Carlos Francisco Rodríguez González and Yusuan Fundora Massaguet were swept away by the current and rescued near the Bahamas
Carlos Francisco Rodríguez González, in an image published by the official press / Girón
14ymedio, Mexico, 30 January 2025 — “How did we survive? Nature is great.” Fisherman Carlos Francisco Rodríguez González, 55, tells how he was shipwrecked and set adrift with Yusuan Fundora Massaguet, only 15 years old, for seven days, until they were rescued near the Bahamas. “I, who am neither Catholic nor a Christian, prayed to all the virgins, everyone,” he said in an interview with the newspaper Girón. What he thought would be a “quick fishing trip, got complicated.”
At midnight last Thursday, January 16, Rodriguez left his home in Cerro (Havana) alone, planning to return at nine in the morning. After fishing in Havana Bay, however, he wanted to go to Chivo Beach, “but my legs were giving out on me,” he said. A young man he knew on another raft tried to help him, but the wind pushed them both out to sea.
“The current was taking us east and toward the sea, and nothing was there, not even a boat to give us a hand. The boy didn’t have experience either. We were overcome by the current and fatigue,” said the fisherman.
At nightfall, Rodríguez’s polyfoam cork boat broke up completely, so he got onto the boy’s raft, and “that’s how we both were stranded for a week, without eating or drinking water.” continue reading
“The boy at some point even told me that he wanted to just jump in the water, that he couldn’t go on any more. But I didn’t let him give up.”
With barely three years of fishing experience, he said that when he usually goes out, he carries a gallon of water or a bottle of soda. On this occasion he didn’t bother. After the first day on the high seas, Carlos Francisco threw in a hook and caught a goldfish. “We took out the bones with a knife, laid it down on the cork to dry a little and ate it raw. The boy even ate the egg sac, which disgusted me. He also drank some salt water.”
The fisherman said there were many sharks. “You saw the big ones jumping and fins in the water.” Rodríguez says that he is not afraid of sharks. “If there is no injured fish around that is bleeding, there is no need to be afraid. I was more afraid of dying from dehydration than from being bitten by a shark.”
As the days passed, despair took hold of the fishermen: “The boy at some point even told me that he wanted to jump in the water, that he couldn’t go on. But I didn’t let him give up.”
Rodríguez says he was reborn when the current took them in sight of a ship. “On unsteady legs, one of us kept rowing and the other steering towards the center of the boat,” he said. “Then we started screaming at the top of our lungs: ’Help! Help!’ Someone appeared and called the captain. And that rope they threw to us was a life-saver.”
Carlos Francisco Rodríguez González was admitted to the Faustino de Pérez provincial hospital, while the youngest fisherman was taken to the pediatric Eliseo Noel Caamaño. “After this I told everyone: ’I’m done’. But I’m not going to die of hunger either; if I have to go back (to fish), I will. And I’ll have to respect the sea.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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Lee Ho-yul is officially appointed amid a rapprochement that, judging by recent actions, has not gone down well in the North
Acting President Choi Sang-mok (left) poses with Cuban Ambassador Lee Ho-yul
14ymedio/EFE, Seoul, 31 January 2025 — On Friday, South Korean authorities officially appointed diplomat Lee Ho-yul as the first ambassador to Cuba. Relations between the two counties were re-established a year ago.
Lee, who until now had been a minister in the South Korean embassy in Mexico, is, according to local media, an expert in commercial matters. In addition to being a career diplomat, he also served as general director of the Office of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
He will be the first ambassador that South Korea has on the Island after the historic re-establishment of diplomatic ties that took place between the two countries in February 2024.
He will be the first ambassador that South Korea has on the Island after the historic re-establishment of diplomatic ties that took place between the two countries in February 2024
It is believed that the relationship established between Seoul and Havana may be angering Pyongyang, given its traditional friendship with Cuba, supported by similar ideological positions.
In fact, the North Korean media have reflected that apparent discontent since the re-establishment of relations a year ago, barely publishing content that refers to Cuba.
For example, the state news agency KCNA reported very briefly on the New Year’s message sent by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and also omitted the usual references to the “brother people” of Cuba. continue reading
For his part, the Cuban ambassador to South Korea, Claudio Monzón, has already presented his credentials to the interim president of South Korea, Choi Sang-mok, on January 7, and Cuba is expected to open its first embassy in South Korea before July 1.
The rapprochement between the two countries began in February 2024, when both parties announced that they were re-establishing relations that were broken in 1959, when, with the triumph of the Revolution, a historic, political and ideological alliance was forged between Cuba and North Korea.
In May 2016, in the midst of the thaw with the United States, the chambers of commerce of both countries signed a memorandum of understanding to share business information, carry out exchanges between their delegations and organize joint forums.
South Korea expressed interest in Cuba in energy matters, in addition to considering it “a potential market for medical and tourism businesses on the American continent
South Korea expressed an interest in Cuba in energy matters, in addition to considering it “a potential market for medical and tourism businesses on the American continent.” Trade between the two countries began to flow, and in 2022 South Korea exported goods to Cuba worth 14 million dollars and imported goods worth 7 million.
Although many Cubans were surprised by the announcement of the opening of embassies a year ago, Seoul argued that, among other things, every year about 14,000 South Korean citizens traveled to the Island – before the pandemic – and 1,100 descendants of Koreans who migrated during the Japanese occupation (1910-1945) resided in Cuba. All of them need “systematic consular assistance,” they said.
The romance between both nations has even reached the streets. At the beginning of this year, Havana opened the K-Mart, the first market with South Korean products in Cuba. Located on 27 th and J, in El Vedado, the private business sells everything from ramen, soju, tea and instant coffee to juices and energy drinks.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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A Honduran tells the newspaper ‘La Nación’ that migrants from Florida have stopped going to work for fear of being detained
The U.S. Coast Guard has increased its presence in the Florida Straits, the Windward Pass and the Mona Pass / X/@USCGSoutheast
14ymedio, Havana, 30 January 2025 — The United States Coast Guard deported 12 Cuban rafters on the Isaac Mayo ship on Wednesday, who were prosecuted after the interception of two boats. “Anyone who tries to enter the United States illegally by sea will be repatriated,” the agency stressed in a statement.
The US authorities specified that on January 19, a group of five Cubans on a foreign raft was detected 21 miles from Kayo Largo, during the overflight of an aircraft belonging to the Customs and Maritime Air and Maritime Operations team. The migrants were intercepted by the coast guard cutter Charles David, which after providing medical care handed them over to the Border Patrol for deportation.
A second contingent of seven Cubans on a “damaged boat” was located 50 miles southwest of Cuba, in the Yucatan Pass. The rafters were assisted by the crew of the Coast Guard ship Reliance.
