Translating Cuba – Page 142 – English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island

A Crisis in Cuba Since January: Egg Production in Sancti Spíritus Remains at Zero

Authorities have culled between 45,000 and 50,000 chickens in the past 12 days.

A man walks with five cartons of eggs, which can cost up to 3,600 pesos for each 30 egg carton / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 31 October 2024 — After nearly two weeks of fasting, the chickens of Sancti Spíritus have stopped laying eggs. Production is “at zero,” said Aliesky Guevara Molina, director of the provincial Poultry Company, speaking bluntly on Wednesday, and the feeding system “is severely affected.”

As if that were not enough, the authorities have slaughtered between 45,000 and 50,000 birds in the last 12 days, victims of the “affectation,” the word with which Guevara defines the drop in nutritional intake of the hens and the consequent loss of weight. It is a “considerable” and “strong” number, he said. There are 220,000 hens left in the province, half of them young.

Without food for the birds, which have been subjected to drastic reductions in their diet – in Isla de la Juventud the “diet” was only 50% of the standard – the distribution of eggs has been in crisis for months in the country. Sancti Spíritus has declared itself to be in a “process of recovery,” but has not shown any concrete signs of improvement since last January, the date when the debacle began, according to Guevara. continue reading

Sancti Spíritus has declared itself to be in a “recovery process,” but has not given any concrete signs of improvement

The official limited himself to commenting that “the animals are already gaining weight” and it is expected that they will begin to produce. What is specifically lacking is feed, for which the country must buy raw materials from abroad. Without resources, explains the director, they had to resort to “rice-based feed. In March it was just rice, in April it stabilized a bit and at the end of May it became complicated again.” That last month, the hens had to fast for five days.

In June there was some stability, but the following month the supply was suspended again for up to 10 days. “Then it stabilized in August and part of September,” but this month there was a new relapse. Gone are the days when 10 eggs were delivered per month per customer in the bodegas — ration stores — of Sancti Spiritus.

“Initially – before January – eggs were delivered to consumers in Sancti Spíritus and Trinidad, then it was continued last month and they began to be distributed in two more municipalities: Taguasco and part of Fomento, and when we were already recovering, the instability with food began again and deliveries stopped,” says Guevara.

Despite the circumstances, the director promises that at some point eggs will be delivered to “the municipalities that have been missing them since July.” In defense of his office, he assures that the problem is national. “It is not that Sancti Spíritus has done badly,” he says. “It is a balance sheet for the country. There are even many provinces that have not distributed the five (eggs) from July. Social consumption was always protected until the last moment with the same productions, but when it reached zero there was no other option.”

The director promises that at some point eggs will be delivered to “the municipalities that have been missing them since July”

A carton of 30 eggs costs around 3,600 pesos* on the informal market for Cubans who can afford it and who do not want to wait for the State’s promises to be fulfilled through the ration system. Problems with feeding chickens, as well as power outages, which leave them without electricity and water for days, have hampered egg production in Cuba, which fell from five million units per day in 2020 to just 2.2 in 2023.

Faced with this decline, the authorities have been forced to import food on a massive scale, as reflected in the expansion of exports from the Dominican Republic to the Island. Between June 2023 and August 2024 alone, the figure grew by 1,858.4% year-on-year. From July 2023, when this product began to be purchased in the neighboring country, until the end of that year, the expenditure was 1.5 million dollars, while in the eight months so far this year, more than 5.2 million dollars have already been invested.

Eggs have also been imported from Colombia, with a first batch of half a million eggs arriving last March, with the aim of reaching 40 million eggs throughout the year.

The problem will not be solved even if production returns to normal levels. At least that is what Guevara thinks, who washes his hands of the transport crisis and Havana’s mismanagement. The official said he could not guarantee that the well-being of the industry would automatically benefit Cubans. “As we have already explained,” he concluded, “we are not distributors, but producers, and it is the Ministry of Economy that decides what function to give to the eggs.”

*Translator’s note: Confirming current wages and prices in Cuba is difficult, but generally speaking, at this price the average worker would need more than an entire month’s wages to afford 30 eggs.

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After Two Years as Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy, Benjamin Ziff Leaves Cuba

The diplomat arrived a year after the island-wide ’11J’ protests and experienced the rise of the private sector on the Island

Ziff has been a diplomat in other countries such as Venezuela, Colombia, Iraq and Israel / Capture / US Embassy in Havana

14ymedio, Havana, 29 October 2024 — The United States Embassy in Havana announced on Tuesday the departure of its Chargé de Negocios on the Island, Benjamin Ziff, who served as the main representative of the White House in the absence of an ambassador. In a video published by the headquarters, the diplomat reviewed the two years he served in the post. He was assigned in July 2022, a year after the Island-wide protests of 11 July 2021 (11J), a period in which the issuance of migrant visas was resumed, and “hard work was done to improve the conditions of the Cuban private sector.”

“During these years we have been able to recompose the Embassy, its staff and its activities; we have begun to expand our cultural and artistic relationship with the people, and we have resumed the issuance of migrant visas. We worked every day to expand legal and safe routes of migration. We also worked hard to improve opportunities for the private sector in Cuba. We trust that it is the solution for the prosperity and future of the Cuban people,” Ziff said in his farewell speech and added that, despite his departure from office, “the commitment of the United States so that Cuba and its people have a freer, more democratic and more prosperous future will go forward.”

Ziff, with a perfect command of Spanish and a cheerful personality, arrived in Cuba at a bleak time for the US Embassy. The 2016 acoustic attacks on Embassy personnel, which came to be referred to as “Havana Syndrome,” and the Covid pandemic that practically closed the country in2020 significantly reduced the number of diplomats sent by continue reading

Washington. The Chargé d’Affaires not only had to relaunch consular services but also deal with imperatives such as the repair of the employees’ homes, plunged into deterioration and vandalized by remaining empty for many months.

The return of the festivities and cultural activities at Ziff’s residence and the programming of shows with American artists in several places in Havana were also part of the agenda of his team, made up largely of young people. However, despite his enthusiasm, the diplomat saw how the figures of Cuban culture who attended his gatherings, the number of activists in the celebrations for July 4 and the number of opponents and independent journalists he could visit in their homes diminished. Unlike other periods, this time the reason for such absences was not fear but because of the massive exodus that the Island was experiencing.

Ziff also was there during these years of galloping deterioration of the Cuban economy, the collapse of public transport, the fall in oil supply, the cut in the basic family basket of the rationing system and inflation. The crisis impacted the scope of his work and limited the Embassy’s contact with Cuban society.

