English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
I’ve been totally disconnected for days. When I say this, I’m referring to the inability to receive news from abroad by shortwave, and especially the lack of Internet. Of course, the majority of the Cuban population is in this very same situation… at least I enjoy a couple of hours online on Monday and another … Continue reading “Disconnected / Rebeca Monzo”
A group of Cuban-American congressional representatives has formally requested that Washington deny a visa to Fidel Castro’s heir, Antonio Castro Soto del Valle. Rather than being concerned about the son’s entry to the United States, the island’s government seems more focused on his father’s exit from this world. Yes, the father’s farewell. The former Commander-in-Chief’s curious … Continue reading “Everything Ready for Fidel Castro’s Funeral / Juan Juan Almeida”
In the second half of the 18th century Creole capabilities along with the effects of the English occupation of Havana and the Haitian revolution created favorable conditions for turning Cuba into a sugar powerhouse. Land owners understood the importance of rapidly developing the island’s agriculture before Haiti could recover. It was necessary to look to … Continue reading “If the Model Isn’t Working, What Hope Is There for the Copy? / Dimas Castellanos”
Photo: Peter Deel The announced rescue of sugar production, after the ravages of the Alvaro Reynoso Task that finished dozens of plants, and the adjustments and readjustments of the “upgrade” and the application of the “guidelines”, seems not to have achieved the objectives, with production having, in some cases, declined. Despite nearly six months of … Continue reading “A New Failure / Fernando Damaso”
Preliminary Note to readers: For reasons way beyond my control, I did not have the chance to update the blog for many days. The Desdecuba.com page was hacked twice, and Yoani Sánchez and other friends are still trying to get it fixed. I am posting a new article, and I hope complete service will be … Continue reading “Licentiousness of the Press / Miriam Celaya”
Born March 8, 1942, in the district of San Fermin, municipality of El Cobre, Gen. Ulises Rosales del Toro is a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party, and the Councils of State and Ministers of the Republic of Cuba. The son of peasants, he is stubborn, rather untamed, intense, hard, sensitive, kind, … Continue reading “A General with Open Doors / Juan Juan Almeida”
The first time I heard the phrase “we will convert the setback into victory” it was in the speech delivered by the otherwise Invincible-in-Chief after the failure of the Ten Million Ton Harvest* (1970). At that time I was 11, but I remember the the sadness of many adults–who had blindly believed in the success … Continue reading “The Looming Setback: Cuba Post Chavez / Miriam Celaya #Cuba”
Apparently, two weeks of home confinement, a prisoner of TV, have left me somewhat dopey. Flat out in bed, in a forced rest and without Internet access — except through some merciful friends who texted me with information not reported here, and another one who brought me a recap of news articles he downloaded from … Continue reading “Hallucinations? / Miriam Celaya #Cuba”
Until 1998 Christmas celebrations in Cuban were not looked on kindly by the top leadership in olive green. Starting in 1979 Fidel Castro slashed the tradition, claiming that the sugar cane harvest and work were more important than celebrating Christmas Eve and having a holiday on December 25. The essence of the regime is that … Continue reading “Past and Present of Cuban Christmas / Ivan Garcia #Cuba”
Cuban authorities, as has been their custom for years, have launched a new campaign against the U.S. embargo, taking advantage of the start of high-level United Nations General Assembly sessions. The worn-out script began with a press conference by Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs, in Havana on September 20. The only thing that could … Continue reading “A Rerun of the Embargo Show / Oscar Espinosa Chepe”
If we compare the style of governance of the Castros during their respective terms in office from a bird’s eye view, we would make a serious mistake in believing the two autocrats are much the same. You don’t need a magnifying glass to see the differences. What are the similarities? Well, the duo have authoritarianism … Continue reading “Castro vs. Castro / Ivan Garcia”
The last conga just went by. The street is half-lit, dirty, with remnants of viewing platforms and dismantled stalls, all now barely but a memory. The 2012 carnival has come to an end. Nothing about the city’s atmosphere gives any indication of what has just transpired. Only those living close to Havana’s Malecón have been … Continue reading “Misery Set to a Reggaeton Beat / Rebeca Monzo”
General Raúl Castro acknowledges that beans are more important than canons. For the green khaki overlords food is a matter of national security. Since taking power on July 31, 2006, Castro II has tried to revitalize agricultural production. But, so far, nothing. The efforts of the enormous and inefficient Ministry of Agriculture have not allowed … Continue reading “Raul Castro Knows That Food is a Time Bomb / Iván García”
Introduction to Yoani Sánchez’s book Havana Real, published in 2011. By Mary Jo Porter In 2004, Yoani Sánchez returned to Cuba two years after emigrating to Switzerland, where she and her family had planned to start a new life in a free and democratic country. Explaining a condition of her return, she said: I promised … Continue reading “The Making, and Translating, of Generation Y / Translating Cuba”
In an article entitled Vietnam, a Country in Constant Doi Moi, published in the newspaper Juventud Rebelde on Sunday April 8, Niliam Vazquez Garcia stated that “the people feel it in the streets, in the prosperity of the family business, perhaps even in the air, the achievements of more than two decades of Doi Moi, … Continue reading “Why Vietnam and Not Cuba? / Dimas Castellano”