Lieutenant Commander John Beal said that the Coast Guard “has increased its presence in the Florida Straits, the Windward Pass and the Mona Pass to prevent attempts at illegal maritime migration before they reach our coasts.” continue reading
Lieutenant Commander John Beal said that the Coast Guard “has increased its presence in the Florida Straits
Beal added that as part of the operations, sailors and recreational boat users have been asked to “inform the authorities about illicit maritime activity” through the VHF marine radio on Channel 16. The purpose of the mission is to protect the United States by securing the borders.
Meanwhile, several anti-immigrant operations have been carried out in Florida. According to figures from the Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE), 5,537 people were arrested after raids that occurred between January 23 and 28. In addition, another 4,433 foreigners were transferred to other institutions, including prisons.
“Many people are afraid,” Honduran Eduardo Mature, owner of a property construction and remodeling company, told the Argentine newspaper La Nación. “I have 12 undocumented people working for me, and this week eight of them did not show up. One of the contractors I know in Miami told me that out of his entire work team of 10 people, only the driver came to work.”
Mature said that “before, they made them pay a fine, but now they are afraid that they will be handed over to immigration authorities. The construction project is very, very affected.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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Raidel Martínez, with the Cuban national team / Facebook
14ymedio/Swing Completo, Havana, 16 January 2025 — Almost a month after Cuban pitcher Raidel Martínez signed a historic contract with the Japanese Professional Baseball League (NPB), his new team, the Yomiuri Giants, will include him in the so-called Group S, a selection of the most important players on the squad, who get to decide their own training regimen.
The decision, reported this Wednesday by the official newspaper Jit, means that the players who make up the group will be responsible for their own practices and will decide what kinds of exercises they will do to get in shape, without planning by the club’s management.
“Normally, in the demanding world of Japanese baseball, both the team’s director and coaches determine the players’ work schedule during practice, including the exercises they do,” the media outlet explained.
This initiative, according to the newspaper report, “reveals enormous confidence and respect for the club’s most veteran players, a space that Raidel has earned on his own merit.” For the outlet Swing Completo (Full Swing), it is also “a recognition of the awards that the closer achieved and his quality in the box.” continue reading
This initiative, according to the newspaper report, “reveals enormous confidence and respect for the club’s most veteran players
Martínez is one of the best closers in the Japanese league. In his last season with the Chunichi Dragons he had a dream campaign. He set a personal record of 43 saved games, which was also the best mark in the entire league. He competed in a total of 60 games, in which he completed 58.0 innings while allowing only seven earned runs, for an ERA of 1.09. The Pinar del Río native also had 59 strikeouts, gave up 12 walks, and had a WHIP of 0.81. Finally, he allowed only 35 hits, including one home run.
All total, in seven seasons with his former team, he recorded 166 saves, with an ERA of 1.71, in addition to 353 strikeouts in 310.2 innings pitched.
In seven seasons with his former team, he recorded 166 saves, with an ERA of 1.71
The new contract that the closer signed with the Yomiuri Giants for 32.5 million dollars for four seasons is also one of the most lucrative for the Cuban Baseball Federation (FCB), which will pocket 20% of the amount, some 6.5 million dollars, more than 1.6 million dollars per season.
Although Raidel Martínez’s contract is “a historic agreement,” according to journalist Francys Romero, as it surpassed the $26 million received by Mexican Roberto Osuna or Cuban Liván Moinelo, the expert opines that the closer from Pinar del Río “would have obtained offers of between $50 and $70 million if he had entered the Major League market” in the United States.
In addition to Martínez and Moinelo, other Cubans with deals in the Japanese league are Carlos Monier, Frank Abel Álvarez, Cristian Rodríguez, Darío Sarduy and Ariel Martínez. There are also two other players with such contracts in Mexico, six in Italy, and four more in Canada.
Translated by Tomás A.
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Curazao showed the weakness of the Las Tunas team / Jit
14ymedio/Swing Completo, Havana, 27 January 2025 — Curaçao won by 15-2 over the Leñadores de Las Tunas, who represent Cuba in the Baseball Series of the Americas, based in Nicaragua. Faced with the catastrophic result, the official media Granma reported that the Island’s team “had their hands tied” (was immobilized in the sport), and that their performance was “bad news for Cuban baseball, whatever the competition.”
Those led by Abeysi Pantoja, according to the same media, succumbed to players who had already turned the corner of stardom. The Curaçao team “has the wisdom and the craft” for their participation in teams of the US Major Leagues, in addition to the fact that some currently play in the Minor Leagues.
Cuban baseball is in crisis, and Cubadebate also recognized that nothing worked for the Cubans against Curaçao. The offensive line barely achieved three hits, and the Las Tunas pitchers allowed 16 runs. “You can’t win that way in baseball,” the same report emphasized.
“The pitchers allowed 15 uncatchable hits, and, to top it off, the defense also failed, not only because of the two errors, but also because there was no solution for throws that did not commit,” Granma summarized.
Sports analyst Juan Carlos Guerra Alonso “JuanK” in Por la Goma, reiterated that this bad moment of Cuban baseball “has a lot to do with the suffocating and obsolete policy of those who direct and pull the strings of the sport: those at the top, those in the middle and those “phantoms” who make decisions from behind a desk.” continue reading
JuanK specified that “you can’t have a good performance without playing baseball. You can’t live on Saturn, wanting to compete on Earth.” He recalled that the Cuban players have not played for a winter, and in the face of results like those against Curaçao, “we are losing the credibility and respect that our history gave us.”
Cuba’s first defeat against Nicaragua left doubts in some fans and accusations in others. “The Island did Managua a favor, they were clever,” José Pablo, a regular at the stadiums of the Central American country, told 14ymedio. “I have no doubt; those drunken pigs that make up the team (of Nicaragua) could never beat the Cubans for good, no matter how many desertions they have had and not even if they’re tied up and blindfolded.”
Baseball in Nicaragua is also in “decline.” According to a report in La Prensa, despite the investment of 4 billion córdobas for the “construction of 13 stadiums and the remodeling of another 24 sports facilities,” the fans have been absent from the games.
According to sports journalist Pablo Fletes, one of the causes is the local “quality of competition” caused by a championship that brings together 20 teams. The “saturation” has generated the disinterest of fans. Meanwhile, sports reporter Edgard Tijerino commented that national baseball has fallen behind in the international context, so “it has been left out of events such as the World Classic and the Premier 12.
Curazao has three wins and leads the Baseball Series of the Americas. Nicaragua and Águilas Metropolitanas follow, both tied with two games won and one lost. Cuba and Club Daom are equal in fourth and fifth place with one victory and two defeats. In the background is Caimanes de Barranquilla (Colombia) with three consecutive stumbles.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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Instead of coins, customers who pay with cash must accept their change in the form of candies or ‘other products available by the cash registers’
According to the authorities, up to 7 % of Cimex and Tiendas Caribe supermarkets will follow the business model of 3rd and 70th supermarket in Havana / 14ymedio
14ymedio, Madrid, 30 January 2025 — The military conglomerate Gaesa plans to progressively expand trade in dollars to a large number of establishments in its network through Tiendas Caribe and Cimex, starting with the capitals of each of the 15 Cuban provinces. The decision was made as a result of the good results obtained by the recently opened 3rd and 70th supermarket, on the ground floor of the luxury hotel Gran Muthu Havana, which accepts payment only in dollars, both by card and in cash.