However, the most bitter point of the time that Ziff spent in Cuba has been, without a doubt, the more than 1,000 political prisoners that the regime keeps in prison. When the diplomat landed in Havana, the popular protests of 11 July 2021 were still fresh, and the wounds of official repression were still open. In these years, with the exception of the prisoners of 11J who have served their sentences, the Regime has refused to release the detainees. Ziff, who withdraws from his exercise as a diplomat outside US borders, returns to Washington without having seen any sign of democratic openness in Cuba.

Ziff returns to Washington without having seen any sign of democratic openness in Cuba

The diplomat also received his scolding, when he was summoned by the Cuban authorities in March 2023 to answer for Washington’s decision to give asylum to the pilot who left the Island in October 2022 in a fumigation plane of the National Air Services Company (ENSA). Ziff had to listen to the “energetic protest” of Havana, which accused his government of being “accomplices and stimulators of piracy and air hijacking, crimes that, if tolerated and protected, could stimulate similar illegal acts with negative repercussions for the national security of both countries,” and they pointed out his “interventionist” behavior.

The long blackouts and shortages that have worsened on the Island in the last year also occupied part of Ziff’s agenda. The US Embassy had to suspend all services a week ago when the Cuban Energy System suffered a total breakdown.

According to his professional profile, published on the website of the diplomatic headquarters, Ziff led several working groups and departments involved in diplomatic relations in the Western Hemisphere. He was also deputy head of mission of the US embassies in Madrid (Spain) and Bogotá (Colombia); as well as a diplomat in Australia, Israel, Panama, Venezuela, Iraq, Italy and Peru. He was deputy director of the Office of Central American Affairs of the State Department.

Ziff, born in California, graduated in Political Science from California State University at Long Beach, obtained a master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a master’s degree in National Security Studies from the National War College. He also received the Murrow Award for Public Diplomacy of the Department of State and the Presidential Rank Award.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuban Telephone Monopoly Etecsa Attributes the Multiple Deficiencies in Its Services to ‘Crime’ in Santiago de Cuba

The State calls for severe penalties for vandals and punishment for citizens who do not report them

Office of of the State telecommunications monopoly Etecsa in the city of Santiago de Cuba / Sierra Maestra

14ymedio, Havana, November 2, 2024 — The official press called this Saturday for “strong measures” against the protagonists of “more than 30 acts of vandalism so far this year” at the Etecsa facilities in Santiago de Cuba. The telephone monopoly on the Island has not been the only state entity with “serious effects.” As Sierra Maestra admits, an “unidentified “vital economic center,” an unidentified military unit and the Renté thermoelectric plant have also been left “without communication.”

Sierra Maestra urges the police, at the request of the manager of
Etecsa in Santiago, Eolydis Montejo, to take action in the matter, not only against the “vandals” but against the citizens, “who sometimes witness indisciplines of this nature and do not report them.” Montejo washed his hands of the connection problems in the province, saying that these facts prevent the population from “enjoying” the internet, because each breakdown delays the restoration, and there is no money for the “replacement of the damaged technology.”

The José Martí neighborhood has the highest number of incidents. The most frequent crimes are the theft of fiber optic and copper cables, attacks against technology equipment and cell phone radio bases, and “battery theft.” According to Montejo, after each reported event, landline telephones, cell phones and Nauta Hogar home internet service were affected. continue reading

“Saturation levels increase, because when there is an affectation in the radio base, it is reflected in the coverage,” added the official, for whom all the deficiencies of his company have their explanation in “crime.” “Cutting cables, for example, can leave many people incommunicado in emergency situations. The lack of access to telecommunications services due to vandalism limits the development of the country and affects all its spheres,” he said.

“The lack of access to telecommunications services due to vandalism limits the development of the country and affects all its spheres”

The Communist Party newspaper in Santiago qualifies Montejo’s statements, recognizing that “Etecsa does not escape the limitations of resources to install new services,” but it does attribute a significant percentage of the failures to attacks, which have reached 10 more than in 2023.

The most recent, it reported, occurred at the cell phone radio base of San Agustín, a rural community located on the Mar Verde road. It is a “remote area” that barely has connection, so the whole town was left without internet after the crime.

The “cooperation” agreements with the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) and the “night tours on non-working days” in each of the facilities in the province have been of no use. The offices are “dispersed” throughout the territory, and it is difficult to maintain effective surveillance.

“Not all the events occurred in rural communities. Most have occurred in populated areas, where there are nearby homes and work centers,” said the manager, who quoted the provincial prosecutor, Rolando Reyes, about punishments for “acts against telephony.” “They must be charged with the precautionary measure of provisional detention,” he said, “and receive a severe penalty in correspondence with the damage they have caused.”

“We are talking, for example, about a theft. The penalty can be from two years upwards, depending on the aggravation charge”

“We are talking, for example, about a theft. The penalty can be from two years upwards, depending on the aggravation charge, and up to 30 years of deprivation of liberty if it is a robbery with violence or with force. Imagine the magnitude of cutting the optical fiber,” he said. In addition, there are penalties for co-conspirators, since these are crimes that “are not committed alone.”

Montejo also asked for severe punishments for those who “receive” a cable or a stolen piece of equipment. “The self-employed worker who acquires that cable and then sells it in his establishment is receiving stolen property, and the law will impose a penalty in correspondence with his participation.

The manager did not reveal what the “vandals” were looking for in an Eastern Army unit or how they managed to circumvent the surveillance of the soldiers to carry out the theft. Nor did he give details about the impact suffered by the Renté thermoelectric plant or what the relationship of these crimes is to the popular discontent of Cubans, fueled by the total blackout of October 17.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuban Opponents Sissi Abascal, Sayli Navarro and Félix Navarro Receive the Patmos Award

The three political prisoners are serving sentences for participating in the 11J protests

From left to right, Sayli Navarro, Félix Navarro and Sissi Abascal / Collage

14ymedio, Havana, 31 October 2024 — Political prisoners Sissi Abascal Zamora, Félix Navarro Rodríguez, and Sayli Navarro Álvarez (the latter two father and daughter), arrested during the Island-wide protests of 11 July 2021 (’11J’) in Matanzas, have been awarded the Patmos Prize, given annually by the homonymous Institute.

A statement published on the institute’s website states that the award, which celebrates its eleventh edition this 2024, is awarded on October 31 of each year to honor a Cuban believer on Protestant Reformation Day. In the case of Abascal and the Navarros, the award was given to them for what they “represent for Cuba.” “The three of them, like John of Patmos, are also a testimony of genuine faith and visions of hope on the island of Cuba,” said the jury.

