with the autopsy room. It has magnificent kitchens and a crematorium; in the basement there is the laundry, laundry disinfection department, heating, pump station, transformer plant, boilers, garages, etc.”

There is nothing left of that inventory in the Lebredo, except the ruin and the slogans. “To think that Fidel Castro came here to say that this was the best maternity hospital in Cuba,” Tomás concludes.

Today the Lebredo is reminiscent of a gigantic beehive of several plants surrounded by grasslands. (14ymedio)

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

The Other Side of Cuba: Luxury, Drugs, Expensive Alcohol for ‘Well-Off People’

Behind the bar, with dark glasses and a cocktail shaker in his hand, the bartender prepares everyone’s favorite drink. (14ymedio)

14ymedio, Nelson García/Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 8 October 2023 — The atmosphere is electrifying, and the music is very loud. Everyone knows him and wants to know – both in Havana and outside Cuba – the coordinates for the most exclusive bar in Cuba: Mío and Tuyo (Mine and Yours). Prostitution, drugs, the best alcohol and the best cigars – multiple rumors surround the administration of the premises. It is claimed that the owner, Elio Ahumada, is a close friend of Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, alias El Cangrejo (The Crab), Raúl Castro’s grandson and bodyguard. Allegedly armored by the regime, Ahumada has a slogan on social networks: “Speak comment, defame.” The gossip can only give publicity.

Located in Miramar, on 5B and 42nd streets of the municipality of Playa, the white fence of Mío y Tuyo, in addition to the security personnel who guard it, makes one thing clear: not just anybody can get in. It’s commonly said that only the “beautiful people” go there – with the intention of spending “the best nights in Havana” – but also the wealthiest, the one who dresses best and the one who has the most contacts, in addition to having transportation to return home in the early hours of the morning.

Behind the bar, with dark glasses and a cocktail shaker in his hand, the bartender prepares everyone’s favorite drink. Some are known, like a mojito, and some are far-fetched, like a social-climbing coyote. There are no limits, and the radiant bottles behind him attest to this: for whiskey, Johnnie Walker – blue label, one of the most expensive – Ballantine’s and Chivas Regal; for vodka, Grey Goose Magnum and Belvedere; for rum, wonders from one shore to another.

Those who prefer to smoke have a special patio and comfortable benches. There are also three exclusive VIP areas: to the left and right of the entrance door, and another at the back of the lounge. Many have gotten drunk at these tables, to which Ahumada’s Instagram attests, everyone from Rihanna to Gente de Zona, from Alexander Abreu to Isaac Delgado and continue reading

Paulo FG. Sandro Castro, Fidel Castro’s grandson, is also seen often. From time to time, security guards let in someone “poor”: it’s a strategy, some say, so that no one accuses its owner of practicing social apartheid.

Las jineteras del Tuyo y Mío cuentan con entrada libre y un “espacio” bien delimitado en el salón. (14ymedio) — The jineteras (hookers, or prostitutes) of Mío y Tuyo have free admission and a well-defined “space” in the lounge. (14ymedio)

What is the secret of Mío y Tuyo? What guarantees its continuous supply, its survival as a business, in the midst of a devastating economic crisis? Who protects Elio Ahumada? The “friend” in the dome who is most often pointed out is the famous grandson, who has been photographed more than once in the bar in the company of several young women. However, nothing – except the operation at full speed of the establishment – can show the link.

“Elio is a personal friend of El Cangrejo,” Omar, a former security employee of Mío y Tuyo, tells 14ymedio. “He earns his slice of money in exchange for sponsoring the place. He enjoys the open bar and all the free services provided, in addition to being able to organize private parties.” For Omar, the strategy is clear: “The Crab is the real owner; Elio is just a facade.”

Mary, a young woman who used to clean the bar, says that it’s a cover for the regime’s “dirty business.” “More than once I saw people using cocaine in the bathrooms,” she says. “When I told the management, they turned a deaf ear for a while. Shortly after, Elio himself told me that he would dispense with my services.”

