English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Corruption — the action of corrupting — is the result of many causes, that range from personal conduct to the political-economic system of each country. It is an ancient social phenomenon to that occurs to a greater or lesser extent in all societies and has been present throughout the history of Cuba. In the colony, … Continue reading “Corruption and the Morality of Survival / Dimas Castellano”
Pope Benedict XVI returned to Rome on Wednesday, March 28, after officiating his second Mass in Cuba as a pilgrim of the Virgin of Charity of Cobre. The devout joy of the faithful overflowed that day in José Martí Civic Plaza in the capital, where thousands of people shared in communion the longing for justice, … Continue reading “Eppur si muove… And Yet It Moves / Rafael Leon Rodriguez”
Present relations between Church and State and the Papal visit have turned unbelievably controversial. Nonetheless, for Catholics and devotees of the Virgin of la Caridad del Cobre, the arrival of the Pontiff Benedict XVI in Cuba will culminate the Jubilee Year for the 400th anniversary of the discovery of our Beloved Mother and Patroness. For … Continue reading “Misunderstandings / Rosa María Rodríguez Torrado”
Present relations between Church and State and the Papal visit have turned unbelievably controversial. Nonetheless, for Catholics and devotees of the Virgin of la Caridad del Cobre, the arrival of the Pontiff Benedict XVI in Cuba will culminate the Jubilee Year for the 400th anniversary of the discovery of our Beloved Mother and Patroness. For … Continue reading “Misunderstandings”
By Dagoberto Valdes, Pinar del Rio Cuba is not the same as in 1998 when John Paul II made the first papal visit in our history. Its government is not the same, though essential and structurally, it remains the same system. Its Church is not the same in its workings and leadership, although essentially and … Continue reading “The Cuba That Will be Visited by Pope Benedict XVI / IntraMuros, Dagoberto Valdes”
I recently read a document on the net that captured my attention immediately because of its suggestive title and the justice claimed in its content. Grupo Concordia (havanatimes.org) in Contra la Censura en Cuba, dated February 27th of this year, has complained against certain official actions which states that “in recent months…have been carried out … Continue reading “Warm, Warm… / Miriam Celaya”
Translator’s note: This interview is from the digital magazine Cubaencuentro, from November 14, 2011. It was conducted by Luis Manuel García Méndez. We interviewed Alexis Romay, a graduate of The City University of New York’s master’s program in Spanish Language and Literature, author of the novel Salidas de emergencia (Emergency Exits) and the poetry collection … Continue reading “Cuba Archive Truth and Memory Project / Alexis Romay”
“I prefer a million critical voices before the silence of the dictatorships.” Dilma Rousseff Choosing the time for a presidential visit can be an exceedingly thankless task in this so unpredictable and changeable world. When the date of the visit of a head of state is placed on the agenda, announced, and reconciled with the … Continue reading “Dilma’s Agenda / Yoani Sánchez”
At the time of her death on October 14 in the intensive care ward of Calixto Garcia Hospital, three weeks had passed since Laura Pollan Toldeo had marched with the Ladies in White through the streets of Havana, the scene of her civic odyssey for the release of the political prisoners from the oppressive wave … Continue reading “The Final Odyssey of Laura Pollan / Miguel Iturria Savon”
An article by a foreign news agency recently reported on the Internet, “Cuban Dissidents at a Crossroads”by Paul Haven and Andrea Rodríguez of the Associated Press, suffers from, at least, two of the most common and serious limitations of accredited journalism in Cuba: contempt for the nationals of this Island and an almost total disregard … Continue reading “Strange “Estrangement” of the Foreign Press in Cuba / Miriam Celaya”
The sun was burning like never before over Eastern Cuba. It was September 10th when we immersed ourselves in the hills of Baracoa, we had to hide for two days so they wouldn’t notice us. The National ‘Boitel and Zapata Live’ March for Cuba’s Freedom on the 13th of this month consisted of the presence … Continue reading “Notes from a Liberating Passage / Luis Felipe Rojas”
In the fifties, after the coup of March 10, 1952, I don’t know if General Batista himself, or one of his acolytes, changed the name of Linea Street, in El Vedado, to General Batista Avenue. No one ever called it that, except perhaps the odd Batista supporter, and after his flight of it, everyone called … Continue reading “Something More About Original Names / Fernando Dámaso”
It’s not the first time an article by Fernando Ravsberg, Cuban correspondent for the honorable BBC, left me feeling frustrated, bittersweet, as a result of, in my judgment, certain skin deep and inconsistent analyses established by him. But it is the first time I’ve decided to comment in writing. Now, after reading his last blog … Continue reading “Letters (Unencripted) From Cuba / Ernesto Morales Licea”
Just four years have elapsed since the emergence of the blog Generación Y, which soon started a proliferation of the presence of independent citizens on the web, an effect that is known in the media as the blogger phenomenon, or the Cuban alternative blogosphere. Much has been said among the dissident sectors and opposition groups … Continue reading “The “Privatization” of the Right to Dissent / Miriam Celaya”
Watching the last chapter aired (and re-aired at the request of viewers) of the serial In Silence, in this new season called The Reasons Of…, I noticed that our authorities are so convinced of the total control they have over minds of citizens, they are unable to accept that someone, without orders or monetary compensation … Continue reading “Playing with Machiavelli and His Lessons / Fernando Dámaso”