Sissi Abascal and Sayli Navarro are serving six and eight years in prison, respectively, and since their arrest in 2021 they have systematically suffered harassment from State Security and prison officers. Last September, the authorities of La Bellotex, the women’s prison in which both opponents are serving sentences, gave a four-day pass to five women who participated in the demonstrations of 11J, but Abascal and Navarro were not among them. continue reading

“They have never given them a pass, so it is an absolutely discriminatory exclusion” against the opponents

“They have never given them a pass, so it is an absolutely discriminatory exclusion” against the opponents, who are also part of the Ladies in White Movement, stated Martha Beatriz Roque, director of the Cuban Center for Human Rights.

Inside prison, Abascal and Sayli Navarro have held hunger strikes, protests and commemorations of 11J, which has resulted in greater severity on the part of the prison authorities. Although three years have passed since their confinement, neither of them has been transferred to a less strict authority.

In the case of Félix Navarro, former prisoner of the Black Spring of 2003 and coordinator of the Pedro Luis Boitel Party for Democracy – of which the two Ladies in White are also members – he is serving nine years in the Agüica prison, in the same province. The courts convicted him of the crimes of “attack” and “public disorder” just for going out to demonstrate on 11J.

Navarro has seen his health deteriorate during his time in prison. In November 2023 he was transferred to the Faustino Pérez hospital, in the city of Matanzas. State Security told his family that it was a routine medical check-up. “We don’t believe that version. He is in a delicate state of health; he is 70 years old and has several chronic diseases,” Annia Zamora, Abascal’s mother, told 14ymedio on that occasion.

For Patmos, the three political prisoners are not only people of faith, but Cubans who are “consistent” with their ideas

For Patmos, the three political prisoners are not only people of faith, but Cubans who are “consistent” with their ideas. “Felix represents all the prisoners of the old guard, and all the prisoners of conscience; Sayli and Sissi represent the prisoners of the new generations and all the women prisoners.

Patmos has previously awarded Cuban opposition figures like the sisters María Cristina and Angélica Garrido, and the brothers Jorge and Martín Nadir Perdomo (2023), imprisoned for demonstrating on 11J. That year, the political police tried to boycott the award ceremony in the neighborhood of La Palma, in Havana, and summoned the host of the institute, the evangelical pastor Luis Maldonado. The same summons was received by pastor Alejandro Hernández Cepero, who was later arrested.

In an audio sent to his friends, Maldonado said that agents and police vehicles surrounded the meeting place, although that did not prevent some of the relatives of the prisoners from arriving, such as Jorge and Nadir’s mother, Marta Perdomo. In the award ceremony, it was the first time that the institute honored more than one person.

Catholic activist Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello (in 2020) and Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet (in 2016), a Baptist activist, have also received the award, which has been given annually since 2014.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Omara Portuondo Announces That She Will Not Retire From Music ‘As Long as She Has the Strength’

Last October, the artist suffered an episode of “fatigue and disorientation” during a concert in Barcelona.

With time, concerts and recordings, Omara Portuondo first achieved national and then international recognition. / EFE

EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 1 November 2024 — The legendary diva of the Buena Vista Social Club, Cuban singer Omara Portuondo, announced on Friday that, despite having given up long concerts, she will continue to do recordings and other activities. “I will no longer do long live concerts because I get tired, and that is natural given my age. But I make it clear that I am not retiring from music. I will continue with my recordings, and other activities, as my age and health allow me,” Portuondo said on Facebook.

The singer, also known as la novia de filin [feeling’s sweetheart], added in her statement that “as long as she has the strength” and the support of family, friends and fans, she will continue singing. “With the respect of all the people who sincerely appreciate me, each person decides how they want to live and die as well,” she wrote.

The message comes less than a month after her son explained that she had decided to “retire permanently from the stage” after suffering health problems during a concert in Barcelona, Spain, on October 2. The artist turned 94 on October 29.

“As long as I have strength and people want to listen to me, I will continue singing. Because as I always tell you: music is in me, sky, earth, sea and sun, joy and reason,” wrote Portuondo. continue reading

On October 2, during a concert at the Palau de la Música in Barcelona, the artist suffered an episode of “fatigue and disorientation” that forced her to leave the stage after performing the first song, the classic from her repertoire Quizás, quizás, [Perhaps, perhaps], by Osvaldo Farrés.

Portuondo, born in 1930, began her career in the 1940s accompanied by her sister Haydeé

Portuondo, born in 1930, began her career in the 1940s accompanied by her sister Haydeé, performing Cuban music with a strong influence from genres such as bossa nova and jazz, before making the leap into the professional world shortly after.

Over time, concerts and recordings, the Cuban artist first achieved national recognition and then international recognition. In the latter, her work with the Buena Vista Social Club played an important role, especially in spreading her name to the general public.

Portuondo, in addition to his extensive solo career – with works such as Vida, Gracias and Flor de amor – has collaborated with artists such as Pablo Milanés, Chico Buarque, Chucho Valdés, Cachaito López, Jorge Drexler and Ibrahim Ferrer.

Among the awards that the Cuban singer has accumulated are the 2005 Latin Music Award from Billboard magazine, the Latin Grammy for Best Contemporary Tropical Album and the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts in Spain.

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Two Coyotes Who Trafficked Cubans by Sea to Florida Face Justice in the United States

The investigation showed that their speedboat had a frequent route to the Island recorded in its GPS

Oscar Alfredo Bustamante Semeren and Alejandro Gauche Valdez have a long criminal history in Miami / Monroe County

14ymedio, Havana, 1 November 1, 2024 — The authorities of Monroe County, Florida, obtained arrest warrants against Oscar Alfredo Bustamante Semeren, 29, and Alejandro Gauche Valdez, 35, for the illegal transfer of Cubans who were taken from the Island in speedboats to bring them to the United States. The crime, for which a fine of $60,000 was imposed on each of them, is added to others related to firearms and theft of vehicles, for which they had already been imprisoned in Miami.

The arrests of Bustamante and Gauche by Monroe County will proceed after the authorities of Miami-Dade County release the traffickers, who were intercepted by the Coast Guard on July 5, 2024, in the Cotton Key area, in the vicinity of Islamorada, for “numerous security violations.”

