English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, 1 November 2016 — With the same impulse with which many vegetarian restaurants were opened across the country at the beginning of this century, there also arose the concept of a literary cafe, a place to mix culinary consumption and good reading. With reasonable prices and with a clientele of regulars, those places have … Continue reading “Requiem for the G Café / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Havana, 3 November 2016 — The industry giant Samsung Electronic will open a store in Havana before the end of the year. The products of the South Korean firm will be available in the market at 3rd Avenue and 70th Street in Miramar, west of the city, as confirmed by a press release issued Wednesday … Continue reading “Samsung Disembarks In Cuba / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Zunilda Mata, Havana, 2 November 2016 — In a speech in front of foreign businessmen at the International Fair of Havana (FIHAV), the Foreign Trade Minister Rodrigo Malmierca, emphasized the country’s urgency to receive “high rates of investment.” However, outside the Expocuba fairgrounds, the speech’s echoes are barely heard and the informal market continues to set … Continue reading “We Don’t Buy Anything Here / 14ymedio, Zunilda Mata”
14ymedio, Mauricio Rojas, Santiago de Chile, 2 November 2016 — Recently I sent a tweet that surprised some people. In it I said: “G[uillermo] Teillier, president of the PC [Communist Party], criticizes defense of human rights in Venezuela. Nothing unusual. Marx wanted to abolish them for their selfishness and opposition to the collective.” The surprising thing was … Continue reading “Marx, Human Rights And Freedom / 14ymedio, Mauricio Rojas”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 3 November 2016 — Oggún is one of the orisha warriors of the Yoruba pantheon, but a tractor that bears his name is losing the battle for the Cuban market. The Cleber firm has failed to establish itself in Cuba, although a year ago it was heralded as the vanguard of US … Continue reading “A Lot of Noise and Few Investments / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 2 November 2016 — “I swore I would never set foot in this country,” recalls Lazaro, age 48 and from Camaguey, who emigrated in the late nineties to Miami. However, a few months ago he changed his mind and began the legal process to return to Cuba. “The land pulls me,” he says … Continue reading “Repatriating, Yes. Settling In Is Another Thing / 14ymedio, Luz Escobar”
14ymedio, Havana, 2 November 2016 — The arbitrary arrests of peaceful dissidents in Cuba marked the highest figure in the last three months in October, with 620 cases, according to the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation’s (CCDHRN) monthly report, released Wednesday. The report also cites 17 physical assaults, 39 acts of police harassment … Continue reading “Cuban Human Rights Group Denounces “Unstoppable Deterioration Of Civil And Political Rights” / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Miami, 31 October 2016 – She worked for three years at health centers in Dourados, a region of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, as part of the government program Mais Medicos (More Doctors). Karem Guadalupe Saboit Valdes is fighting to stay beyond the three years allowed under the contract between the … Continue reading “A Cuban Doctor Fights To Stay In Brazil Free Of Cuban Government Contract / 14ymedio”
Cubanet, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 7 September 2016 — In recent days, the Cuban official media announced the implementation of a tax on personal income for workers in the State’s business sector, as well as an extension of payments called Social Security Special Contribution (CESS) – that workers at the so-called “perfecting entities” were already paying … Continue reading “The End of Freebies by the Revolution / Cubanet, Miriam Celaya”
14ymedio (with information from agencies), Havana, 8 September 2016 – The Algerian state oil company will send crude to Cuba for the first time in the coming month, after a fall of 40% in the supply from Venezuela recorded in the first half of the year, according to information from Reuters on Thursday. The sources … Continue reading “Algeria Will Send Oil To Cuba After Venezuelan Supply Falls / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Madrid, 5 September 2016 — Marita Lorenz’s first kiss (1939) came from Fidel Castro. Daughter of a ship’s captain, she met the leader of the Revolution at age 20, at a dock at the port of Havana. After she showed him around the ship, the leader asked her where her cabin was and, once they were … Continue reading ““Fidel Was Not A Very Good Lover,” Says The German Marita Lorenz”
EFE (14ymedio), Panama, 29 August 2016 – About 300 Cubans took refuge in several churches in the Panama capital and at the site of Pastoral Caritas in hopes that the governments of the region will again reach an agreement for a special operation and they will be transferred to Mexico to get to the United … Continue reading “Cubans Continue To Arrive In Panama and About 300 Take Refuge in Churches / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Havana, 18 August 2016 — The Cuban Telecommunications Company SA (ETECSA) said Thursday that “internet access from navigation rooms and wifi hotspots was restored in 17 August, along with access to ENET.” The disruption led to a flood of complaints from customers of the telephone monopoly. Etecsa apologized for the inconvenience caused by service … Continue reading “ETECSA Restores Internet Service in Navigation Rooms and Wifi Hotspots / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Havana, 31 July 2016 – Since the proclamation in which Fidel Castro temporarily delegated power on 31 July 2006, the former president has met with two popes, has received visits several European, Asian and Latin American leaders and has written hundreds of articles under the title “Reflections.” However, his role in the daily lives … Continue reading “Chronology: Ten Years Without Fidel Castro / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Ricardo Fernandez, Pinar del Rio, 16 July 2016 — In the early morning hours insomniacs, travelers and night watchmen are surprised to find an ode to excellence in a cup of coffee. At 3:00 in the morning the rush to prepare the nectar begins at the clinic on 27th of November Street between Maceo … Continue reading “Making a Living Off Coffee / 14ymedio, Ricardo Fernandez”