The spread of sales in US currency was the main idea transmitted to the population this Wednesday in State TV’s Round Table program, which brought together Mildrey Granadillo de la Torre, first deputy minister of Economy and Planning, along with several senior officials of the Central Bank of Cuba (BCC) and the two retail companies of Gaesa involved in the titanic task of raising dollars quickly, an objective declared by the participants in the talk.
According to Yamilé Álvarez Tejo, head of the commercial department of Tiendas Caribe, sales at the 3rd and 70th supermarket are going smoothly. “The revenues have been significant, with good acceptance of the variety of products, from the cheapest to the highest-end. The customers even appreciate the fact that the prices are favorable with respect to nearby markets and other markets in Cuba.” The director said they hope to attract staff – 90 workers to serve 3,000 people a day. “Per capita consumption is also quite high,” although customers showed less satisfaction with the method of payment.
“The revenues have been significant, with good acceptance of the variety of products, from the cheapest to the highest-end”
“They have not behaved as we would like,” she said, explaining that customers continue to show a preference for cash. “This creates operational stress and makes certain processes in cash control mechanisms and cash validation more complex. At certain times there is a lack of dynamism in the cash registers, since the 100-dollar bills must be validated, and there are a lot of them,” she added. continue reading
In any case, the intention is to progressively continue along this path. Granadillo recalled that in March 2024 the payment of fuel in dollars began to be allowed – sometimes almost forced, since these gas stations are the only ones stocked. Since June, this has spread to other products, mostly linked to the tourism sector, such as the Casas del Habano, and international pharmacies and opticians.
They were “the first steps we took based on the partial dollarization,” stressed the minister, who insisted that the measure was temporary and that “during the year this new network of stores should not exceed 7% of all the Cimex and Tiendas Caribe stores.” In addition, the BCC official assured, despite the evidence to the contrary, the peso will continue to be “the center of the Cuban financial system.”
They also guaranteed that the freely convertible currency (MLC) will be maintained, about whose disappearance there has been much speculation. Those accounts denominated in MLC and the commitment of banks to the obligations with their customers are maintained, based on the funds they have represented or the funds they may have in the future,” said Alberto Javier Quiñones Betancourt, vice president of the BCC, who added that the cards associated with those accounts will continue to work “in the network designed for them to operate.” The issue has generated perplexity among Cubadebate readers, who insistently ask why payment in MLC is not allowed in those stores if it is backed by foreign currency.
They also guaranteed that the freely convertible currency (MLC) will be maintained, about whose disappearance there has been much speculation
Another fundamental axis of yesterday’s intervention was to insist that dollarization is the previous step to de-dollarization. “We have evaluated international experiences that show that a forced de-dollarization, without the creation of previous conditions, could lead to more negative effects for the Cuban economy than those it is currently facing. Faced with the currency deficit, we assessed that a short-term, transitory measure with a gradual implementation was necessary to partially dollarize the economy,” Granadillo said.
You don’t need to have the memory of an elephant to remember that a month ago the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero, said in Parliament that to de-dollarize “you have to go down this previous path.” Also, the then Deputy Prime Minister and head of Economy, Alejandro Gil Fernández – now arrested for an alleged corruption case – said the same in 2020, when referring to the stores in MLC, which had begun a year ago to sell appliances and months earlier to offer food products.
The official said that these “undesirable but necessary and transitory” measures “subsidized” “social justice.” The idea was – as now – “to do something because the currencies are escaping” and replenish them to “guarantee a minimum supply in national currency,” practically the same words used yesterday by the officials participating in Randy Alonso’s TV program to defend the expansion of dollar stores. The move is the same, and we will have to see if the result will be the same.
The deputy minister welcomed the reduction of the fiscal deficit by “more than 39%” but admitted that this is insufficient and that “a group of services and activities that can also raise cash is being evaluated.” She specifically mentioned the remittances and the scarce exports that exist, since, she said, “Cuba is an open economy, highly dependent on imports.”
The vice president of the BCC explained that they have decided to accept dollars in cash respecting the principle that the customer can choose the payment method, although it was clear that a key element was the greater willingness of Cubans to pay in paper money. “It was analyzed, studied and the possibility was seen, as we are also talking about a faster capture of the currency,” he said. However, electronic payment is preferred, and for this the financial products of this type have multiplied, which also solves the problem of returning change to the customer.
The matter of returning change after an overpayment was mocked when it was learned that candies were given to customers to compensate for the lack of coins, specifically referring to the director of Tiendas Caribe
This matter of refunding overpayment was mocked when it was learned that candies were given to customers to compensate for the lack of coins. of Tiendas Caribe. “When paying dollars in cash, when it is necessary to return change, there is no availability of fractional currency, because it is a foreign currency that the bank does not have. This is an inconvenience. Before, with the CUC [Cuban Convertible Peso, no longer in circulation], there was no such problem, because it was a national currency. Therefore, we clarify to customers that, as long as they do not require change, the use of electronic payment channels is preferable,” she said.
After stating, annoyed, that this matter was a source of ridicule, she explained: “We don’t only give change in candy; there are other products available by the cash register to offer to customers, according to what they are owed.”
The director also referred to the supplying of stores. She said that last year, they began financing nine suppliers “who had the installed capacity and were ready to produce. But this year we are adding another ten. We will continue to increase suppliers, and we will also achieve this in other ways, from establishing formal sales relationships to true productive chains.”
In addition, she talked about other businesses resulting from “partnerships with foreign investors who are suppliers,” who will also charge in foreign currency, because “in this type of business you have to quickly achieve a return on your investments.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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Ortiz was one of the founders of the group Los Hepáticos in 1987. / Jorge Fernández Era/14ymedio
14ymedio, Jorge Fernández Era, Havana, 25 January 2025 — If any beginning of a comedy show can be considered a classic of stage humor, it is what happened more than thirty years ago when Otto Ortiz and Omar Franco walked through the audience at the Carlos Marx in what seems to be a violent argument between the two characters.
Both have become legends, in Otto’s case for more than one reason. That the National State-owned Insurance Company (ESEN in Spanish) owes a car is not news, but that the affected person roasting them about it on social media, is. And that Otto Lugar (Otto’s Place) is not the name of one of his shows, but the name of a pizza place, is also news. So, I go in, sit down and ask the waitress to call the manager immediately.
14ymedio/Jorge Fernández Era. In 1987 you were the founder of the group Los Hepáticos. (The Livers). Thirty-eight years later, how’s that bile?
Otto Ortiz. That bile, as you say, is at its best, more critical and elaborated. I started in the group Los Hepáticos doing very basic humor. With time, with knowledge, with the internet and access to humorists from different countries, we humorists have been looking for our own space, our own way of saying and doing things.