The investigation revealed that the boat’s GPS showed an “active route” to Cuba, and Bustamante ended up confessing that he was going to the Island with his accomplice to pick up Cubans. The authorities, however, did not mention where in Cuba they traveled or how much they charged for each person they transferred. continue reading

The crime, for which a fine of 60,000 dollars was imposed on each of them, is added to others related to firearms and vehicle theft

Despite the coyote’s confession and the evidence obtained, the United States Attorney’s office refused to prosecute the detainees. But the case was taken up by Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Joel Slough, who, in collaboration with the Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, initiated a migrant trafficking case against Bustamante and Gauche.

“We will continue to take a firm stance on the crime, even when the United States Attorney’s office does not do its job,” said Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay, who accused the agency of “not being willing to pursue criminals who traffic in humans.” “These criminals continue to wreak havoc on our community and other communities,” he added.

According to data from the United States Attorney’s Office, between October 2023 and 2024, more than 75 people related to migrant trafficking were prosecuted. This includes 25 coyotes and more than 50 immigrants who tried to enter illegally by sea.

Last August, Sheriff Rick Ramsay obtained enough evidence to prosecute a sophisticated gang of Cubans who were trafficking migrants by land and sea. Dianelys Pérez Escourido, Omar Liván Ripoll Pérez, Humberto Tamayo, Víctor Víctor Febles Gualpa and Joel Gil Egued are now detained in the Key West jail.

The investigations also revealed that Oscar Alfredo Bustamante Semeren belonged to the Venezuelan “Tren De Aragua” gang

Coyotes charged migrants different sums for transferring them to Florida depending on their nationality. Ecuadorians, for example, were asked to pay $4,000 to leave their country, another $3,000 for the Bahamas crossing and $1,000 for the driver of the vehicle that would transfer them when they reached land in the United States. Another 12,000 dollars had to be paid to reach the final destination: New York or New Jersey.

The investigations carried out in Monroe also revealed that Oscar Alfredo Bustamante Semeren, in addition to being a coyote, belonged to the Venezuelan gang, “Tren De Aragua,” which according to Telemundo, has about 4,000 members and is active in 15 US states.

The Colombian newspaper El Tiempo pointed out that among the crimes committed by this criminal group are the murder of a former police officer in South Florida, an attack against police officers in New York, the seizure of an apartment condominium in Colorado and an attack and robbery in a well-to-do area in Texas.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The UN Will Dedicate 33 Million Dollars to Repairing the Damage of Hurricane Oscar in Cuba

Two people from San Antonio del Sur are still missing: Kaliannis Hernández Urgelléz, 35, and Orlenis Gamboa Pérez, 42

The aid will be extended for 18 months / Facebook / United Nations System in Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 31 October 2024 — The United Nations System in Cuba will dedicate 33,235,167 dollars to assist the half million victims of Hurricane Oscar in Guantánamo. The emergency recovery plan, for which six million dollars has already been allocated, focuses on water availability and hygiene, shelters and housing, education, logistics, health and food security. According to the agency, immediate aid will be given for six months, and other restoration projects could extend up to 18 months.

In its report, prepared with data offered by the Cuban authorities despite their usual lack of transparency, the UN agency revealed that in the province, some 478,599 people were affected, of which 149,964 are critically impacted. More than half were left homeless. Some 14,300 homes and service facilities were damaged, as were 56 health centers, 349 schools and 15,000 hectares (37,066 acres) of land.

They also confirmed the death of eight people– seven in San Antonio del Sur and one in Imías – and on Thursday reported that the search for two missing people continues: Kaliannis Hernández Urgelléz, 35, and Orlenis Gamboa Pérez, 42, both from San Antonio del Sur. continue reading

The damage is considerable and will take, at the usual pace of the Government, years to recover from

The damage is considerable and will take, at the usual pace of the Government, years to recover from, but the authorities insist on presenting a climate of tranquility and demonstrating “the traces of recovery,” as the Presidency’s profile on X called the work of the Civil Defense.

In principle, the authorities have guaranteed food for the victims with products that are not very nutritious or healthy, such as condensed milk and soft drinks. In an article published this Thursday, the hot dog factory of Sancti Spíritus told Escambray that it has produced five tons of that product to send to Guantánamo.

“It’s about supporting the most vulnerable families in the affected areas, so the plant workers, in just two days, made that amount of packaged hot dogs, while in the Roberto Quesada packaging company, four tons of sausages were manufactured for them,” applauds Escambray.

Miguel Díaz-Canel visited Imías on Wednesday, repeating slogans and proposing the usual voluntarism*. The images disseminated by the official press are eloquent: schools in which classes are now taught, unharmed fields, factories in operation, bridges under repair. None of the places they visited are totally collapsed, and do not include centers that are closed or without service.

Surrounded by soldiers, in addition to his bodyguard, Díaz-Canel immersed himself in the crowd

The authorities also showed the president full warehouses, sawmills preparing wood for the reconstruction of homes and ration stores distributing the ’basic basket’. He responded by asking them to speed up the reconstruction of housing, so that people can be taken care of and “lost household goods” provided, all vague provisions. Only one specific fact was offered by the official newspaper Granma in its description of the presidential tour: 10,000 mattresses will be given to the affected families.

Surrounded by soldiers, in addition to his bodyguard, Díaz-Canel immersed himself in the crowd and reminded the people that “there are still many things to do.” “In Imías, the water service has begun to stabilize; there is electricity in 97% of the municipality, and we are going to move forward. I know that it has been hard, that many have lost property, but it is demonstrated once again that the Revolution does not leave anyone on their own,” said the president, who recognized, however, that “what will take the most time will be the recovery of homes.”

“We are moving forward on all fronts, including the people in the recovery process, to have a better Guantánamo, a more beautiful Guantánamo,” added Díaz-Canel, who promised that the order given to “all institutions” is to “make things better in the recovery than they were before.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

*Translator’s note: The principle of relying on voluntary action (used especially with reference to the involvement of voluntary organizations in social welfare) – Oxford Dictionary

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The Death Toll From Hurricane Oscar in Cuba Rises to Eight

Authorities are looking for two more people who are reported missing

According to the government of Guantánamo, Oscar has damaged more than 11,000 buildings, including housing and public infrastructure / Facebook

EFE/14ymedio, Havana, 31 October 2024 — The Cuban government raised the death toll to eight after the passage of Hurricane Oscar and said that the authorities are looking for two people who are reported missing, the state press reported on Wednesday.

This is the first official figure on disappearances, more than a week after Oscar’s scourge in the east of the country.

