English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, April 22, 2023 — The fuel shortage that overwhelms thousands of Cuban families will not stop the Government, which has already announced that there will be a parade on May 1. “We will find a way to celebrate it,” Miguel Díaz-Canel promised this Friday on a visit to the province of Villa Clara. … Continue reading “The Cuban Government Insists on ‘Celebrating’ on May 1, Despite the Fuel Crisis”
14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 19 April 2023 — An activity as simple in other countries as arriving in a vehicle to a gas station and filling the tank has become another headache for Cubans who have the privilege of access to cars or any other means of transport. It is no longer just the … Continue reading “Cuba: There’s No More Fuel, and Now What Do We Do?”
14ymedio, Mercedes García, Havana, 17 April 2023 — The assertion of the financial authorities of Sancti Spíritus, through the official press this Monday, that there is no shortage of cash in the banking offices comes up against, once again, the testimonies at street level, which deny that this is the case . “I am going … Continue reading “Due to Inflation, Cubans Need More Cash and the ATMs Cannot Cope”
14ymedio, Havana, 14 April 2023 — In addition to seriously affecting the construction of homes, the lack of cement is delaying the restoration works of one of the most symbolic places of the Cuban regime, the Anti-Imperialist Grandstand of Havana, popularly known as the “protesto-drome.” The shortage of raw materials and fuel tops the list … Continue reading “The Anti-Imperialist Grandstand of Havana, Victim of the Shortage of Cement in Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, April 15, 2023 — Miguel Díaz-Canel found this Friday a new scapegoat this Friday to justify the fuel crisis in Cuba. “What happened to gasoline?” was the question that was asked in a confessional tone during a meeting with leaders of the Communist Party in Villa Clara. “The countries that have certain commitments … Continue reading “‘What Has Happened to Gasoline in Cuba?’ Asks President Diaz-Canel Without Offering a Solution”
14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 10 April 2023 — Marta and Manuel, two Spaniards who arrived in Havana this Good Friday on the Air Europa flight, pass through the door of the José Martí international airport and come across a dark esplanade full of people holding signs with the name of a tourist. The taxi … Continue reading “‘Even Tourists Are Stranded on the Road Because There Is No Fuel in Cuba’”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez / Olea Gallardo, Havana, 30 March 2023 — The crisis that Cuba is experiencing is not only reflected in the official data, independent reports and the unstoppable exodus. In the streets, at every step, the poverty is evident. Ana María, a middle-aged neighbor of Central Havana, mentions an example: “A few … Continue reading “Poverty and Hunger are Spreading in Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 31 March 2023 — The Cuban authorities have extended until December 31, 2023 the permit for the non-commercial import of generators of more than 900 watts. In the run-up to the hottest months of the year, the measure — approved in August 2022 and reactivated last December — tries to guard against a … Continue reading “The Government Extends the Import of Generators From Cuba Until December 2023”
Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 28 March 2023 — Local development projects are untenable in Cuba’s communist economy. They need a foundation and a substrate. What are we talking about? Much has been written about local development as a tool for spurring economic activity. Essentially, it is a complex process, a result of local initiative, whose … Continue reading “Local Development Won’t Happen under Communist Collectivist Rules”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 29 March 2023 — The cleaning in the streets of Havana did not last long. One day before the elections to the National Assembly of People’s Power last Sunday, a battalion of state workers collected the filth that usually accumulates on the corners due to the lack of means of … Continue reading “The Elections Over, Trash Again Piles Up in the Streets of Cuba”
EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 28 March 2023 — The NGO Amnesty International (AI) denounced on Monday in its annual report the “hundreds of people” in prison in Cuba for “the peaceful exercise of their human rights” — including “three prisoners of conscience” — and the “repression” of “dissidence” and protests. In its document, which summarizes … Continue reading “Amnesty International Denounces the Hundreds of Prisoners in Cuba for Exercising ‘Their Human Rights’”
14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 24 March 2023 — Prime Minister Manuel Marrero was present last Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Ministry of Economy and Planning, headed by Alejandro Gil. The extensive participation included the communist leader of the party’s productive economic department, Joel Queipo; the Minister of Finance and Prices, Meisi Bolaños; … Continue reading “Cuba’s Ministry of Economy and Planning: ‘In Six Months, It Will Be Worse Than Now’”
14ymedio, Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 24 March 2023 — Two days before elections for Cuba’s National Assembly, the world press is watching the lead-up to the vote with bafflement. The conclusion: no one really votes in Cuba but all the trappings — campaigns, rallies, and propaganda — are there to serve as staging for Cuban-style democracy. … Continue reading “World Press Baffled by Cuban-Style Democracy”
14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 23 March 2023 — To vote or not to vote in the elections for Cuba’s Parliament, on March 26, is a dilemma in the face of which many Cubans have already taken sides. The economic crisis, lack of hope and little confidence in state institutions favor abstention in a country … Continue reading “Between the Ballot and the Ticket To Leave the Island, Cubans Prefer To Emigrate”
14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, 23 March 2023 — Next Sunday the Cuban regime will hold “elections” where 470 candidates for Parliament will “dispute,” nothing more and nothing less than 470 seats. When you try to explain this process to any citizen of a democratic country, their brain usually short-circuits. But that’s the scheme, as … Continue reading “The (Un)popular Power of Castroism”