To the alleged businesses of sale and consumption of drugs is added, according to observations in the bar and the comments of former employees, an orderly system of prostitution

To the alleged businesses of sale and consumption of drugs is added, according to observations in the bar and comments of former employees, an orderly system of prostitution. The young women entrench themselves in the VIP areas and wait for the arrival of potential customers: foreign businessmen, wealthy Cubans and members of the leadership who usually themselves show up with several women.

The jineteras (hookers, or prostitutes) of Mío y Tuyo have free admission and a well-defined “space” in the lounge. When they manage to “hook” a client – whom they monitor and select from the VIP platforms – they take him to the dance floor. Although they often go in groups – in case the client can pay for an orgy – there are also “independent” ones, who must then give a commission to the administrators.

The security guards preserve order among the “girls” of the bar and the “independents.” There can be no conflict in the facilities, and that’s why they are so scrupulous about who enters and who stays out. No one knows who may be behind the surveillance cameras. After all, another motto of Elio Ahumada, which seems like a private joke among friends, is that the luxurious bar is “more yours than mine.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

Havana’s Pan American Stadium, Another Ruin of Cement and Rusted Steel in the Cuban Landscape

Two factors have accentuated the decline of the place: the poor quality of the materials with which it was built and the proximity of the coast and the salt air. (14ymedio)

14ymedio, Nelson García, Havana, 30 September 2023 — Three decades of abandonment weigh on the Pan American Stadium in Havana. The cornerstone of a pharaonic sports complex built by Fidel Castro in 1991, after fulfilling its initial purpose – to demonstrate to the world that socialist Cuba was capable of organizing a high-caliber event – now its decline has been unstoppable.

The logistical deployment for the XI Pan American Games, far beyond the Island’s possibilities, and the fall of the socialist camp months after the event was held, accelerated the arrival of the so-called Special Period. Since then, as a kind of symbol of the debacle, the stadium has reflected the country’s historical ups and downs.

Two factors have accentuated the decline of the premises: the poor quality of the materials with which it was built – fueled by Castro’s haste – and the proximity of the coast and the salt air, which has been wearing down the structure for years. The result, which those who cross the Monumental Road towards Alamar, Cojímar and Guanabo now see, is a unpainted mass, with the stands eaten away by rust and without lights in its tower.

The Stadium workers have nothing to do, but they have been instructed to be “on guard” due to the poor conditions of the fence that surrounds the facilities. (14ymedio)

Two workers – a man and a woman, both in their 40s – kill time in the stadium lobby. They have nothing to do, but they have been instructed to be “on guard” due to the poor conditions of the fence that surrounds the facilities. “We’ve been asking them to fix it for years,” says the man, who leans his heavy metal seat against the wall.

The woman, who is resting on a mat in poor condition, agrees with her partner. “People come here at night,” she warns, sitting up. “It is not unusual for one to come across an unpleasant situation or some ’gift’, such as used condoms and excrement.” continue reading

Although the appearance of the Pan American Stadium is that of a ruin, many athletes still train there, in addition to members of the national athletics team. When they finish running – in full sun and without the proper equipment, the workers say – it is “normal” that the showers have no water and that the young people have to return, sweaty, to their homes.

Although the Pan American Stadium looks like a ruin, many athletes still train there. (14ymedio)

Last March, the official press published a report on the package of “fixes” for the facilities that the Government had financed. According to Cubadebate, authorities had worked hard to “rescue” the one-time sports colossus in Cuba. The repair, judging by the media’s own photos, consisted of the construction of a “modern gym” – in reality, with only a dozen pieces of equipment – and the partial remodeling of the lobby.

Mildred Pérez, director of the stadium, then warned that the rehabilitation will be “gradual” and that it would be marked by “the economic limitations suffered by the country in general, which prevents having a larger budget.” However, the official stressed her faith that, with “the will to do a little every day,” the stadium will change. “For the better,” she clarified.