The two missing are a 42-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman, both from the town of San Antonio del Sur, in Guantánamo, according to a statement from the Civil Defense General Staff.

San Antonio del Sur, along with the neighboring municipalities of Baracoa, Imías and Maisí, was one of the territories most seriously affected by the floods of October 21, with numerous damage to the housing stock, health centers and schools, and losses of personal property.

This Tuesday, for the first time since the occurrence of the meteorological disaster, photographers from some international media accredited in Cuba – including EFE – had access to San Antonio del Sur. continue reading

This week some roads were opened to allow aid to reach the settlements that have been incommunicado

The United Nations resident coordinator in Cuba, Francisco Pichón, indicated that he will present an “action plan” prepared by UN agencies, which includes providing funds and programs “in order to join the concentrated recovery efforts of the national authorities” in support of the victims.

The intense rains that accompanied Oscar, which continue to affect the region, caused the flooding of rivers, landslides from the mountains that brought down mud, and the isolation of communities that rescuers have not been able to reach due to the state of the roads.

But this week some roads were opened to allow the passage of aid to settlements that have incommunicado, especially in mountainous or flooded areas.

Seven of the deceased were located in San Antonio del Sur, while the other deceased was located in Imías

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel visited Imías on Wednesday to assess the damage after Oscar’s passage.

Also, the Guantanamo Defense Council reported this Wednesday that Oscar’s passage through the province damaged more than 11,000 buildings, including homes and public infrastructure, and affected more than 13,000 hectares (32,124 acres) of various crops.

Power cuts continue in the region due to the fall of 98 power poles and damaged transformers in five municipalities

The official provincial newspaper Venceremos reports that houses suffered the greatest damage, with 257 total collapses and 360 partial, while 9,198 houses lost part of their roofs, among other damage.

Facilities for 627 state institutions have been affected. Among them, the damage is mainly concentrated in commerce, with 183 establishments, health centers (71), and Education, Culture and Sports sectors, with 210 effects recorded.

Electricity cuts continue in the region due to the fall of 98 poles and damaged transformers in five municipalities, where more than 56,000 customers are still without service (some 35,000 now have power).

The report points out that to alleviate the generation deficit, 69 generators are being used to supply isolated communities, food production centers, public health centers and other services.

In agriculture, negative effects are reported in 13,255 hectares (32,754 acres) of banana, coconut, cocoa, fruit, forest fuels and, in particular, coffee, one of the main productions of the territory.

The committee points out that 14 national and foreign donations have been received, nine of them sent by the United Nations World Food Program

The recovery begins gradually with the arrival of materials and donations for the restoration of infrastructure and land communication with the four affected municipalities. This includes returning most of the evacuees to their homes, and the planting and harvesting of coffee in the unaffected areas.

In addition, the committee points out that 14 national and foreign donations have been received, nine of them sent by the United Nations World Food Program, plus others from the Bridges of Love initiative and The Peoples Forum in the United States.

Hurricane Oscar – the first meteorological event that directly hit Cuba in the current hurricane season – penetrated Cuba on Sunday the 21st as a category 1 hurricane (maximum of 5) on the Saffir-Simpson scale, very close to the coastal city of Baracoa, in Guantánamo, and became a tropical storm before leaving the next day through an area near Gibara, in the province of Holguín.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Mexican ‘Coyotes’ Promote Themselves on TikTok To Attract Cubans Who Seek To Reach the United States

A VIP trip from the Cuba to the Mexican state of Chiapas can cost between $5,000 and $7,000 per person.

In the state of Chiapas there are almost 1,000 migrants stranded due to the delay in the CBP One procedures / EFE

14ymedio, Mexico City, 31 October 2024 — A VIP trip from Cuba to the Mexican state of Chiapas, on the border with Guatemala, can cost Cubans leaving the Island between 5,000 and 7,000 dollars per person. The coyotes claim that traffic is “safe” and that they know the tricks to mislead or convince the authorities. “There are no robberies, much less threats with firearms,” a coyote who calls himself ‘AK-47’ told Diario del Sur in an article published on Tuesday.

The search for customers begins on social networks, where traffickers present themselves as travel agents, the same source tells the Mexican newspaper. “We use the TikTok platform, which is the one that is fashionable. It helps us to publicize testimonies that people arrived well at their destination,” he explains. The flight to Nicaragua costs $3,600, and if you want a more thorough service, an extra $1,200 guarantees the arrival to Tapachula without problems. For that price, security is a fact: “We have bought the police. We use code words and above all ’official’ stamps, each one from his own company, and we avoid confrontations,” he says.

According to AK-47, the “center of operations” is Cuba, from where flights depart to Nicaragua, Russia, Peru and Guyana. There they have their “travel agency” installed and promote plane tickets to those destinations. If the client requires it, they provide ground transportation to get closer to the final goal: the United States.

Diario del Sur managed to interview a Cuban woman who hired — for herself, her husband and their two children — the agency’s services to fly to Bogotá (Colombia) and make a second stop in Nicaragua. In this way, Yadiris, 45, found it cheaper to cross than if she flew directly to Managua. From there, the coyotes took care of moving them to Mexico, where the family ran out of money. continue reading

A coyote claims to pay the police in Chiapas to allow them to traffic migrants / EFE

The trip wasn’t easy either. According to Yadiris, the driver who took them to Tapachula drove as if the vehicle were a racing car. Once in Mexico, they had to look for work to support themselves, but the Cuban woman says that she is still in contact with the coyote.

Karla, another Cuban interviewed by the Mexican media, tells a similar story. After reaching Tapachula, she was also stranded without money. Now she works as a waitress, because “it’s easy money,” and she hopes in a few months to have saved enough to request a CBP One appointment with US Customs and Border Protection.

Recently interviewed by 14ymedio, another Cuban migrant, experienced in the tricks of migration, Alexander Mori, told this newspaper that he has been approached by coyotes to offer him “facilities” to reach the border. “To get to Tijuana they charge you 2,000 dollars in a van, and 1,500 if you make the trip by bus. The traffickers give you a bracelet, which they say is to prevent Migration officials from arresting you,” said the Cuban, who hopes that in Chiapas, he will get a CBP One appointment.

According to figures from the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid, up to September of this year, a total of 39,754 migrants had gone to their offices in Palenque and Tapachula seeking asylum. At the beginning of October, the director of the Human Dignity Center, Luis García Villagrán, said that more than 45,000 illegal foreigners were stranded in that state, of which some 1,000 were Cubans, due to the delay in the procedures through the US application.

Last week the mayor of Tapachula, Yamil Melgar Bravo, told EFE that the municipality has received 60% of the migrants in Mexico. Irregular migration rose by 193% year-on-year in the first half of the year to more than 712,000 people nationwide, according to the Government’s Migration Policy Unit.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Argentina’s Prime Minister Milei Removes His Foreign Minister for Voting Against the US Embargo on Cuba

A few months ago, the minister had denounced the presence of “infiltrators from Cuba and Venezuela, specialists in destabilizing Governments”

Diana Mondino with the president of Argentina, Javier Milei / @DianaMondino/X

EFE/14ymedio, Buenos Aires, 31 October 2024 — The President of Argentina, Javier Milei, suddenly dismissed his Foreign Minister, Diana Mondino, on Wednesday for her vote in the United Nations General Assembly in favor of the resolution against the US embargo on Cuba.

The resolution, without binding effects, was approved, as in previous years, by an overwhelming majority (187 votes in favor, 2 against – the United States and Israel – and the abstention of Moldova).

This decision surprised the Argentinians due to the strong alignment of the Milei Government with Israel and the United States in terms of foreign policy, and the president’s emphatic rejection of left-wing governments.

In an interview Mondino then declared that there were “infiltrators from Cuba and Venezuela in the country who are specialists in destabilizing Governments”

The performance of the foreign minister in this case contrasts with the radical positions she had expressed last March against the Cuban regime. In an interview, Mondino then declared that there were “infiltrators from Cuba and Venezuela in the country who are specialists in destabilizing governments.” This comment earned her this answer from Cubadebate: “Little insight and quite manipulative, Diana Mondino.” continue reading

As soon as Argentina’s vote in the UN was known, a wave of rumors began in the local press about a possible removal of Mondino from the Government, which at the moment had not released information about the reasons for her departure.

“The new foreign minister of the Argentine Republic is Mr. Gerardo Werthein,” announced the presidential spokesman, Manuel Adorni, on X.

The designated foreign minister is an important local businessman, close to Milei. Since last April he has served as Argentine ambassador to the United States.

A veterinarian by profession, Werthein also served as president of the Argentine Olympic Committee (COA) between 2009 and 2021, and was a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cabbage, Veteran Protagonist of the School Dinner, Now Too Expensive for Cubans

It is one of those products which, along with the cooking banana, is inextricably linked, in the collective imagination of this island, with times of the most extreme penury

Cabbage on sale at the market on Calle 19/B, Vedado, Havana / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 27 October 2024 – In the 1995 film Madagascar, directed by Fernando Pérez, around a dinner table, a family of “vegetable eaters” creates, out of the act of chewing, a physical and aural embodiment of the difficult years of Cuba’s ’Special Period’. The sound of crunch, crunch, crunch dominates the scene in which the characters seem trapped inside a hunger which forces them to eat only leaf vegetables every day, with nothing else as accompaniment. It would cost much more to reshoot that scene now, in these times of inflation and shortage.

Cabbage is one of those products which, along with the cooking banana, is inextricably linked, in the collective imagination of this island, with times of the most extreme penury. Resistant to the damaging effects of transport, easy to store and capable of filling several plates from one single item, it has as many admirers as it has critics. The majority of those who keep it away from their table tend to be people who are marked by the trauma of an infancy or adolescence in which Mrs Cabbage was all too often present.

“I was a pre-university student for three years in Güira de Melena and they gave us cabbage for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day”, jokes Lázaro, who, at 51 administrates a small fruit and veg stall near Calle Carlos III in central Havana. “I don’t eat it anymore, I can’t even bear the smell, but thanks to cabbage I can at least feed my family”, he says, pointing to some cabbages still enveloped in their dark green outer leaves. continue reading

“I was a pre-university student for three years in Güira de Melena and they gave us cabbage for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day”

“I sell them individually and on some days they’re the best quality but on others they arrive a little bit bruised because, although they’re a hardy product it’s best to transport them in boxes so they don’t get as knocked about or damaged”, he says. Most of the ones he sells are from the San Antonio de los Baños municipality, in Artemisa, where he has contacts “with a peasant farmer who harvests a little bit of everything”.

When a customer leaves Lázaro’s stall with a cabbage in his shopping bag, it is then that begins the new life of the vegetable which is later transformed according to who is to cook with it and the ingredients which are to be added. It may end up being just some rough dry strips on a prisoner’s tray, or, some thin strands spiced up and sprinkled with olive oil on a plate in a luxury restaurant. One’s expertise with a kitchen knife and the spices one has to hand can elevate it from the mediocre.

“The trick with cabbage is to peel off the leaves one by one”, says Julia, 81, who worked for years in a canteen based on the now defunct Cuban Fishing Fleet. “On the days when it was my turn to cook nobody left any cabbage on their plate, they ate it all up because I knew how to cut it, unlike my colleagues who just hacked away at it, producing only thick, hard pieces, which no one wanted to eat”.

Julia explains her technique like the surgeon describes to his students an incision to be made in a delicate area of bone, veins and tendons. “Once you’ve removed the leaves one by one, you wash them thoroughly and then you need to remove the central part which is difficult to chew and has a rather pungent taste”. On the table rests a very sharp knife, with which, after rolling up each leaf into a long tube, she cuts them into thin rings. When they unfurl and reveal their multiple layers, they look like slender noodles. “To season them I prepare separately a mixture of oil, salt and vinegar, although if I have some lemon juice that’s even better”.

Served immediately after seasoning, “this recipe for cabbage is irresistible”, says Julia. She also likes to sauté it, put it in preserves and make it into soups, but her speciality is “the cabbage salad for people who say they don’t like cabbage”. Given her level of skill, the only problem now is that her principal raw material is no longer that cheap product which used to fill the market counters and made Cubans chew unenthusiastically several decades ago.

Starting with an average-size cabbage, and using my technique of taking off one leaf at a time, and of using a very sharp knife to cut them into very thin strips, my husband and I can have salad for a whole week

Inflation has also had an effect on this vegetable, which has seen an increase in price in recent years. If one cabbage cost 80 pesos at the Plaza La Calzada (Cienfuegos) market a year ago, by the end of October this year the price had gone up to 100 pesos. Nevertheless, the price in this agricultural region par excellence is still massively lower than the 500 pesos needed to buy one at the Calle 19/B market in El Vedado, Havana.

“Starting with an average-size cabbage, and using my technique of taking off one leaf at a time, and of using a very sharp knife to cut them into very thin strips, my husband and I can have salad for a whole week”, Julia explains, but then adds, immediately: “That’s if my pension allows, because what I get per month isn’t really enough for even three cabbages, and with what my husband earns we can barely afford to prepare the dressing”.

Scattered across the world, some of those fishermen who, in the 80s and 90s sat down in front of a food tray in a state canteen where Julia was working, must remember those thin strands that she cut with such care and which they chewed with delight, tasting every mouthful.

Translated by Ricardo Recluso

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About 1,615 Cuban Ranchers Have Been Tried for Trafficking and Cattle Slaughter, Most of Them With Prison Sentences

The Government continues to apply a policy of “maximum severity” to livestock illegalities

The Government blames the poor livestock yields on theft / Granma

14ymedio, Havana, 29 October 2024 — Up to August of this year, the Cuban regime tried 1,615 people for “conduct associated with the crime of illegal slaughter of beef cattle and trafficking in their meat,” the government newspaper Granma reported on Tuesday. The sanctions, the media said, are the result of the “investigation of the use and possession of land and livestock” that the Government began to carry out last March.

“In correspondence with the provisions of the Criminal Code,” 90% of those sanctioned were sentenced to deprivation of liberty, the media explained. Of them, 78% were sentenced to sanctions of up to 15 years in prison, “which highlights the rigor in the treatment of these behaviors.” In addition, the defendants’ property was confiscated, and “other accessory sanctions provided for in the law” were applied.

According to Granma, which defends the rigor of the measures, the premise of the sanctions is “to manage the livestock mass and achieve greater discipline in the field, so that each producer knows the responsibility he has as a cattle breeder with the control, care and recording of events.”

The Government achieves two of its objectives: to intimidate the ranchers and to hold the producers accountable

With these actions, the Government achieves two of its objectives: to intimidate the ranchers, who have shown their discomfort with the control of livestock and the land, and to hold producers responsible for the debacle of agriculture, despite the fact that the farmers have denounced the scarcity of resources to maintain their crops and their animals, in addition to the lack of support from the Government.

However, Granma reminds the producers that business outside State channels is inadmissible. For meat trafficking, the penalties vary between three and eight years; for buying the meat, from six months to one year and continue reading

a fine. Aggravating circumstances are charged for those who try to sell the product “to centers of processing, production, trade or sale of food.”

Both the livestock and agricultural sectors are in moments of crisis on the Island. Last July, Alexis Rodríguez, general director of Economy and Agricultural Development of the Ministry of Agriculture, recognized the debacle in front of Parliament. Of the 10 fundamental items in agriculture, from 2023 and until last July, only the plans of four had been fulfilled: vegetables, food, corn and rice. Meat, milk and egg productions are in a critical state.

Of the 10 fundamental items in agriculture, from 2023 until last July, only the plans of four had been fulfilled

For example, Cuba has lost 62% of its chickens and 72% of its pigs since 2020. On October 10, the Minister of Agriculture, Ydael Pérez Brito, reported on Cuban Television’s official Round Table program about the first results of the exercise of control of the use and possession of land and livestock.

In his report, he blamed the poor yields of livestock on theft and slaughter that, according to Granma, is punishable by between four and eight years in prison. Pérez Brito added that there are other types of illegalities, such as illegal sales, unbranded animals and lack of records for missing livestock and deaths.

The alternatives to stop the debacle, beyond supervising the producers to exhaustion, have been few. “Our country has approved policies for the land that no one else has, such as lending it free of charge to sow,” and “we are giving cooperatives greater autonomy for their management,” have been the arguments of the officials to wash their hands of the crisis.

Some clues, however, have left the ruling party to decipher the problem: “The livestock areas have been destroyed” and with them a large percentage of the industry, Granma confessed last April. Likewise, the State has acknowledged that it does not have the budget to revive agriculture.

The State has recognized that it does not have the budget to revive agriculture

In an article published on April 4 of this year, entitled “There are ways to stop the deterioration of livestock,” farmer Miguel Valdés Carmenate, from Ciego de Ávila, said in an interview that the sector in the country “is bad because we have been allowing it to be destroyed for many years.”

His message was a reminder of the shortcomings suffered by producers. “For an adult animal, to ruminate it must have no less than 45 or 50 pounds of fodder in its belly and drink more than 70 liters of water daily. And more than half the cows don’t have either,” he warned.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Only 300 Cubans Received US Humanitarian Parole in September, the Lowest Figure in the Program

Migrant entries with this mechanism fell by 99% since the changes introduced in August

In less than two years, more than 110,000 Cubans have benefited from the parole program / Mario Vallejo

14ymedio, Madrid, 28 October 2024 — Last September, only 300 Cubans received humanitarian parole from the United States, the lowest figure since the program came into force in January 2023. The latest U.S. immigration data, which correspond to fiscal year 2024 and include September arrivals, reflect how the changes introduced since the suspension between July and August of the plan, which provides approval for 30,000 migrants per month, have affected migration.

According to data from the Department of Customs and Border Protection (DHS) published last week, barely 1,000 migrants arrived from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela last month. In total, throughout the fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2023, 531,000 people from these countries arrived through a sponsor in the U.S., only 1,000 more than in August, when the plan was reactivated.

In total, throughout the fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2023, 531,000 people from these countries arrived through a sponsor in the U.S., only 1,000 more than in August

Last July, the Office of the DHS Inspector General detected irregularities in the system. Among them were blank forms, phone lines that did not work, postal codes that did not exist, social security numbers of dead people, repeated texts in thousands of applications and people who presented their documents more than once.

On July 6, the parole program was suspended for Venezuelans, and on the 18th for all nationalities until the necessary changes were introduced to avoid fraud. At the end of August, the DHS announced the reactivation of the mechanism with new guarantees, including the presentation of sponsors’ fingerprints and a more thorough review of the applicants.

This has slowed down approvals, with a consequent drop of 99%, according to the DHS. In total, during the fiscal year that has just ended, 110,000 Cubans have arrived in the United States with the program, which gives continue reading

them the right to stay and work in the United States for at least two years.

In statements to Café Fuerte, immigration lawyer Willy Allen predicted the probable elimination of the humanitarian parole, created by Biden, after the presidential elections, which are close. “Actually, humanitarian parole is mortally wounded,” he said. “I don’t see a future for the program at the moment, and I think that after November it will die naturally.”

Last September, former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump announced in an interview on Fox News his intention to eliminate the parole program if he won the elections. The same thing would happen, he said, to the CBP One.

