English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
San Lázaro has been my savior. I’ve been through some very hard times and only when I placed my faith in San Lázaro was I able to find my way. Many people don’t understand why I do this. I left school in ninth grade, quite early, to work and help my mom. She earned very little … Continue reading ““San Lazaro Has Been My Savior” / Cubanet”
14ymedio, Havana, 9 March 2017 – The new ceiba tree of El Templete was in place for just one year. The tree itself was 15-years-old but did not survive being replanted at the place where the Villa of San Cristobal of Havana was founded. It had been planted to replace a legendary ceiba, but it … Continue reading “El Templete’s Ceiba Dies / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Havana, 9 March 2017 — The leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, José Daniel Ferrer, was released Thursday after being detained for more than 24 hours. The opponent denounced an “increase in the repression” against the activists of his movement, in a phone call to 14ymedio a few minutes after his release. “The search of … Continue reading “José Daniel Ferrer: “This Type Of Assault Does Not Discourage Us” / 14ymedio”
EFE (via 14ymedio), Lorena Canto, Havana, 5 March 2017 — A hundred days after his death and although Cuba has limited by law the use of his name and image, the figure of Fidel Castro is more present than ever on the island, where the fervor towards the former president is beginning to take on messianic proportions … Continue reading “Official Fervor Towards Fidel Castro Contrasts With the Indifference of Young People / EFE-14ymedio, Lorena Canto”
14ymedio, Havana, 3 March 2017 — This Friday, the trial against Eduardo Cardet, a doctor and the national coordinator of the Christian Liberation Movement (MCL), was concluded. The prosecution has maintained its original request for three years of deprivation of liberty for the opponent, who has been detained since November 30 and charged with “attack on … Continue reading “The Prosecution Asks For Three Years In Prison For The Opponent Eduardo Cardet / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Havana, 22 February 2017 — The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, has published a letter explaining why he can not attend the Oswaldo Payá “Freedom and Life” Award ceremony. In the letter, addressed to Rosa Maria Paya, Almagro states that he will not come after the refusal of the Havana authorities to … Continue reading “Cuba Refuses OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro Entry To The Island / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Havana, 21 February 2017 – The Cuban government has mobilized in the last hours to prevent several guests from arriving in Havana to attend to Oswaldo Paya Award ceremony, scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, at 11:00 am. Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon has been the most recent to make public that Cuban immigration authorities did … Continue reading “Cuban Government Blocks Several Guests From Entering Cuba For The Oswaldo Payá Award / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Miami, 16 February 2017 — US President Donald Trump referred to the Cuban-American community during a press conference on Thursday, stating “Cuba was very good to me” and said that he was referring to the role in the US elections of the “Cuban-American people.” Trump won the Florida vote in last November’s election and … Continue reading “Donald Trump: “Cuba Was Very Good To Me” / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 16 February 2017 — David Mauri Cardoso, a 24-year-old from Cienfuegos, dreamt of being lawyer but could not successfully pass a test of dishonesty. In appearance it was a test of Spanish, but what was being evaluated was his capacity to fake it. Along with 30 other young people, who had not … Continue reading “The Student Who Did Not Want To ‘Ride With Fidel’ / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Excobar”
Juan Juan Almeida, 6 February 2017 — Officials, students, athletes, workers, members of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, foreign journalists and even tourists. Almost all have been victims of a flagrant, illicit operation authorized by the Cuban government. It is a business that involves millions, one that the Castro family is not inclined … Continue reading “A Million Dollar Business Run by Fidel Castro’s Son / Juan Juan Almeida”
14ymedio, 10 February 2017 – The fight for popularity between Fidel Castro and Ernesto Che Guevara continues even after the death of both leaders. According to an article in last Saturday’s official newspaper Granma, some 150,000 people – both Cubans and foreign tourists – have visited Fidel Castro’s tomb in Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in Santiago de Cuba. The mausoleum … Continue reading “Fidel Castro’s Ashes and Che’s Bones Compete to Attract Visitors / 14ymedio”
14ymedio Havana, 8 February 2017 – Officers from Cuba’s National Revolutionary Police searched the home of ‘YouTuber’ and activist Alexei Gamez, in Jagüey Grande in the province of Matanzas. According to Eliecer Avila, leader of the Somos+ (We Are More) Movement, the agents entered the house in the morning and have not allowed access to … Continue reading “Police Search Home of Cuban ‘YouTuber’ / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Santiago de Cuba, 31 January 2017 — The movie theater with cushy chairs, carpets and a purring projector is a thing of the past. Now, the films are broadcast on huge flat-screen TVs or inside a container for the transportation of goods, such as the one located on San Miguel Street at Victoriano Garzón Avenue … Continue reading “Video Room Fits in a Container / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Marcelo Hernandez, Havana, 31 January 2017 – With an indigenous name and sands full of memories, Guanabo is the beach east of Havana that in recent months has experienced a quiet transformation. Many repatriated Cubans, foreign residents on the island, and local entrepreneurs have bought homes just a few yards from the sea to revive … Continue reading “Guanabo, the new ‘Costa del Sol’ / 14ymedio, Marcelo Hernandez”
EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 1 Februday 2017 — The global organization Amnesty International on Tuesday called for the “immediate and unconditional” release of Cuban dissident Eduardo Cardet, who has been detained for two months accused of the crime of assault. Amnesty International believes that Cardet, the national coordinator of the illegal Christian Liberation Movement (MCL), is a prisoner of … Continue reading “Amnesty International Calls For Release Of Cuban Opponent Eduardo Cardet / EFE, 14ymedio”