In the beginning, we worked together with Nos y Otros (Us and Others). We didn’t understand their humor much, but today we have followed their line
In the beginning, we worked together with Nos y Otros (Us and Others). We didn’t understand their humor, but today, I guess because of our maturity, we have followed their line.
I don’t just use stage humor. Three decades ago we were terrified of cabarets and nightclubs. Not now, and we have even ventured into social media, with a distant but active audience.
Cuban humor has always enjoyed good health. What is lacking, if anything, is humorists, we have been losing them. continue reading
14ymedio/Jorge Fernández Era. Let’s say ESEN gives you a tourism cab, broken-down and worn-out like you. Would you leave the pizzeria and become a cab driver?
Otto Ortiz. The National State-owned Insurance Company has been a part of my life for five years. I have five children: four real ones, and ESEN, which should be my mother, my father, but it is like a child to whom I allow everything until one day it does something good. I don’t know if he will give me an old and bad car like me, but as long as it fulfills its social role I will be happy. After that, I don’t know what I will do with the car.
I don’t think I’d leave the pizzeria. People know me for three things. The third one is as a humorist. The second one is for ESEN. The first one is for my pizzas. Those are three things that mark who I am. The public Otto is a mix of a pizzeria, state-owned insurance and humor. When ESEN gives me the car, I’ll put in a good word for them. People will say, “Look at this scoundrel.” But I’ve grown fond of them.
14ymedio/Jorge Fernández Era. It seems that your obsession with ESEN is a way to erase the bad memory of the baseball fuel shortage you had in the nineties to defeat Nos y Otros.
Otto Ortiz. Between 1988 and 1990, with Los Hepáticos, I did several seasons at the Carlos Marx, directed by Virulo. Nos y Otros were there too. We organized a four-team tournament. They say they won, we say the opposite, the dispute is still going on. Six top intellectuals like Nos y Otros can’t beat four or five pure “costumbristas” who were Los Hepáticos. I don’t believe that arts can prevail over people from Marianao, Mantilla, La Palma… Edit it however you want to, the paper can stand it.
14ymedio/Jorge Fernández Era. Tell me about Malas Compañías (Bad Company), the ones on the web and the ones you’ve had in your life.
Otto Ortiz.Malas Compañías is a YouTube series that I have the honor of sharing with the people of Punto y Coma (Semicolon),Visti Cárdenas and Iván Salgado. It has to do with relationships between individuals with different sexual orientations: acceptance, acknowledgement, and respect. El Nene (The Baby) who is me, is an old macho and homophobic man who for some reason lives with a gay man. We are already sixteen episodes in, we have addressed different topics, always from a humorous point of view. Behind an apparently simple script, there are messages, especially stories that you laugh about and enjoy. At this point it is very difficult for things not to have a meaning, to “say something.” We try to make people think, to make them grow.
Personally, bad company is left behind. I don’t have many friends and I don’t bother the ones I have. When I love someone I don’t bother him, neither does he, but we are there for each other. We don’t have to say what we are or draw attention to ourselves. The key is to be there at the right time.
I must also talk about good company. I have very few, but the good ones fill the gap in my chest. You and I, for example, have had a working relationship for years, and I have been there for you too, in a relationship of great respect, of love. The simple fact of supporting you (a comment, a timely visit…) speaks of our friendship.
The bad company I discard, the good company I take care of.
14ymedio/Jorge Fernández Era. It is remarkable your insistence on keeping a deep, analytical and critical humor. Aren’t you afraid that the censorship will try to “fry” you in a different kettle of fish… at Otto’s Place?
Otto Ortiz. My humor is more analytical than critical, more analytical than deep. When you go too deep, you can go too far. The subject of ESEN has helped me to criticize from a joking point of view, but without reaching the point of excessive mockery. It’s a good way to joke, but always rubbing salt in the wound with. As Martí puts it: bells on the end, but with a whip.
I have not had the pressure of censorship. I’m not from the media, which is where there can be more fear
I have not had the pressure of censorship. I am not from the media, which is where there can be more fear, because people are officially working and with many criteria. On social media, I do more critical humor, with a certain dose of sarcasm, and people like it. I’ve been lucky with that, without a Torquemada or censor. That’s good, isn’t it?
I joke a lot with the current situation, I try not to miss anything. We live in a society that changes daily, you can’t wait until tomorrow for a joke, because it’s gone. I try to give it a humorous twist while still criticizing, but at the same time I try not to stop suggesting, sometimes just for fun, but it’s there.
I just made a joke about how they were giving candies instead of coins for change (in the store) on the corner of 3rd and 70th. Those kinds of clips don’t last a minute, people consume them well. I also do a repertoire that goes beyond criticism, with the theme of Cubanism, father-son, husband-wife relationships. But criticism must always be present in humor. If we criticized more, it would be better for us, for the country, for society. That’s why I’ll be there, even if I am “fried” in a different kettle of fish… or “baked” at Otto’s Place.
Translated by LAR
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Rodríguez Dávila suggests that this could be the reason for the massive accidents this January
The lack of qualified personnel, fuel and other resources limits the repair of roads / 14ymedio
14ymedio, Havana, 28 January 2025 — Cuba’s Minister of Transport, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, has acknowledged that, although the accident data in 2024 were better than those of the previous year, “deterioration is accumulating” for roads and vehicles. His recognition may indicate an improvement, and he has become popular among those who follow his reports. In fact, he points out the massive accidents that have occurred this January as a worrying sign of that deterioration.
“The repeated news about accidents in Cuba in recent days have hurt, and they have to shake up those of us who have some responsibility in this matter,” the minister said on his social networks on Tuesday. However, he does not stop criticizing the publication of that news in the independent press: “Some headlines intend to generate the idea that we blame the drivers and do not analyze the causes in their complexity. And it’s not like that.”
Dávila maintains that the human factor is the main cause of traffic accidents on the Island, but he recognizes that the state of the roads – a parameter that accident reports do not include – “is directly related to accidents and the deterioration of vehicles.”
“It is difficult to know precisely the impact of roads in poor condition on the number and severity of accidents”
The minister claims that “it is difficult to know precisely the impact of roads in poor condition on the number and severity of accidents. Even some recent accidents with fatal consequences have occurred on roads in better condition.” However, he admits that this is a pending task of his portfolio, and that for the time being, there is little hope of effectively and quickly combating the debacle. continue reading
“In recent years, the road conservation program has not advanced as we hoped for material reasons, mainly the fuel deficit suffered by the country. In addition, the lack of a specialized work force, the lack of equipment and the obsolescence of existing equipment, among other reasons, are also determining factors,” he explains.
According to the official, the situation is worse for minor roads and side streets, which do not receive as many resources as the “roads of national interest” – highways and main thoroughfares – where there is more traffic.
There is not much more that his portfolio can do – in addition to the little he already achieves – due to his limited resources, explains the minister, who even assures that he spent “some time” driving a taxi to “understand the complexity of certain issues and to be able to better contribute to the formulation of public policies in our sector.”
