English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Fernando Dámaso, 15 April 2019 — Dr. Ramón Grau San Martín was the seventh President of the Republic. He governed from 10 October 1944 to 10 October 1948. During the very month he took office, a fierce hurricane struck the Island, causing great destruction. For many citizens, this natural phenomenon constituted an important omen: the … Continue reading “The Doctor of Cubanness / Fernando Damaso”
Iván García, 2 February 2019 — “An organized society, a planned economy, a socialist government, will always have reserves so that no one is left homeless,” President Miguel Diaz-Canel wrote in his Twitter account. Nobody in Cuba is left homeless after a natural catastrophe, tragic accident or serious illness, said Fidel and Raul Castro in the … Continue reading “Thousands of People Need Urgent Help in Havana (and the Names of the Deceased) / Ivan Garcia”
14ymedio, Marcelo Hernandez, Havana, 16 January 2019 — In Norma and Francisco’s refrigerator only four eggs remain. In order to handle the shortage that affects the whole country and avoid disputes at home, the retirees have written on the shells the initial of each member of the family. At the end of last year, authorities … Continue reading “The Egg, Still Being Sought”
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana | 9 January 2019 — As a gesture of profound symbolism, on January 1 the official ceremony to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution was held in the cemetery of Santa Ifigenia in Santiago de Cuba. More than the birthday of a living thing, its defenders gathered around the … Continue reading “Revolution is Disappointment”
Ivan Garcia, 3 January 2018 — There is no better country in which to find a surrealist atmosphere than Cuba. In October of 2017, when the hurricane winds of Irma ruined whatever was in their way, a photo that went around the world explained the political nonsense and citizens’ indifference. The waters of the Atlantic Ocean jumped … Continue reading “Cuba 2018: Neo-Castroism and an Economy in Hibernation / Ivan Garcia”
14ymedio, Havana, January 1, 2019 1. Return of the Mais Médicos doctors The victory of Jair Bolsonaro in the Brazilian presidential elections will have economic consequences that are as yet unforeseeable for the Government’s coffers because of Cuba’s withdrawal from the program Mais Médicos (More Doctors), which has meant so much revenue for the … Continue reading “The 14 Events That Marked 2018”
14ymedio, Marcelo Hernández, Havana, 26 November 2018 — Chicken is the food that stars on Cuban tables, beyond the traditional pork, the longed-for beef or the scarce fish. With the product shortages having intensified in recent years, the legs and thighs of these birds have become the main source of animal protein for many families, a … Continue reading “The Chicken Will Also be "Cubañol"”
Somos+, Germán M. González, 11 November 2018 Absolute power equals absolute responsibility: the socio-economic situation of the country is disastrous, party & government admits it: Who will answer for that? In the final days of this October, several references to the subject of housing appeared in the official Cuban media. Published first is that Pinar … Continue reading “Housing In Cuba / Somos+, German Gonzalez”
Fernando Damaso, 8 October 2018 — Next year, in the month of November, we will celebrate 500 years of the founding of Villa de San Cristóbal de La Habana. The authorities, after sixty years of abandonment and neglect, with the honorable exception of the Historian of the City, mainly in Old Havana and its surroundings, are mobilized … Continue reading “Real and Wonderful / Fernando Damaso”
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 16 October 2018 — The first months in the highest office of the nation have been frantic for Miguel Diaz-Canel. We have seen him touring industrial zones, visiting several provinces, dancing in New York and even establishing a Twitter account. All these actions are aimed at creating an image of a modern president … Continue reading “Díaz-Canel and the Mask of the Modern President”
14ymedio, Marcelo Hernandez, Havana, 9 October 2018 — “Post online that this is the last almendrón* that you will see in many days,” joked the driver of an old Chevrolet that makes the route between the Parque de la Fraternidad and Santiago de Las Vegas, in Havana on Monday. This Monday, the Council of the Provincial Administration initiated … Continue reading “"We Are Going to Paralyze Havana"”
14ymedio, Marcelo Hernández, Havana, September 26, 2018 — Rigo, Suandy, and Alberto arrive each morning at a corner in the Capdevila neighborhood in Havana, with the order to look for breeding places of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. Barely 17 years old, they are part of the Youth Labor Army (EJT), an unarmed version of Active … Continue reading “Cuba’s "Slaves Without Rights" of the Youth Labor Army”
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 15 September 2018 — A quarter of a century ago, when I met Reinaldo Escobar, there were at least two obsessions around which his life revolved. The first was to try to continue doing journalism despite having been expelled from the official media, and the other was this novel, a biographical exorcism that … Continue reading “Prologue to “La Grieta””
This video is not subtitled but clearly shows the state of the building at 505 Zulueta Street 14ymedio, Marcelo Hernández, Havana, 8 September 2018 — If it rains, bad; if the sun shines, the same. For the residents of the half-ruined building at 505 Zulueta Street in Havana, there is no peace treaty with the … Continue reading “Residents of 505 Zulueta Street Carry on Without Institutional Respect”
14ymedio, Justo Mora, Cienfuegos, August 30, 2018 — Pedro Albaladejo arrived in Juraguá 31 years ago. At that time he didn’t have as much gray hair as he does now, nor did he let his beard grow more than five days. He was a strong young man, with a tanned complexion, who at 35 made … Continue reading “"The Work of the Century" is Now a Ghost Town in Cienfuegos”
