English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, Miami, 22 April 2018 –Finally, Díaz-Canel became the president of Cuba’s State Council. In Cuba there is not a President of the Republic. Formally, Cuba has a parliamentary system. In fact, it is a one-party dictatorship, hitherto led with an iron hand by the Castros. Diaz-Canel does not have a lever … Continue reading “The Impossible Task of Miguel Díaz-Canel”
Ivan Garcia, 21 February 2018 — Political honesty is worth its weight in gold. That is why history values those words of Winston Churchill, probably the most influential British and European statesman, when on May 13, 1940, in his first speech as Prime Minister before the House of Commons, he uttered a phrase which was attributed to … Continue reading “Will It Take Blood Toil Tears and Sweat to Emerge From the Olive Green Disaster? / Iván García”
14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, 19 February 2017 — It has been one year since Fidel’s death was announced. It seems like a century ago. For more than a decade, from July 26, 2006 to Nov. 25, 2016, he lived with one foot in the grave. That slow-motion agony was very useful to his brother Raúl. … Continue reading “One Year Without Fidel”
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 12 June 2017 — His mother died, his brother emigrated and now no one brings flowers to the tomb of one of those many young Cubans who lost their lives on the African plains. His death served to build the authoritarian regime of José Eduardo dos Santos in Angola, a caudillo who, … Continue reading “The End Of The Cycle For Two Caudillos”
14ymedio, Juan Carlos Fernández, Pinar del Río, 13 August 2015 — “New movies, lots of ice cream, and a good pool,” is how a resident of Pinar del Río summarized his wishes for this school vacation. His second wish was granted at the local Coppélia ice cream shop, but his hometown has a sad record … Continue reading ““Those Pools Aren’t for the People” / 14ymedio, Juan Carlos Fernández”
The 10th of December is one of the saddest days. That day the political police – the only source of governance in our island – brings out all of its henchmen to suppress dissent. Many are dressed with their olive-green monkey-like Ministry of the Interior uniforms – most are in plain clothes. And you never … Continue reading “Requiem for the 10th of December (International Day of Human Rights) / by Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
By Ambrosio Fornet / See here for background information on this series of posts. 1 It seemed as if the nightmare was something from a remote past, but the truth is that when we awoke, the dinosaur was still there. We haven’t found out — and perhaps will never know — if the media folly was … Continue reading “The Five Grey Years: Revisiting the Term / Ambrosio Fornet”
Speech by OLPL in Kenney Auditorium, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Washington DC, 16 May 2014. Dear friends: As a Cuban from the Island —and all Cubans are, no matter how far and how much time has passed since we left or were expelled from the Island—, as a critical intellectual —that … Continue reading “OLPL Speaks at Johns Hopkins / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
Granma, Granma, Granma… Fidel Castro Díaz Balart, oldest son of the former Cuban president, was the featured subject of the eighth and last page of the national newspaper Granma, which in turn – for those who do not know it – is the official press and propaganda organ of the Communist Party of Cuba, the … Continue reading “Nanoshame / Rosa Maria Rodriguez Torrado”
In 2022, Fidel Castro will be 96. His brother Raul, 91. If God still hasn’t come to collect them, it’s likely they’ll be two demented old people in the care of a gang of military nurses who every now and then will change their diapers and give them spoons of jam and baby food. Castro … Continue reading “Cuba, Ten Years From Now, What Will It Be? / Iván García”
When speaking of the children, grandchildren and relatives of the top leaders of the Party, State, and the Revolutionary government, we must be careful. All too often we tend to generalize, and even to discriminate, repeating phrases like “Daddy’s little children are all crackpots.” But it is not always true. It is true, to the … Continue reading “Daddyskids.com / Juan Juan Almeida”
In recent years we Cubans have witnessed through the media — mainly from TV — the work in favor of respect for sexual diversity. A psychologist of guerrilla ancestry, called Mariela, surname Castro, directs the National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) and is its most visible face — perhaps in consideration of her creating it, … Continue reading “Adam and Adam / Rosa María Rodríguez Torrado”
In recent years we Cubans have witnessed through the media — mainly from TV — the work in favor of respect for sexual diversity. A psychologist of guerrilla ancestry, called Mariela, surname Castro, directs the National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) and is its most visible face — perhaps in consideration of her creating it, … Continue reading “Adam and Adam”
Yaima Beltran, 32, wants to contribute to the public treasury. “I have spent 13 years practicing prostitution. I have gone to jail twice for hooking. And I always return. It’s not easy to go around scared at the prospect of getting caught by the police. I propose that President Raúl Castro legalize prostitution. I know … Continue reading “I Propose That the Government Legalize Prostitution / Iván García”
