English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
These heartfelt words come, crisp, clean and sincere, to our mailbox, written by a colleague I don’t know; I never saw his face, never shook his hand, I don’t even know if Eider exists, but here are the words, complete. / Jeovany Jimenez Vega ———————————————————————————————————— Days ago I had the opportunity to read an … Continue reading “Letter of One (?) Cuban Doctor / Jeovany Jimenez Vega”
We are on the eve of new elections in Cuba. And I am reminded that the first law issued in Sierra Maestra during the anti-Batista insurrection before the elections scheduled in 1958, was a death penalty law. It was designed to punish with death those who took part in the elections. It also punished those … Continue reading “There are no free elections without free people, free citizens, free men and free women / Oswaldo Paya”
If we compare the style of governance of the Castros during their respective terms in office from a bird’s eye view, we would make a serious mistake in believing the two autocrats are much the same. You don’t need a magnifying glass to see the differences. What are the similarities? Well, the duo have authoritarianism … Continue reading “Castro vs. Castro / Ivan Garcia”
This past Sunday, July 22, Cubadebate, the Cuban Communist Party’s digital page Cubadebate published a police blotter style note in which was reported an auto accident in the eastern city of Bayama, which an individual of the name Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, “resident of Havana,” had lost his life. This was all the information Cubadebate offered … Continue reading “When an Opponent Dies / Rafael Rojas, Voices Magazine”
Four days before Oswaldo Payá was killed, I drove past the exact spot where his rented blue Hyundai slammed into a tree. I didn’t find out about the crash until I was en route to Florida on July 22. I had known Payá for many years and was saddened to hear of his death. Quiet … Continue reading “Voices Magazine No. 16: Tribute to Oswaldo Paya / Tracey Eaton”
It does not matter if you are superstitious or not. In Cuba anything can happen; even the most unimaginable of things.The three Parcas, the Fates, are out on recess in Cuba. Why deny that they are interested in the Spanish alphabet to cut the threads of their canvases? What will be the next choice? Silliness?? … Continue reading “Executions in Alphabetical Order / Dora Leonor Mesa”
The question of the title was inspired by Fidel Castro himself when, on March 28 of this year, he asked Benedict XVI, “What does a Pope do?” Beyond the childishness of the question, it made me reflect on what any president would say if we inquired about his agenda, how a dignitary would narrate his … Continue reading “What Does a President Do? / Yoani Sanchez”
It has been ten days since the event which took the life of my husband, Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, National Coordinator of the Christian Liberation Movement, and the life of the young man Harold Cepero Escalante, a member of the same movement. The event has been covered by Cuba’s National Television, which is unusual since fatal … Continue reading “Statement from the Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas Family / Ofelia Acevedo”
When the funeral cortege left the chapel in Cerro with the body of the political leader Oswaldo Payá, having barely advanced a few yards, it was stopped for some twenty minutes. Something happened at the beginning of the caravan. Several people got out of the car to find out what; we feared the worse although … Continue reading “Detention of Antonio Rodiles: Guilty of the Free "Estado de Sats" / Ángel Santiesteban”
General Raúl Castro acknowledges that beans are more important than canons. For the green khaki overlords food is a matter of national security. Since taking power on July 31, 2006, Castro II has tried to revitalize agricultural production. But, so far, nothing. The efforts of the enormous and inefficient Ministry of Agriculture have not allowed … Continue reading “Raul Castro Knows That Food is a Time Bomb / Iván García”
In spite of his osteoarthritis and mild senile dementia, Demetrio, 76-years-old, works as a night watchman at a primary school four nights a week. On his days off he get up before 5 AM to buy bread for the owners of various private cafes. He is paid 480 pesos per month to purchase the bread, … Continue reading “Elderly Havanans Living on the Edge / Iván García”
The trashed cityscape reaches all the way to the gate of the parish, in the arid Cerro neighborhood. “The Savior of the World,” says the sign, so distant from the desert outside, beyond the gates. And one thinks, sleepwalking before sunrise: how poor any form of expression is in this country. Dawn lingers on the … Continue reading “Payá, Posthumous President / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
Again, Cuba’s general-president has offered his gastronomic policy to the American president. “The table is set…” said a Raúl Castro who appeared erratic and inconsistent at the podium this 26th of July, as if a touch of rum had been added to his morning coffee. He laughed at his own bad jokes like some street … Continue reading “The Empty Table / Miriam Celaya”
for the record, originally uploaded by orlandoluispardolazo. www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2012/07/27/nota-oficial-del-mi… [Translator’s note: the official government version with OLPL commentary.] In 140 yards of gravel [invisible to the driver until he was already on it?] and a steady braking without pumping the brake [why not simply leave his foot on the accelerator, what instinct of conservation made him … Continue reading “For the Record / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
Although journalism has managed to absorb me much more than philology, for its dynamism, its direct connection to reality, and its immediacy, it involves bitter pills I would have preferred to spare myself. One of them is having to watch all the official news, to be aware of every government statement, and to listen to … Continue reading “Is the Table Set? / Yoani Sánchez”