In 2024, Cuba recorded a total of 7,507 traffic accidents, 12% fewer than those reported in 2023 (8,556). Deaths also decreased by 13% (634), and the number of injured people was 6,613, 4% less. The year was, it is worth adding, a period weighed down by low mobility due to lack of fuel.
Among the main causes of accidents on Cuban roads, the authorities have cited the lack of attention to control of the vehicle – in 30% of cases – not granting the right of way (29.9%), speeding, driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages and technical defects in the vehicles.
The first four causes are related, as Dávila explains, to the behavior of drivers: “It is often said that in Cuba there is no road courtesy, but when the consequences are fatal, the education of drivers cannot be optional, especially when it comes to the professionals.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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The Enidio Díaz Machado sugar mill in Granma / La Demajagua
14ymedio, Havana, 28 January 2025 — Almost two months later than planned, the province of Granma “officially” celebrated the launch this Monday of the 2024-2025 sugar harvest, although the jubilation lasted just two hours because “technical problems stopped the machines from grinding.” This was reported on Tuesday by the newspaper La Demajagua, which assured that the problem was resolved after “several lost hours and enormous effort” by the workers.
The article describes a litany of blunders. The harvest, the text reports, was supposed to begin last December, but it could not start due to a “lack of lubricants and fuel” for the machinery. After several weeks of trying to solve the “technical failures and inconveniences,” the Enidio Díaz Machado mill, located in Ceiba Hueca, Campechuela, began to grind the cane, but only from 5:00 am to 7:00 am and at barely 70% of its capacity.
After the official start this Monday, says the provincial newspaper in an apocalyptic tone, brigades of macheteros worked with the cutting, transport, lifting and pulling teams, “imposing themselves on the shortcomings that the brutal American blockade imposes on the Island.”
The harvest was supposed to begin last December, but it could not start due to a “lack of lubricants and fuel” for the machinery
The sugar workers of Granma must work with care to achieve a “harvest that exceeds 19,000 tons, and thus compensate for the forecasts of the previous harvest.” However, the Enidio Díaz Machado is running against the clock, since 17 weeks are planned for grinding. To achieve the goal, the media says, it will require “greater effort and commitment of everyone involved in the campaign.” continue reading
The sugar industry, once the Island’s economic engine, is in free fall, and the few mills that work have countless ailments: only six of the 14 planned for this campaign began production on time.
As a result, by the first week of January, barely 25% of what was planned had been ground, and “sugar production was at an insufficient 21%,” according to Dionis Pérez Pérez, director of Informatics, Communication and Analysis of the Azcuba Sugar Group. In an article published in Granma on January 9, the official added that “this scenario is aggravated by the late start-up and the non-incorporation of eight sugar mills, which represent 75% of the producers in the sector.”
Pérez Pérez explained that the electro-energy situation has also delayed the repair work in the mills, as well as in the cleaning centers and mechanization workshops. “This includes national factories, which provide essential parts and pieces for the operation of the sugar industry,” he said.
Pérez Pérez explained that the electro-energy situation has also delayed the repair work in the mills, as well as in the cleaning centers and mechanization workshops
In addition, he added, the lack of fuel availability has limited operational capacity and complicated the logistics needed to meet demand. According to the official, only 10% of the minimum financing required to carry out the harvest has been secured, which puts the sustainability of the production process at risk.
The condition of the mills is one of the reasons why grinding is minimal. It should be remembered that, in 1959, Cuba had 161 mills in private hands that produced 5.6 million tons of sugar that year. The mills remained in good condition during the decades of the Soviet subsidy, with the best sugar production data between the 70s and 80s – more than 8.5 million tons – without reaching, however, the Fidelist utopia of “ten million.”
The symbol of the harvest in recent years has been the debacle. For the 2022-2023 campaign, only 350,000 tons of sugar were achieved, the worst harvest since 1898, and well below the more than half a million tons of national consumption, not to mention the more than 400,000 tons that were exported.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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At number 41 on Paula Street, the little house that has been drawn by every Cuban child celebrates a century as a museum this January
On the 172nd anniversary of the birth of José Martí, a hurried official ceremony shook up the routine of the San Isidro neighborhood. / 14ymedio
14ymedio, Jose Lassa, Havana, 28 January 2025 — The huge sound systems and a stage, placed in the street, clashed on Tuesday with the narrow and almost childish façade of the house where José Martí was born in Havana. On the 172nd anniversary of the birth of the Cuban national hero, a hurried official ceremony, with some local authorities, shook up the routine of the San Isidro neighborhood, an area where the crisis and lack of investment have left deep wounds.
At number 41 on Paula Street, the little house that has been drawn by every Cuban child, described in songs and photographed to the point of exhaustion, celebrates its 100th anniversary this January as a museum. In the place, where Martí spent only three years of his life, there are photos of his adolescence, images of his time in New York, snapshots with his son, countless documents protected behind glass and some personal objects.
The impeccable yellow facade, the windows with their retouched blue and the red roof form a striking contrast with the surroundings.
The impeccable yellow facade, the windows with their blue touches and the red roof form a striking contrast with the surroundings. While the house, built in 1810, seems to resist the passage of time, other nearby houses are on the verge of collapse or turned into mere rubble. A few meters from the museum, of a neoclassical building from the beginning of the 20th century, only the arches remain. Through the gaps where its doors once stood, mountains of bricks, twisted iron and rubbish now emerge. continue reading
Around the corner, on Avenida de las Misiones, another building abandoned after its roof collapsed “greets” visitors who approach the place where, in 1853, the cry of a baby announced a life as brief as it was prolific. Beyond the short fragment in front of the entrance to the sanctuary, reality becomes harsher and more neglected. The sidewalks full of holes, the balconies on the verge of collapsing on passers-by and the anguished faces of residents looking for food clash with the soft tone of the guide who details the occurrences of that restless child born to a Canarian mother and a Valencian father.
Unlike the immaculate façade of Martí, the one in Otero Alcántara looks like it has been exposed to the elements for centuries. / Juliette Isabel Fernández Estrada/Facebook
If you turn right onto the street that gives the neighborhood its name, the journey then becomes a descent into a poorer, more forgotten Havana. Garbage piles up, abandoned animals search for something to eat among the waste, and a father drags a wheelbarrow with buckets and containers full of water to use in his house. Another turn, also to the right, and you end up on Damas Street. There, around number 955, there was a police operation this morning. A call today to visit the house of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and see his work Campesinos felizes 1938-2024 ended with threats against the organizers and several artists with their mobile service cut off.
Unlike the immaculate façade of Martí, the Otero Alcántara façade seems to have been exposed to the elements for many centuries. On its walls, you can hardly make out the blue tone that once covered them. A tangle of cables runs across the top and the door that gives access to the artist’s home, imprisoned since July 2021, has some poorly nailed boards to prevent it from collapsing. A few daring people arrived there on January 28 after reading the call on social media, but they only found poverty and abandonment. There were no platforms with microphones, no officials making speeches and much less tourists taking photos. Nor could you hear the voice of those diligent guides who explain the details of each piece on display, of each photo hanging on the wall. None of that, but rather contempt for the young artist who shouted “Homeland and Life.”
