Search results for: November 15

Deserters and Granting of “Pardons” / Miriam Celaya

A friend of mine, whom I will refer to as “Greta”, is a doctor and holds a responsible position at a clinic in an “upscale” neighborhood in Havana. Although not well versed in political issues and ideologies in general, or in Marxism in particular, for many years she accepted membership in the PCC [Cuban Communist … Continue reading “Deserters and Granting of “Pardons” / Miriam Celaya”

New Business Owners Consider Turning In Their Licenses Due to Lack of Freedom / Alberto Mendez Castello

PUERTO PADRE, Cuba, November, cubanet.org — Officials in charge of overseeing the self-employment sector are updating their documentation of its licensees and subsequently warning them of possible violations. Eddy Vega — a manufacturer and vendor of plumbing supplies, who buys and refurbishes pieces of tubing, accessories and old keys — was warned in no uncertain … Continue reading “New Business Owners Consider Turning In Their Licenses Due to Lack of Freedom / Alberto Mendez Castello”

The Contradictions of Cuba’s Foreign Minister / Haroldo Dilla Alfonso

The Contradictions of Cuba’s Foreign Minister By Haroldo Dilla Alfonso. A translation by The Havana Times, of an article originally appearing in Cubaencuentro. The United Nations has once again gone through the motions of condemning the blockade/embargo imposed on Cuba by the United States.  Though this gesture is very ineffective, I am happy it was … Continue reading “The Contradictions of Cuba’s Foreign Minister / Haroldo Dilla Alfonso”

Mariel, Another Cloud in the Olive Green Paradise / Miriam Celaya

HAVANA, Cuba, November www.cubanet.org — They say that socialism is the long way between capitalism and capitalism. Now the official press itself informs us that there is a shortcut: “Mariel, the Shortest Path” (Juventud Rebelde, Sunday, November 3rd, 2013, pages 4 and 5) is a lengthy article by writer René León Tamayo, who — with … Continue reading “Mariel, Another Cloud in the Olive Green Paradise / Miriam Celaya”

Justice and Prayers for Angel Yunier Remon Arzuga #FreeElCritico / Angel Santiesteban

Ángel Yunier Remon Arzuaga ’El Critico.’ Jailed since March 2013 for being a non-conformist rapper and an opponent of the Cuban dictatorship. In July he contracted cholera in prison. Jailed since March 2013 for being a non-conformist rapper and an opponent of the Cuban dictatorship. In July he contracted cholera in prison. The chain of … Continue reading “Justice and Prayers for Angel Yunier Remon Arzuga #FreeElCritico / Angel Santiesteban”

Abortion on an Island Where Women Don’t Want to Give Birth / Polina Martínez Shvietsova

HAVANA, Cuba, October, www.cubanet.org – Cuba has been suffering a fertility crisis since the late seventies. And although voluntary abortion is legal, it is a problem because the island’s birthrate is below the replacement rate, with a consequent aging population. Abortion is also a health problem, as it is used by young people as the … Continue reading “Abortion on an Island Where Women Don’t Want to Give Birth / Polina Martínez Shvietsova”

Sad Tiger / Orlando Luis Pardo Luiz

(1) The unfathomable universe, lonely and cold.  Your footprints on the cement, still soft in our sidewalk. Your small steps, near and probably lost: Apology of the p. The world, the city, of the town: Cuba, Havana, Lawton. The sea, the year. The hum of the space left by you. The unspoken words, yet waiting. … Continue reading “Sad Tiger / Orlando Luis Pardo Luiz”

Prison Diary LXIV: The Dictator Doesn’t Learn That Infamy Multiplies The Opposition Forces / Angel Santiesteban

The Mistake of the Dictator The great slip-up of dictators is to come to believe that the pain from the abuses they cause is sufficient to overwhelm their opponents. For them, arranging for mobs of criminals, people without principles or feelings, mercenaries who obey those who pay them, although only pauper’s wagers, and like a … Continue reading “Prison Diary LXIV: The Dictator Doesn’t Learn That Infamy Multiplies The Opposition Forces / Angel Santiesteban”

Reasons to be Incredulous / Fernando Damaso

John Lennon statue in Havana park. Photo: Rebeca When we talk among friends of the things we discuss in Cuba, some label me incredulous. I will tell you the reason, and try to explain my incredulity, in that they are too old (older than 54) listening to the old and new storytellers telling the same … Continue reading “Reasons to be Incredulous / Fernando Damaso”

Civil Disobedience Cuban Style / Ivan Garcia

In Cuba people seldom go to extremes. Here you will not find a Mohamed Bouazizi ready to turn himself into a human bonfire in front of the Ministry of Housing to protest excessive taxes. There are, however, a lot of Bouazizis around. Their way of rebelling is different. Cubans do not take to the streets … Continue reading “Civil Disobedience Cuban Style / Ivan Garcia”

Government Orders Immediate Closure of Private Cinemas / Cubanet

The Cuban government on Saturday ordered the immediate closure of small private cinemas, which for months have been operating in private homes, because “they were never authorized,” in a note published in the local press. The directive is signed by the Council of Ministers chaired by Raul Castro, and refers to the situation of self-employment … Continue reading “Government Orders Immediate Closure of Private Cinemas / Cubanet”

Prison Diary LXIII: It’s Not Feeding Revenge, It’s Saving Embarrassment / Angel Santiesteban

UMAP: Useful Citizen Force Dictatorships, according to the analysts, mutate to make threats disappear when their totalitarian power is threatened; to manage it, they are capable of acting against themselves. Nothing is worth more than the Government and its remaining in power as omnipotent beings. Hitler, for all his ravings, lacked foresight into the future, … Continue reading “Prison Diary LXIII: It’s Not Feeding Revenge, It’s Saving Embarrassment / Angel Santiesteban”

Mariel: A Port For If And When They Eliminate the Embargo / Arnaldo Ramos Lauzurique and Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello

Havana, Cuba, October, www.cubanet.org – This coming November 1st the legislation published in the Official Gazette regarding the Mariel Special Development Zone will go into effect. As usual with the regime, the Council of State and of Ministers, and the Ministers of Science, Technology and the Environment, or Finance and Prices, of Interior and Labor, … Continue reading “Mariel: A Port For If And When They Eliminate the Embargo / Arnaldo Ramos Lauzurique and Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello”

Official statement: We are publishing the complete record of the judicial farce mounted against Angel Santiesteban

We make available for anyone who wants to know the truth and have all the evidence of the judicial effrontery against Angel Santiesteban Prats, the complete record and all the documents that form part of this judicial farce behind which they incarcerated him in concentration camp 1580, El Pitirre, San Miguel del Padron, Havana, where … Continue reading “Official statement: We are publishing the complete record of the judicial farce mounted against Angel Santiesteban”