“I would revoke it,” said Trump, claiming that the appointment program is “bad” but the parole is “even worse,” because it allows beneficiaries to reach the United States by plane. “Get ready to leave, especially if you are criminals,” warned the former president, who considers those who arrive by means of this mechanism illegal, although they are not, since their entry is authorized.

Since its entry into force, in January 2023, about 852,000 people have managed to schedule appointments to present themselves at the border

Less clear is what will happen if the current vice president and Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, wins. Although it was her government that created the parole program, during the Democratic campaign it has been hinted that the migration policy would change and that there would be more restrictions, but she has not specifically mentioned what will happen. It is known, however, that those who have entered by means of this mechanism will not be able to renew it by extending the two-year period.

As far as the CBP One is concerned, the pace has remained sustained, with about 44,000 admissions per month. Since its entry into force, in January 2023, some 852,000 people have managed to schedule appointments to present themselves at the border. Most of the applicants are Venezuelans, Cubans, Mexicans and Haitians.

At the end of fiscal year 2024, irregular arrivals of Cubans through the border stood at 217,615, 8% more than the previous year, although the migratory flow was reduced, going from 3.2 million in 2023 to the current 2.9.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Judas Tadeo, Patron Saint of Lost Causes, Works Overtime in Cuba

This October 28th, we ask for help for lost rafters, to obtain parole or to rebuild a home

At the foot of an image of San Judas Tadeo, there were relatives of prisoners, relatives of rafters lost at sea and Cubans engaged in tortuous procedures / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez / Natalia López Moya, Havana, 29 October 2024 — Some advanced along San Nicolás Street and others approached by Rayo, in Centro Habana, to the church of San Nicolás de Bari and San Judas Tadeo, the latter the patron saint of the impossible, venerated every October 28. The temple of the saint of desperate and complicated problems has been besieged for months by a mountain of garbage, a difficult cause that seems to have no solution in sight in the Cuban capital.

“I came to ask to leave the country, because the cost of tickets is going through the roof,” a resident in the distant neighborhood of San Pedro, in the municipality of Cotorro, told 14ymedio. He had bought a very thin green candle for 100 pesos and then stood in the long line to receive some holy water after mass. “The priest threw a lot at me; it was almost a shower. So I hope it works and that I’ll be celebrating Christmas in another country.”

In another line to place flowers and candles at the foot of an image of San Judas Tadeo, there were relatives of prisoners, relatives of rafters lost at sea and Cubans engaged in tortuous bureaucratic procedures that seem to have no end. “My house’s roof fell in more than five years ago, and although I have sent letters everywhere I still have not been able to buy all the materials I need for the repair,” complained an old woman who placed her candle and prayed for “a quick solution” to her serious problem. continue reading

Garbage dump next to the church of San Nicolás de Bari and San Judas Tadeo / 14ymedio

In a country seized by an economic crisis that has already surpassed the collapse suffered in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union, difficult causes are everywhere. “It seems impossible to even have electricity every day,” complained an old man, who deposited a small bouquet of sunflowers in front of the saint’s picture. “I didn’t come to ask for electricity but for my two children who left for Nicaragua three weeks ago and have already arrived in Tapachula,” in Mexico. They are now waiting for their appointment for an interview that will allow them to enter the United States after registering for the CBP One application.

Throughout the morning, a sea of desperate people continued flowing to the church. On one side, nine garbage containers overflowed with waste that extended along the sidewalk and spilled into the street, forcing the faithful to avoid the bags, cartons and waste that gave off a strong stench. Around noon, a Communal Services truck approached, and four workers began to collect some of the filth. But the accumulated volume is such that cleaning the surrounding area has already reached the level of the impossible. On the scale of the complicated, achieving a clean city has surpassed even the obstacles to getting on a plane, rebuilding a house or obtaining humanitarian parole.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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In Spite of Cuba’s Deep Economic Crisis, Inaugural Flights from Prague to Holguín Begin

Visitors probably booked their flights months earlier, not knowing what awaited them on the island.

An AirbusA330-300 aircraft just after landing at Frank País International Airport, marking the inaugural flight of Worlds2Fly new route. / ¡Ahora!

14ymedio, Havana, 27 October 2024 — Unaware of the multiple disasters that Cuba is currently experiencing – these include long power outages and a fuel shortage that is impacting even private transportation – some 285 tourists from Prague landed in Holguín on Saturday as part of an organized tour sponsored by by Der Touristik, Europe’s second largest tour operator.

“We are hoping the new season will be comparable to the previous one though, with these flights from Prague and Slovakia, all indications are that the number of visitors will be higher,” Carlos Álvarez Infante, commercial agent at the Ministry of Tourism in Holguín, told the newspaper ¡Ahora!. The province is still in the recovery phase, with the town of Moa being particularly hard hit after Hurricane Oscar passed through eastern Cuba last week. Local residents are still unable to return home and electrical service has still not been fully restored.

The province is still in the recovery phase, with the town of Moa being particularly hard hit after Hurricane Oscar passed through eastern Cuba”

The tourists arriving from Prague, who probably booked their flights months earlier not knowing what awaited them on the island, paid for a package that included a one or two-week stay at hotels in Playa Pesquero, Esmeralda or Ramón de Antilla in Holguín, Álvarez explained. Some of them will spend that time in the province before moving on to Santiago de Cuba. continue reading

Train and bus travel has been disrupted between Holguín and Santiago de Cuba, Bayamo, Manzanillo, Guantanamo and Havana due to a fuel shortage.

The Holguin airport is also seeing more tourists from Germany, Italy, Canada and the United States thanks to new routes from those countries. In fact, Alvarez said that next week airlines such as Air Canada will be adding more frequent flights for a total of 60 to 63 flights a week to the province.

The island’s ongoing energy crisis has caused many tourists to lose the interest in visiting the country’s beaches due to the difficulty of getting around, buying food outside of hotels and even connecting to wifi. Their disappointment comes despite warnings from some travel agents such as Manon Girardin, deputy director of Canada’s Voyages CAA-Québec.

The ongoing energy crisis has caused many tourists to lose the interest in visiting the island

“The risk that customers will be disappointed is high, especially for those who ignore — or choose to ignore — the problems the country is facing. That is why we have a few caveats when we are talking about travel to this destination. If you want to go, you have to know what you’re in for so you can accept whatever comes and not be disappointed,” said Girardin.

It is, if fact, Canadian tourists who have begun to express their dissatisfaction with the Cuban vacation experience. In August, 1.5% fewer tourists from that country visited Cuba than in the same month last year.

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