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Archive photograph of soldiers of the Colombian Army before a day of peace talks between the Government and the Estado Mayor Central, the main dissident faction of the FARC, in Tibú (Colombia) / EFE / Mario Caicedo
14ymedio, Madrid, 27 January 2025 — There are 60 to 80 dead and about 50,000 displaced in 11 days, after clashes in the Catatumbo between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the 33rd Front of the dissidents of the Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC), according to estimates of the Ombudsman’s Office and the Government of Norte de Santander. However, the situation in that territory is such that the authorities have only been able to collect the bodies of 41 victims, since they cannot access certain areas.
As a report published a few days ago by Bloomberg explains, the Catatumbo mountains “are so dangerous that the police and the army do not usually go far away from their barracks for fear of snipers.” The reason for this peak of violence, the most intense of the last decade, lies in the offensive launched by the ELN against its rival group to take control of the cocaine business, from which both are financed. In the border area, not only does smuggling to Venezuela take place, but there are also laboratories and clandestine airstrips.
The ELN are proponents of Marxist ideology who emerged in the 1960s with open sponsorship by the Cuban regime, which provided them with training and weapons for decades, before recently becoming a “guarantor” of the peace negotiations, currently suspended. In recent days, the ELN has been spreading terror by going door to door “with death lists of local peasants suspected of supporting their enemies,” according to Bloomberg. continue reading
Among the fatalities are six former FARC guerrillas who signed the peace agreement with the Government
Among the fatalities are six former FARC guerrillas who signed the peace agreement with the Government. In addition, 12 other former FARC members are missing, accused by the ELN of belonging to the 33rd Front, a dissident FARC faction that has not laid down its arms and is fighting for control of the coca crops and drug trafficking routes.
In a statement issued on Monday, the ELN assures that it has not carried out actions against the civilian population or people just for “being signatories of peace,” but that it has attacked those who are armed and are “active under a military command in plans against the ELN and the communities of Catatumbo.”
It also said that “we will never accept either submission or surrender as a policy of peace.” Colombian President Gustavo Petro suspended peace talks due to the violence unleashed by the ELN after January 16 and decreed, on Friday, a state of internal disturbance. This will last 90 days and will extend to 16 municipalities in the department of Norte de Santander, including the 11 of Catatumbo affected by the violence. The decree includes Cúcuta, the departmental capital, and two municipalities in the department of Cesar, which is receiving displaced people.
The Government considers that “there is an extraordinary disturbance of public order in the Catatumbo region, resulting from armed confrontations, threats, massive forced displacements, effects on the exercise of the fundamental rights of the civilian population, alteration of security and damage to protected property and the environment.”
Petro’s claim to achieve “total peace” through dialogue seems to be an illusion
In this context, Petro’s claim to achieve “total peace” through dialogue seems to be an illusion Moreover, it could favor the conservative candidates for the Presidency and Congress in 2026, according to what analyst Sergio Guzmán told Bloomberg. “The worsening of security throughout the country and the extension of criminal gangs to areas that were previously peaceful have made many Colombians impatient with attempts to negotiate with groups that extort, kidnap and traffic cocaine,” the agency said.
According to UN data, the potential production of pure cocaine in Colombia rose by 53% between 2022 and 2023, and the hectares of coca leaf planted in its territory reached the historic record of 253,000. Ceasing to fumigate crops – the Colombian government considered drug trafficking a source of financing for guerrilla groups – was, in 2016, one of the conditions of the FARC to sit down to negotiate with the Government, under the argument – supported by the World Health Organization – that fumigation harmed legal farmers and caused serious health problems to the poorest population.
One of the consequences of the peace agreement was the overproduction of cocaine that has flooded the market ever since, and control of the trade is still disputed by guerrilla groups that have not laid down their arms.
The Colombian Prosecutor’s Office reactivated, last week, the arrest warrants for 31 members of the ELN, including the members of its leadership, alias Antonio García, Pablo Beltrán and Aureliano Carbonell, who had been peace negotiators. Guerrilla leaders have been traveling for years between Venezuela and Cuba, the country that hosted those dialogues between 2018 and 2019, the year in which they were frozen.
The potential production of pure cocaine in Colombia rose by 53% between 2022 and 2023
The relationship between Havana and the leadership of the ELN is, in fact, at the origin of the inclusion of Cuba on the US list of countries sponsoring terrorism in 2021, during the first Trump Administration. It was at the request of Colombia, because Cuba refused to extradite members of the group who were on the Island. The talks had stalled after a guerrilla attack against the Police School in Bogotá in January 2019, where 23 people died and 100 were injured.
None of this – neither the causes of the bloodbath in the Catatumbo nor the role of the regime in the negotiations with the guerrillas – has been echoed by the official Cuban press, which has limited itself to giving news of the displaced people and extolling the “solidarity of Venezuela with Colombia.”
For his part, Petro was confident on Monday that his government can consolidate control on the border with Venezuela. “Today there will be a meeting of the entire cabinet in the area to issue the decrees of internal disturbance that will give life to the social pact in the Catatumbo and the financing of the military operation to consolidate State control at the border,” he said on X.
The Colombian president will hold his usual weekly council of ministers meeting in the municipality of Ocaña, which, like the Catatumbo, is located in the department of Norte de Santander and is one of the main recipients of the more than 48,000 displaced people left by guerrilla violence. Specifically, 9,272, according to figures from the Ministry of Defense. The rest of the displaced went to Cúcuta (21,300) and Tibú (13,313).
Translated by Regina Anavy
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The last flight on the Zurich to Havana route will depart February 27th. / Edelweiss/Facebook
14ymedio, Havana, January 26, 2025 — Gravely wounded in recent years, Cuba’s tourism industry is facing a new problem: airlines rerouting flights that they previously flew to the Island, but now prefer to land at its largest Caribbean competitor, the Dominican Republic.
That happened this week. David Collado, Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic, told the press during the International Tourism Fair (Fitur) under way in Spain, that Swiss airline Edelweiss is redirecting several of its Cuban routes.
“We signed agreements with several different operators and airlines today, and tomorrow we will continue signing with Iberia, Air Europa, and Edelweiss, bringing five additional flights to the Dominican Republic, flights that had gone to Cuba and are being transferred to the Dominican Republic,” said the minister, who affirmed that his country has made a successful effort to secure new air routes and commercial partners.
“Today, Air Transat and Air Canada informed us that they will also increase the number of flights from Canada as well, Collado added.”
