English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Tuesday 9 May, on listening to the reading, on the National Television News, of the official daily press note from Granma, the official organ of the Communist Party of Cuba, I remembered the old joke about Napoleon, Granma and the Battle of Waterloo: “If Napoleon had had a newspaper like Granma nobody would know, yet, … Continue reading “Granma, Napoleon and the Insurgents / Miguel Iturria Savón”
A trick within the Cuban juridical system may put Raumel Vinajera Stevens back in the jail he was released from under conditional freedom during last February 22nd. In a phone call I made to his wife, Tania Montoya Vazquez, both told me about the trap which Major Diorkis, said to be the chief of Confrontation … Continue reading “A Black Man Who Could be Sent Back to the Trap / Luis Felipe Rojas”
As if the proverbial mediocrity of the usual television programming weren’t enough, in recent weeks there is a new series, incredibly badly made and edited even worse, that has been presented on the screen. “Cuba’s Reasons,” is the title of this latest garbage, which clearly intends to disinform the national population trying to create a … Continue reading “Reasons for an Injustice / Miriam Celaya”
I’ve spent some nights now trying to talk to the wife of Ariel Arzuaga, a defender of human rights in the city of Bayamo, in Granma province. He is currently imprisoned because of the malice of the local military authorities. Yakelin Garcia Jaenz worriedly told me that Ariel remains in a very poor state. He … Continue reading “Ariel Arzuaga Peña Without the Right to Defend Himself / Luis Felipe Rojas”
I remember that distant but unforgettable 18 March 2003. Two friends of mine went to my home after lunchtime and informed me that the home of Pedro Arguelles Moran was filled with State Security agents. I visited the residence of my friend and colleague, and I began to make some phone calls to the capital, … Continue reading “Why the Black Spring of 2003? / Pablo Pacheco”
I met Jose A. Triguero Mulet during a heated political debate. The nearly 70-year-old Mulet is a freedom-loving man. I’m writing this after he gave me an article he wrote about the humiliations he has lived through just for daring to scream the truth at the militants which rule my country. It was from those … Continue reading “Friends That Remain / Luis Felipe Rojas”
Pursuant to the uprisings that have taken place in countries of North Africa and the Persian Gulf, many views seem to converge in Cuba. The recurring question, “why don’t Cubans rebel?” leaps out in every conversation with journalists or foreign friends, while among many Cubans living outside the Island a cyber-rebellion seems to have become … Continue reading “To Do Nothing / Miriam Celaya”
Punta Brava, La Habana After several weeks of communication and interaction with the different segments of Cuban Civil Society, the Neighborhood Spokespeople decided to call a working meeting Saturday morning, with the aim of analyzing and evaluating the results of the first stage of the proposed modification of the current Electoral Law. Through admirable effort, … Continue reading “Neighborhood Voices Discuss Strategies / Silvio Benítez Márquez”
Nestor Rodriguez Lobaina is a lifelong Cuban activist working for democracy and human rights in our country, founder the Alternative Studies Center of Cuban Youth for Democracy. In recognizing him as a Prisoner of Conscience in 1999, Amnesty International wrote: “Political activist, Nestor Rodriquez Lobaina, was arbitrarily arrested on 11 July 1999, for exercising his … Continue reading “Another Hunger Striker Nears Death in a Cuban Prison / Luis Felipe Rojas”
I received very strong testimonies via telephone by Ramon Rodriguez and his son Rolando about the situation Nestor Rodriguez Lobaina — on hunger strike — is facing in the convict unit of the provincial hospital of Guantanamo. Hours later, news of the death of my grandmother, Maria, left me incapable of putting together a coherent … Continue reading “Today I Write Only An Excuse / Luis Felipe Rojas”
We had not been together on a bunkbed for more than twenty years. My sister preferred to sleep in the lower bunk for fear of falling out in the middle of the night. I, more daring, climbed to the heights of those squeaky bunks at the schools in the countryside. Taking refuge in the fact … Continue reading “The Bunkbed / Yoani Sánchez”
When resorting to physical blows, this displays a degree of errors in intelligence and professionalism. Many times, fear makes people lose their wits. It seems as if this is what happened to officials of the political police. That night, they went to go look for me at the cells of the Aguilera Unit, in the … Continue reading “Official Stupidity from the G 21* / Antunez”
Every time I pass by the sports fan club in Parque Central, right in the heart of Havana, I think I hear Orlando Zapata Tamayo debating baseball matters. Baseball was more than a passion for him. It was a style of life. The dissident — jailed for three years in 2003 for the crime of … Continue reading “A Death That Could Have Been Avoided / Iván García”
I have taken some time to reply to the many comments to the post “Fantasies and realities of a virtual rebellion”, but I had good reason to do so. The reactions from readers, in the face of what might have seemed like a cold shower, were diverse, but expected. They did not disappoint or surprise … Continue reading “Reply, After the “Battle” / Miriam Celaya”
The news of the arrests of more than fifty Human Rights activists throughout the entire country has only further confirmed the violent nature of the regime which governs my country. Some people had illusions. Once again, those detained and beaten in their own homes were peaceful dissidents and their families. No voluntary actions, little solidarity … Continue reading “Dungeons and Physical Blows on Patriotic Anniversaries / Luis Felipe Rojas”