Photos from 1991 show Castro euphoric, in front of the international delegations, in the same stands that are unpainted today. (14ymedio)

The reality of the building, which once had capacity for 35,000 spectators, is different. The only thing that looks renewed in its surroundings is a billboard of Che Guevara, which stands out among the weeds. The stadium is not alone in its decline: it is accompanied by other facilities of the Pan American Park, such as the Baraguá swimming pool complex, part of the Village that would house the 5,000 visiting athletes, the 19 de Noviembre tennis courts and the Reinaldo Paseiro velodrome.

Photos from 1991 show Castro euphoric, in front of the international delegations, in the same stands that are unpainted today. The tracks where the legendary Ana Fidelia Quirós and Alberto Cuba ran are in an unacceptable state for an Olympic champion.

“A little painting today; some seats tomorrow, but nothing that solves the real problem. The Pan American Stadium is no longer going to give this country a single dollar, and they know it,” concludes the stadium worker before returning to the mat . Above the lobby door, with a smile of confidence in the future of socialism, a drawing of Tocopán – the tocororo mascot of the games – continues to welcome visitors.

The only thing that looks renewed in its surroundings is a poster of Che Guevara, which stands out among the weeds. (14ymedio)

____________

Residents Block a Street in Central Havana After 35 Days Without Water

“Many families with small children live here, and we haven’t had water for 35 days,” a 40-year-old woman told 14ymedio (Facebook)

14ymedio, Nelson García, Havana, 24 September 2023 — An improvised barricade erected by the neighbors of Dragones Street, between Rayo and San Nicolás in Central Havana, has forced the authorities this Sunday to move a water truck to the neighborhood suffering from the lack of water. The barricade, made with buckets, plastic tanks and other household goods, prevented the passage of vehicles and police patrols for hours.

“Many families with small children live here, and we haven’t had water for 35 days,” a 40-year-old woman, mother of two children, four- and six-years-old, who prefers anonymity for fear of reprisals, told 14ymedio. “We are forced to ask other nearby neighbors for water, because in these houses we haven’t seen a drop in weeks.”

“They didn’t even bring us a water truck,” the woman complains. “It all started with the people in the shelter,” she explains, alluding to a place on the block inhabited by numerous families who have been relocated to that property after losing their homes due to a building collapse. “That’s where everything started to heat up.”

The residents of the shelter began to close the street early in the day with the containers, buckets and tanks that they use to store water. “The police themselves tried to pass and couldn’t; they had to turn back,” adds another local neighbor. “Shortly after, people from the municipal government appeared, although people had gone there more than ten times to complain about the lack of water. As soon as they saw the protest, they appeared.”

“When we went to complain, they told us that there was no fuel to send us a water truck, all an excuse,” he says. “You don’t have to have any illusions,” adds this neighbor. “They have not restored the water through the normal continue reading

routes.” People didn’t settle and “asked for the service to be fixed by any method, because the water trucks don’t solve the problem.” The tension escalated and although “no one was arrested,” this resident explains that “things got very hot.”

Health problems also worsened in recent months in Havana due to the disastrous drop in the frequency of garbage collection. (14ymedio)

In addition to the problems with the water, the Communal Company has not collected the garbage for weeks. A huge mountain of rubbish grows every day on the same corner of Rayo and Dragones. “They are putting fines of thousands of pesos on people who throw garbage here, but when we call Comunales to come pick it up they say they don’t have fuel.”

“There are many problems throughout this neighborhood with water. A few days ago other residents on Rayo, on this same street but higher up, also protested the problems of water and garbage,” explains Juana, a retiree who this Sunday calculated with her eyes how far the mountain of waste that threatens to cover her door could go, speaking to this newspaper.

“There have been several cases of diseases that must be related to all this filth,” she says and points out the heap of rubbish. In a nearby house, residents have improvised a sign on the facade saying “this is a house” and imploring people not to continue burying their entrance with waste.

Health problems have worsened in recent months in Havana due to the disastrous combination of a drop in the frequency of garbage collection and serious problems in the water supply, according to the woman. “Dengue fever and Zika are the order of the day,” she says, referring to two serious mosquito borne diseases.

The Aguas de La Habana Company has recognized the poor situation of supply services throughout the capital, more serious in areas such as Cerro, Plaza de la Revolución, Diez de Octubre, Centro Habana and Old Havana.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: