English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, May 22, 2022–Those who think that all ciberclarias* are slick and anonymous are mistaken. Some come with pedigree and martial ranks. There is a group of ever-loyal comrades, trained in military or Party schools, who do not understand the Five Grey Years, nor the special periods, nor have they foreseen crises … Continue reading “Remnants of the Cuban Censor Who Attends Me”
14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 21 May 2022 — Holguín exists thanks to a plague of ants and bibijaguas [leaf cutter ants]. It is the strangest and most enigmatic region of the Island. Columbus entered Cuba through it and in Nipe – the largest bay in the archipelago – the Virgin of Charity was found. In … Continue reading “‘That Secret Symphony’, Holguín’s Poetic Dissidence”
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 … Continue reading “‘Coppelia Ice Cream No Longer Tastes like Milk, But like Soy, Like the Mincemeat’”
EFE (via 14ymedio), Gustavo Borges, Mexico City, 20 March 2022 — The Mexican writer and journalist Gerardo Arreola, author of the book Cuba, the Future Under Debate, said this Sunday that the lack of decisions to solve the economic crisis and the increase in repression are not the way to solve the problems on the island. … Continue reading “‘Cuba, the Future Under Debate,’ a Chronicle of Former Mexican Correspondent on the Island”
14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 5 March 2022 — I admit that I was wrong. Not long ago, I wrote an entry on this blog in which I came to say that I did not find it too interesting for foreign investors in Cuba to take a souvenir photograph with Díaz-Canel. Without a doubt, I … Continue reading “Diaz-Canel and the Photo With Sherritt, Or Is It the Other Way Around?”
14ymedio, Madrid, 17 February 2022 — For the first time, Cuba’s Family Code provides for something never before contemplated in Cuban legislation despite its urgent need: the possibility of claiming the maintenance obligation from a resident abroad. The previous rule was approved in 1975, but despite undergoing numerous amendments, the aspect that would legally allow … Continue reading “Mothers Will be Able to Claim Food for their Children from Fathers Living Outside Cuba”
14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, 16 February 2022 — The Cuban dictatorship laid its foundations on the charisma of Fidel Castro. Beyond what fans or detractors may argue, it is undeniable that the bearded man had qualities for oratory, knew how to channel the frustrations of an era in his favor, and was an unparalleled … Continue reading “Diaz-Canel, a Continuity without Charisma, Historical Weight, or ‘Ashe’”
14ymedio, Madrid, 11 February 2022 — Aware of the annoyance generated by the expansion of stores that take payment only in MLC (freely convertible currency), on Thursday Alejandro Gil, Minister of Economy and Planning, wanted to delve into the defense he made of the stores last Tuesday in an interview with the Cuban News Agency … Continue reading “‘Dollar’ Stores are a Lifeline, Says Cuba’s Minister of the Economy”
14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 9 February 2022 — There are times when it is better to remain silent. The Cuban economy minister, Gil, has said on Cubadebate that “without the stores in MLC [hard currency], the economic situation in Cuba would be even more complex.” But he knows that this is not true and that, at … Continue reading “Do Hard Currency Stores in Cuba Have any Justification?”
14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, Valencia, 3 February 2022 — With regard to the embargo, which the official Castrist press has converted into a lightning rod, it is interesting to share some reflections which, for obvious reasons, will be very different from those launched by communist propaganda. The truth is, taking advantage of the 60th anniversary … Continue reading “Cuba: Is There Really a U.S. Embargo?”
14ymedio, Javier Roque Martínez, Havana, 1 February 2022 — Adiel González Maimó, English teacher, theologian and leader of one of the communities that make up the Fraternity of Baptist Churches of Cuba (FIBAC), is proof that the Protestant faith is compatible with the defense of LGBTI rights. At the age of 20, he realized that … Continue reading “Religious Fundamentalism in Cuba Does Not Represent a Threat to the Regime”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 23 December 2021 -“There is rum and cigarettes,” an old man proclaims as he walks from one corner to another on Reina de La Habana street. “Rum at 600 and cigarettes at 100,” he details to a passerby who approaches, interested. “That rum is not homemade, is it?” Asks the … Continue reading “Cubans: “Give Us a Piece of Meat for New Year’s Instead of a Bottle of Rum””
14ymedio, Havana, 14 December 2021 — That pork is increasingly absent from the markets is something that any ordinary Cuban knows these days. The strange thing is that there is an authority who certifies this is the case. This Monday, Osvaldo Surí González, program coordinator of the provincial government of Cienfuegos, categorically did so. “Raw pork … Continue reading “Cuba: There is Pork in Cienfuegos, But at 270 Pesos a Pound”
14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, 10 December 2021 — The insistence of the communist Cuban regime in promoting urban, suburban and family agriculture as a way of achieving food sovereignty is now past a joke. Because it is one thing to amuse yourself in communist conclaves with these types of proposals which take you nowhere. There … Continue reading “Organoponics and Food Self-sufficiency in Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 30 November 2021 — The state swine company Holpor, located in Holguín, has resurrected the recipe for liquid feed for pigs, which was discontinued since the Special Period, with the aim of making the animal’s meat cheaper and increasing its production. This year it is barely expected to reach 2,566 tons of the … Continue reading “‘If You Eat the Sows Before Taking the Offspring, You End Pig Production’”
