English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Primavera Digital, Eduardo Martínez Rodríguez, Havana, 31 July 2017 — In the 1960s and even the 70s, the legitimacy of the system–despite its continuous economic fiascos and failure to achieve an adequate and genuinely Cuban social system–was acceptable for the hopeful lower classes, while the middle and upper classes were fleeing to Miami. Fifty-eight years … Continue reading “How Does the Cuban Survive? / Eduardo Martínez”
Jeovany Jimenez Vega, 29 May 2017 — Yes, General, on this point I entirely agree with you: “The enemy uses ever more sophisticated information weapons”. He clearly is the enemy; the one who stubbornly opposes all my people’s progress; the one who brazenly deprives them of their rights; who obliges them to live in misery; … Continue reading “Talking With The Enemy / Jeovany Jimenez Vega”
14ymedio, Pedro Campos, Miami, 18 May 2017 — In an effort to persuade Cubans and the international left that “Cuba is building socialism,” while seeking to convince the world that Castroism is abandoning State Totalitarianism and also trying to counteract the relative independence achieved by the so-called boteros, or boatmen, as independent taxi drivers are … Continue reading “Cuba’s Fake Transport Co-ops”
Ivan Garcia, 23 January 2017 — Miami Airport is almost a city. And the American Airlines’ departures area is a labyrinth, with dozens of corridors and passages. That’s why Noahn, an American living in Michigan, arrived five hours before his flight’s scheduled departure time to Varadero. He was travelling with his wife, his eight-month-old son … Continue reading “Undercover American Tourists in Cuba / Iván García”
14ymedio, Bertha Guillen and Ricardo Fernandez, Artemisa/Pinar del Rio, 9 February 2017 – When he was a boy, Jorge Luis Ledesma Herrera played around the charcoal ovens his father had built. Now, approaching 50, this Pinar del Rio man dedicates his days to a shrub that is both hated and appreciated: the invasive marabou weed, raw … Continue reading “Invasive Marabou Weed, An Enemy That Became An Ally / 14ymedio, Bertha Guillen and Ricardo Fernandez”
Jeovany Jimenez Vega, 29 November 2016 — The dictator Fidel Castro died last Friday at the age of 90. The extensive news coverage was to be expected. After all, he was both the object of the most romantic, idealized love and the most scathing, caustic hatred. Gone was the man who, over the last six decades, … Continue reading “Fidel Castro: The Tyrant Exits but the Damage Remains / Jeovany Jimenez Vega”
ABC International, Miriam Leiva, 26 November 2016 — Fidel Castro left Cuba in disastrous economic conditions after exerting absolute power for more than 47 years. His brother received a country “on the precipice” on 31 July 2006. Raul Castro has had to eliminate the “genial” initiatives of the comandante en jefe, without repudiating them, presenting … Continue reading “The Socioeconomic Legacy Of Fidel Castro / Miriam Leiva”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 7 November 2016 – The appearance of unusual proposals such as ostrich farming, the production of quail eggs, or the tanning of exotic hides, along with the timid introduction of a banking sector, are some of the most significant novelties in the Portfolio of Opportunities for Foreign Investment launched during the … Continue reading “The Portfolio Of The Arrogant Beggar / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar”
Fernando Damaso, 5 November 2016 — A feature of the Cuban authorities, since taking power in January 1959, has been wasting time planning for the distant future rather than focusing on solving the present and the near future. Perhaps it is because, from the outset, they decided to rule forever. These plans, at first, focused on specific … Continue reading “The Future, Bring it On! / Fernando Dámaso”
Dimas Castellanos, 1 August 2016 — On 29 December, 2015 the Cuban president announced before the National Assembly of the People’s Power that “despite the impact of the international economic crisis, exacerbated in our case by the effects of the US blockade, maintained unchanged, and the external financial constraints, which have worsened during the second half of … Continue reading “The Cuban Economy Goes Into A Tailspin / Dimas Castellano”
14ymedio, Pedro Acosta, Jovellanos, Cuba, 19 January 2015 – “People here live in the former Gravi factory that is now called Jovel,” says the driver of a bicitaxi (bike-taxi) during a tour of Jovellanos. The industry that made the town famous for its excellent toothpaste now belongs to the joint venture company Suchel, with products … Continue reading “Jovellanos, a Cuban Town That Lives on Nostalgia / 14ymedio, Pedro Acosta”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 2 January 2015 – In the Cuban National Assembly of People’s Power final meeting of the year, the Minister of the Economy and the general-president himself coined a new expression. Both alluded to “reserves of efficiency” available to the Cuban economy to face the challenges of the future. The optimistic tone … Continue reading “Happy Talk from Cuba’s General-President / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 30 December 2015 — Among the surprises brought by the last session of the National Assembly of People’s Power, one could mention the announcement by the Minister of Finance and Prices, Lina Pedraza, that as of 2016 there would be an exemption from taxes on the profits of Basic Production Cooperative … Continue reading “Welcome, Even if Belated / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar”
Iván García, 28 July 2015 — Juliana, a seventy-three-year-old housewife, devotes much of her time to tasks related to feeding her family. “I spend eight hours cleaning rice, picking through beans, which are very dirty, buying bread, scouring produce markets, butcher shops and corner stores to see what is available and making lunch and dinner,” she … Continue reading “Cuba: Living to Eat / Ivan Garcia”
14ymedio, José Gabriel Barrenechea, Santa Clara, 17 May 2015 – From the interpretation of a significant event in the history of a nation, the interpreters’ political orientation can be very well surmised. Here we have this date, 24 February 1895 – the day on which our ancestors departed for the last time to the scrubland, … Continue reading “Marti and His Myth / 14ymedio, Jose Gabriel Barrenechea”