The rerouting of flights came a few days after Edelweiss announced the suspension of its route from Zurich to Havana, which will make its last flight on February 27, the company explained to 14ymedio. continue reading
The Swiss media outlet Twenty Minutes, which initially reported the suspension of the routes, stated that “the decision is based, on the one hand, on decrease in demand and, on the other, on the current conditions of the José Martí International Airport in Havana. An on-site review conducted by Edelweiss has revealed difficulties in guaranteeing stable and reliable long-haul operations in the long term.”
The company pledged to refund the price of tickets to those who had purchased tickets after the deadline.
A month earlier, the German company Condor also announced the suspension of its flights to the Island for the summer season for the first time since 1990 (other than during the pandemic). The company served three destinations: Havana, Holguín, and Varadero.
Since Cuba was added to the list of states that sponsor terrorism, European citizens visiting the Island can no longer benefit from the ESTA visa waiver program for entering the United States, which, in the opinion of the Cuban Government, had damaged its destination in the European market.
The company pledged to refund the price of tickets to those who had purchased tickets after the deadline.
Travelers from Spain, previously an important market for Cuba, showed the most worrying drop: Up to November in 2024, Spain contributed 26.8% fewer travelers than in the first eleven months of 2023. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Cuban Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda, arrived at Fitur stressing that his Government is working in the face of “difficult, complicated scenarios” in the tourism sector.
The promise of the Ministry of Transport to repair airports has also not been carried out. Last July, Minister of Transport Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila said that planned improvements at José Martí Airport in Havana (a new air conditioning system and facilities expansion) for terminal 3, dedicated to commercial flights, had never happened. “In reality, that airport has been at its limit for a long time. We have tried to make investments, and the Havana airport is the one that receives more than 50% of passenger arrivals,” he lamented then.
Translated by Tomas A.
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Cubalex expresses its deep concern over the possible suspension of the release process announced by the Cuban government on January 14, in which it promised the gradual liberation of 553 sanctioned persons, generating expectations among the families of persons deprived of liberty for political reasons.
However, following the U.S. administration’s recent decision to revoke Cuba’s exclusion from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism, we have not received any new reports of people being released from prison. In addition, the Cuban government has not officially informed us whether the release process will continue, which increases uncertainty and concern among those affected and their families.
Commitment to the Vatican and Proclaimed Humanism
In its official statement, the Cuban government affirmed that this measure had been taken “in the spirit of the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025” and as part of “the close and fluid relations” with the Vatican. In light of this, Cubalex urges the Cuban state to honor its public commitment and demonstrate the “humanism” that it claims characterizes its criminal justice framework and penitentiary system.”
The uncertainty surrounding the continuation of the release process generates deep concern and highlights how the lives, freedom, and integrity of those deprived of liberty are being used as pawns in a political game between the Havana regime and Washington.
Persistant Omissions and Fundamental Concerns
Denial of the existence of political prisoners: Despite repeated statements from international organizations such as the Committee Against Torture, the Universal Periodic Review, and CEDAW, which recognize actions that criminalize and penalize the exercise of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, assembly, and association as repressive, the Cuban government continues to deny the existence of political prisoners. This official discourse attempts to delegitimize international complaints, minimize the impact of human rights violations, and avoid international accountability. This generates fear that most of the people released from prison include those punished for common crimes, while the victims of political repression continue to be unjustly imprisoned.
Generating expectations without guarantees: It is unacceptable and macabre to create false hopes in the families of persons deprived of liberty. Cubalex has recorded cases in which the benefits granted in this process are not new concessions, but rights previously denied even though they met the legal requirements. continue reading
Lack of transparency: Monitoring conducted by Cubalex has identified troubling patterns in the releases. To date, we have recorded 172 beneficiaries, with an average age of 32 years, including 24 women, 147 men, and one person belonging to the LGBTIQ+ community. Among the beneficiaries, only three are over 60 years old. The complete and verified list is available on our website. Similarly, it is important to note that we do not know the total number of people who have been released due to the lack of transparency from the Cuban government. On January 16, the authorities announced that 127 people were released between Wednesday and Thursday, but without providing specific details or verifiable information.
Exclusion of civil society and victims: The process has not included the participation of civil society nor mechanisms to support the physical, psychological, and social rehabilitation of the released individuals. These measures are essential for those who have suffered inhumane detention conditions, which in many cases constitute torture.
Cubalex demands that the Cuban government fulfill its compromise to release all individuals detained for political reasons and ensure full respect for their fundamental rights. Likewise, we urge the international community to adopt a critical stance towards these actions, demanding concrete guarantees to protect the individuals who have been released.
Freedom should not be used as a bargaining chip or presented as a humanitarian gesture after years of unjustified suffering. Cubalex reaffirms its commitment to continue monitoring the process and denouncing any human rights violations.
Cuban opponent José Daniel Ferrer refused to appear in court after receiving an official summons
The US representative in Havana, Mike Hammer, visited the family of political prisoner Sissi Abascal
Other released prisoners like Ferrer have also been cited / José Daniel Ferrer / Facebook
14ymedio, Havana, 28 January 2025 — Cuban opponent José Daniel Ferrer, released on January 16 after spending three and a half years in prison, refused to appear before a judge in Santiago de Cuba on Tuesday, after receiving a summons. “You don’t have to be a fortune teller to know that this is a threat to return me to prison if I do not stop my political and social activism in favor of freedom,” he said in an audio. Ferrer is also the leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (Unpacu), which has its headquarters in his house, where two policemen arrived to deliver the summons.
Ferrer did not take long to display the piece of paper on social networks along with a text that said: “I’m not going anywhere. If their intention is to threaten me with going back to prison, they’re wasting their time.” Then he sent out an audio message that reached 14ymedio: “Save those threats. I am not going to appear before any execution judge, I have never committed any crime, and the many times I have been imprisoned is for defending human rights.”
The opponent added: “If they are going to return me to prison, to those dens of evil and terror, where political prisoners die, where common prisoners die, where conditions for the criminal population in general are very similar to a concentration camp, they must keep in mind that for the well-being and freedom of my nation I am willing not only to go to prison, but also to give my life.” continue reading
The summons to appear in court did not arrive just at Ferrer’s house. “Today all the political prisoners released from Villa Clara were summoned to the courts of the respective municipalities where they reside, to begin the harassment, blackmail and repression,” journalist and former political prisoner Carlos Michael Morales denounced on X.
The Council for the Democratic Transition in Cuba, of which he is also president, stood in solidarity with the leader of Unpacu
The Council for the Democratic Transition in Cuba, of which he is also president, stood in solidarity with the leader of Unpacu. It published a video of the opponent Manuel Cuesta Morúa warning about the regime’s harassment of Ferrer. “You want to commit an injustice against a person who should have been liberated, not just released from prison,” he said.
Ferrer’s post on social networks was also shared by the US Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, which said that “the Cuban dictatorship is again attacking and persecuting the brave pro-democratic leader” after “the regime made a deal with the Catholic Church to ’free’ political prisoners.”
“We will not be fooled by their games or participate in them. The illegitimate regime is directly responsible for its treatment of Ferrer and all the political prisoners that it continues to detain unfairly,” the Office added in its publication, which was replicated shortly after by the US Embassy on the Island.
