English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, 11 July 2021– The streets of Cuba, this Sunday, have become a hotbed of people who came out to protest against the regime. In all the crowds, reported in various provinces such as Artemisa, Matanzas, Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba, Cienfuegos and Havana, cries of “Down with the Dictatorship” were heard. In Camagüey, several … Continue reading “Several Injuries Reported in Protests Spreading Throughout Cuba”
14ymedio, Lorey Saman, Mexico, 17 January 2021 — When Melissa Barreto Gálvez boarded the plane in Havana that would take her to Nicaragua, the only thing on her mind was her three-year-old son Mylan Kahled. She left him behind, under Grandma’s care, but he was her driving engine to make the big leap and become … Continue reading “For Melissa Barreto Galvez, a Cuban from Santa Clara, the Trip Ended in Mexico”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar / Mario J. Pentón, Havana / Miami, 1 January 2021 – With New Year’s Eve scenes lacking the brilliance of the festivities of previous years, Cubans were introduced to 2021, worried about the rising prices and inflation being experienced in Cuba. On this holiday, those who ventured to use public transportation, to eat … Continue reading “Prices and Cubans’ Anguish Both Soar”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez / Mario J. Pentón, Havana / Miami, 12 October 2020 — Carlos III Plaza Commercial, one of the largest shopping areas in the Cuban capital, reopened this Monday with an important change: from now on you can only buy in foreign currency. The same has happened with most of the large stores … Continue reading “The Dollar Seizes the Carlos III Shopping Center in Havana”
14ymedio, Olea Gallardo, Havana, 16 September 2020 — A total of 23 construction workers who are Indian citizens who are in Havana are part of the new group of people infected with Covid-19, according to the latest official figures, as reported this Wednesday by the Ministry of Health. All of them are male, aged between … Continue reading “23 Indian Workers for State Construction Company Almest Infected With Covid-19”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar and Mario J. Pentón, Havana/Miami | 27 August 2020 — Thousands of followers of Alex Otaola have enthusiastically received the creation of the People’s Party, announced on Tuesday by the Cuban presenter living in Miami. This initiative wants to be an “alternative” to the monopoly exercised by the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), the only one authorized … Continue reading “The Cuban Opposition Cautiously Welcomes the Creation of the People’s Party”
Video: The party scene starts at 5:59. There is then additional commentary and the party scene resumes at 8:28, with the breaking of the piñata. 14ymedio/Mario J. Pentón, Havana/Miami, 20 August 2020 — The video lasts only a few seconds but its content shook the entire political class of the Güines municipality, south of Havana. It is … Continue reading “Government Official in Guines, Cuba, Celebrates Birthday with Pinata Filled with Dollars”
14ymedio, Havana, 31 July 2020 — The Spanish press agency EFE’s representative in Havana, Lorena Canto, was challenged on Twitter by two senior officials of Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Relations in response to a tweet that referenced the “persecution” suffered this Thursday by several independent journalists. “Independent journalists in Cuba complain that, once again, authorities … Continue reading “Government Officials Lash Out Against EFE’s Correspondent in Cuba”
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 15 March 2020 — An intense campaign on social networks together with international pressure and voices of support that arose from the official sector itself have achieved the unthinkable: the release of the artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara. The photo of the activist, recently released from prison with his shaved head and … Continue reading “Why The Cuban Government Rectified Its ‘Error’ With Otero Alcántara”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar/Mario J. Pentón, Havana/Miami, January 9, 2020 — Doubt, controversy and passion surround the Clandestinos, an anonymous group that through social networks says they have dumped pork blood on several busts of José Martí in Havana. The Government says it detained two of the members on Wednesday but the organization says it doesn’t … Continue reading “The Controversy Over The Identity Of The Clandestinos Is Growing”
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Generation Y, Havana, 8 December 2019 — A few days ago, I took part in an exchange of ideas on the social network Facebook after a Cuban journalist asked about the opposition’s proposals and programs. I responded with some basic clarifications to understand what is happening on this Island outside government and state … Continue reading “Civil Society in Cuba is Diverse, Beyond the Control of the Government”
Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 27 November 2019 — The CUC was the fictitious currency created by Fidel Castro during the Special Period to avoid the dollarization of the Cuban economy. A controversial decision that has created not a few problems in the operation of demand and supply. Three years after his death, the authorities seem to have … Continue reading “The Slow Agony and Death of Fidel Castro’s Currency”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar / Mario J. Pentón, Havana / Miami, 26 November 2019 — When his mother asked him to send the usual monthly remittance in dollars, Guillermo Prieto — a Cuban man living in Homestead, a town south of Miami — thought it was so she could buy a household appliance at one of … Continue reading “Tourists and Some Cubans Are Happy about the CUC’s Devaluation”
14ymedio/Mario J. Penton, Havana/Miami, October 12, 2019 — Through August of this year at least 20,700 Cubans arrived at the US border with Mexico, according to data published by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), triple the number for the same period in the previous year (7,079). The avalanche of migrants coincides with the worsening of … Continue reading “Number of Cubans Seeking Asylum at US Southern Border Triples”
14ymedio/Mario J. Pentón, Havana/Miami, 23 September 2019 — Getting access to potable water in a big city like Santa Clara is no easy matter, but even more difficult still is getting purified water, which is highly beneficial for patients diagnosed with cancer or other diseases that weaken the immune system. EcoFinca, a project headed by … Continue reading “Selling Purified Water Prohibited in Santa Clara”
