English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 19 October 2019 — A gesture and 126 portraits make up the #Libre photo exhibition by artist May Reguera, in defense of the freedom of expression. The Cuban actress and photographer captured in her studio the moment when the people she summoned took off a sweater as an act of liberation. An exhibition in which not only bodies, … Continue reading “The Bodies Speak”
14ymedio, Havana, 14 August 2019 — A new challenge has been born in social networks. This time it is not about taking pictures lining up to buy chicken but uploading an image that contains the Cuban flag. With the label #LaBanderaEsDeTodos (The Flag Belongs to Everyone), the aim is to claim the non-partisan or ideological character … Continue reading “#LaBanderaEsDeTodos (The Flag Belongs to Everyone) Is a Popular Hashtag on Social Networks”
14ymedio, Havana, 4 June 2019 — The police released artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara on Tuesday afternoon after he spent 24 hours in the San Miguel del Padrón police station, the independent artist explained to 14ymedio. By telephones, moment after his release, Alcántara related that he was arrested on Monday in the middle of the street. The … Continue reading “Cuban Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara Released on Tuesday”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 31 May 2019 — It’s been almost 15 days since Daniel Llorente, known as “the man with the flag,” arrived in Guyana pushed out by the Cuban authorities, who even took him to buy the ticket and accompanied him all the way to the stairs of the plane to make sure … Continue reading “"If You Come Back You Are Going To Regret It"”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 12 April 2019 — On Thursday, April 11, while in the halls of the National Museum of Fine Arts the Mexican artist Gabriel Orozcowas preparing an exhibition, and on the terrace of the Spanish Embassy the duo Clandestina finished mounting its installations, the independent artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara was arrested in Damas … Continue reading “The B Side of the Biennial”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 10 April 2019 — On Merced Street in Old Havana a cloud of dust rises that floods the entire block every time debris is thrown off the roof of a house under construction. All the neighbors have their doors and the windows closed, very few show themselves to the block. A … Continue reading “"Do We Have to Launch Ourselves Into the Street to Resolve Things?"”
14ymedio, Havana, December 27, 2018 — A graduate in Art History in 2012, Yanelys Núñez Leyva (b. Havana, 1989) has this year been one of the most visible faces on the independent art scene of the Island. Along with Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and another group of artists she defied the country’s cultural authorities by … Continue reading “14ymedio Faces of 2018: Yanelys Nunez, the Artist Who Stands Against Decree 349”
14ymedio, Havana, 3 December 2018 — At least three activists were arrested on Monday outside Cuba’s Ministry of Culture when they tried to protest against the enactment of Decree 349, which places strict limits on artists and the diffusion of art. Tania Bruguera, Michel Matos and Amaury Pacheco have been arrested, so far, although the figure could … Continue reading “Several Cuban Activists Arrested Protesting Ministry of Culture Decree 349”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana | 17 September 2018 — The group of independent artists who since July have been carrying out a campaign against Decree 349 reports that “since the triumph of the Revolution, in 1959, there has existed a state of exception when it comes to the freedom of artistic creation and expression” in … Continue reading “Cuba’s Independent Artists Denounce the "State of Exception" They’ve Faced Since 1959”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 13 August 2018 — The artists of the campaign against Decree 349, who tried to organize a concert on Saturday at the house of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, were freed at the stroke of midnight on Sunday. Otero Alcántara explained to 14ymedio that he and Yanelys Núñez were arrested in the … Continue reading “"They Warned Us That Cuba Can’t Turn Into Another Nicaragua," Say Detained Artists”
14ymedio, Sandra Ceballos, Havana | 14 August 2018 – Cuban artists and intellectuals have to unite. Cuban artists and intellectuals can not remain passive in the face of such ignominy and repression. In many parts of the world people have the right to disagree and demand justice, demand modifications and changes. There is also the … Continue reading “Open Letter to All the Cuban Artists and Intellectuals”
14ymedio, Mario Penton, Miami, 11 April 2018 — Rosa María Payá is one of the few Cuban activists who have managed to reach the Summit of the Americas being held in Lima this week. While the majority of the opponents who reside on the island have been stopped by the police from leaving their homes, or picked … Continue reading “Cuban Government Says Rosa Maria Paya is in Lima Due to "Secret Machinations"”
Ivan Garcia, 15 February 2018 — He’s like a character out of a dark novel by Pedro Juan Gutiérrez. He turned 30 on December 2, 2017, and the life of Luis Manuel Otero has been marked by survival. He still remembers the 12-hour blackouts when he was a kid, in the middle of the Special … Continue reading “Luis Manuel Otero: From Athlete to Dissident Artist / Iván García”
Ivan Garcia, 8 August 2017 — When night falls on Havana’s Malecon, an optical illusion gave the impression that on the horizon the sun was devouring the sea. This is the hour when Daniel, a retiree of 66, sat himself down on a wooden bench and, along with several neighbors, and drinks the worst quality … Continue reading “The Day Havanans Shouted "Down With Fidel!" / Iván García”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 14 June 2016 – Mohamed turned to Islam while serving on a military mission in the Congo; Abdul when he realized that in 15 years of Christianity he had never really read the Bible; and Lazaro, who also adopted the name Abdul, when he served a prison sentence as a dissident. … Continue reading “Ramadan Cuban Style / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar”