Mike Hammer, the new US representative in Havana, has held meetings in recent days with relatives of Cuban political prisoners and activists, such as the academic Alina Bárbara López.
Annia Zamora, Sissi Abascal’s mother, arrested for demonstrating during the protests of 11 July 2021, also received the representative in her home. In conversation with 14ymedio, Zamora said that Hammer’s visit was “very pleasant. Everything flowed very well. He is very interested in knowing the situation of our prisoners and about my daughter. The family is very grateful for his concern, his interest and for visiting us,” she said.
She also explained that the meeting helped Abascal’s family to feel that they are not alone and that there are “people fighting for our prisoners.”
Since the prison authorities communicated this to Abascal last week, her mother has not heard more news
Both Sissi Abascal and Sayli Navarro, who is also a Lady in White and daughter of the opponent Félix Navarro, were two of the names expected to be on the regime’s list of released prisoners. Far from it, the regime has been cruel to them, forcing them to adhere to a “severe regime” and denying them even the prison benefits to which they are entitled because of their “negative attitude.”
Since the prison authorities communicated this to Abascal last week, her mother has not heard more news. “I haven’t known anything about Sissi since Thursday. On Monday she was allowed a call, but there was a blackout and it was impossible for her to communicate with us,” says Zamora, who clarifies that “Sissi was denied the 120 days of reduction [in sentence] that they do every year. They told her that in 2024 she didn’t have a single day of reduction, it was zero.”
Regarding Navarro, the woman explains that she was denied a less severe regime for another six months, when she will be evaluated again. “Sissi had already been denied in September,” she adds. In a previous interview with this newspaper, Zamora explained that this is the fourth time that the prison authorities have rejected the transition to a less severe regime. “The situation of my daughter and all the political prisoners is worrying. The repression against them is very strong,” she said at the time.
According to Zamora, the conditions in which both opponents find themselves in the La Bellotex prison, in Matanzas, continue to worsen. “They are given water only at night. There is little food, poorly prepared,” she says, and adds: “When Sissi and Sayli call they have a high-ranking officer monitoring them.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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As every January, detours and road closures caused chaos in Havana’s traffic
With a large number of military personnel marching, the predominant color in the ceremony was the olive green of the Armed Forces. / 14ymedio
14ymedio, Jorge Lassa, Havana, 28 January 2025 — A wave of olive-green caps flooded the steps of the University of Havana on Monday night. At the foot of the famous statue of the Alma Mater – once a symbol of education and civility on the island – Army officers and cadets shouted their way through the crowd, which was preparing to begin the Torch March.
In Miguel Díaz-Canel’s Havana, very little remains of the Martí symbolism that inspired the first march in January 1953. At that time, a group of university students, including Fidel Castro – who claimed the idea of the candles came from the future cultural commissioner Alfredo Guevara – and his brother Raúl, invented a ceremony with religious overtones to remember José Martí on his centenary.
Now, Havana residents are clear that the focus of the March is on the North. “They didn’t talk much about Martí, they talked about Trump and the list of countries sponsoring terrorism,” a disappointed young woman from the Federation of University Students (FEU) told 14ymedio, as she joined the rapid exodus at the end of the ceremony. The slogan for this occasion says it all: “always anti-imperialist.”
At the foot of the famous statue of the Alma Mater, officers and cadets of the Army shouted their way into the crowd. / 14ymedio
Instead of the torch with sharp nails that Raúl Castro supposedly held that night – they were expecting Fulgencio Batista’s repression, which never came – what was waved this Monday was a puny Cuban flag. It is enough to look at photos of past marches to see the decline of the nonagenarian general, as consumed by decades in power as Ramiro Valdés or José Ramón Machado Ventura, who escorted it yesterday. This is the 72nd march that he has attended. continue reading
The March turned Havana into total chaos for several hours. “There was too much traffic detour. I think they went too far,” another of the young people who had a hard time getting to the university esplanade told this newspaper. “From Boyeros and Carlos III there were already caballitos (police cars) directing traffic. When you went down G you couldn’t turn right at either 25th or 23rd. It was almost when I got to Línea that I was able to turn right. They had ‘reserved’ several blocks.”
As usual, shoes and shirts remain from the march, burned by the fire that falls to the pavement. / 14ymedio
In a country that has been mired in a worrying fuel crisis for over a year, there was no shortage of means to transport the students who were going to participate in the event. The caravan of vehicles stretched along 23rd Street in El Vedado.
Since this was, in theory – and despite the strong military presence – a university event, the main attendees were students from the University of Havana, the Sports Institute (Inder), the Technological University (Cujae) and the University of Computer Sciences (UCI). A student from the Rosalía Abreu pre-university in Cerro told this newspaper that he attended because he was one of the “five who ‘got hooked’ for each classroom.”
“A friend of mine came too,” he added. “At least we went out, bought a bottle and walked around after the march.”
The piles of torches used during the march end up in the streets and landfills of Havana. / 14ymedio
The students were greeted on the esplanade by a heated atmosphere in which the usual voices predominated – through loudspeakers: Buena Fe, Silvio Rodríguez, Sara González, Pablo Milanés. The voice of Annie Garcés – the singer who, despite the sponsorship of the regime, does not connect with Cubans – frightened many of those who were waiting for the start of the march.
Cadets from the Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior – some of them completely disregarding their uniforms, to emphasize the “informality” of the call – cordoned off the area, whose buildings had been recently painted, even those that are in danger of collapse.
Cadets from the Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, some of them completely disregarding their uniforms, cordoned off the area. / 14ymedio
Until the speeches, the scene was that of a party, with dancing and drinking. The media speak of “thousands of young people” in the march, but the escapes in every street or corner quickly decimated the procession. “There were people who left on L Street,” near the university itself, one of the “escaped” confessed to 14ymedio.
“In the past, at 7:00 pm there was not room for a single person more in the square,” he added. “Now, nobody cares that Raúl and Díaz-Canel were there.” As usual, there are burnt shoes and shirts from the march, which accidentally fell on the pavement. There are also piles of cans strung on sticks, stinking of gasoline, thrown into the streets of El Vedado. These are the remains of the “Martí torches.”
Between blackouts and shortages, the general mood is not one for ceremonies. So much so that the headline on the front page of Granma this Tuesday – which shows Havana illuminated with powerful LED lights, through whose streets the top brass of the regime marches – sounds like a joke or a protest: “The light that Cuba always needs.”
14ymedio, Mexico, 30 January 2025 — “How did we survive? Nature is great.” Fisherman Carlos Francisco Rodríguez González, 55, tells how he was shipwrecked and set adrift with Yusuan Fundora Massaguet, only 15 years old, for seven days, until they were rescued near the Bahamas. “I, who am neither Catholic nor a Christian, prayed to all the virgins, everyone,” he said in an interview with the newspaper Girón. What he thought would be a “quick fishing trip, got complicated.”
January 21, 2025
