English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, 5 May 2022 — The formation of Tropical Storm Alex has already left about 300 buildings collapsed with the main impact in Havana, where 148 of these were reported as of Saturday night, according to the State newspaper Granma. At least 53 building collapses have also occurred in Pinar del Río, 32 in … Continue reading “Heavy Rains Leave Around 300 Buildings Collapsed in Western Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 15 October 2021 — Cuban officialdom continues with its defamation campaign against Yunior García Aguilera and 15N (November 15), which had initially been called for a nationwide demonstration on November 20, which it was decided to advance to the 15th after the Government announced the National Defense Day for that date. “The baseness … Continue reading “Yunior Garcia Calls for a Stop to the “Lynching” of Opponents in Cuba”
From the blog of César Reynel Aguilera, Montreal, 15 October 2021 Guest post from Yunior García Aguilera In the year 2022, the country of our birth will mark 70 years without democracy. My parents have never been able to freely choose their ideology, their party, or their president. They have had to resign themselves to … Continue reading “Message from Yunior García Aguilera of the Archipiélago Collective”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, September 7, 2020 — Empty stalls, closed markets and long faces were common sights this weekend around several stores selling farm products in Havana. Checkpoints set up along highways into the capital have led to short supplies at privately run businesses and growing resentment among workers in the informal market. … Continue reading “Highway Checkpoints Choke Off Havana’s Produce Markets”
14ymedo, Bertha K. Guillén, Soroa, 25 April 2020 — Until recently, the highway to Soroa, in the province of Artemisa, was a continuous coming and going of vehicles loaded with tourists. The travelers supported the economy of most of the families in the area, but after the closure of the borders because of Covid-19, the locals are … Continue reading “Without Tourists and With Businesses Closed, Soroa is Sunk in Crisis”
14ymedio, Zunilda Mata, Havana, 31 May 2018 — The first announcement of “Cookies for Sale!” was heard this Wednesday in Havana’s Los Sitios neighborhood, mobilizing dozens of neighbors. After more than a week of the state shops being empty and the black market paralyzed, the seller was greeted with relief, in a city where the storm Alberto … Continue reading “Finding Food: The New Challenge for Cubans After the Rains”
14ymedio, Zunilda Mata, Havana, 14 February 2018 — In Hoyo de Monterrey, the place where the best tobacco from Cuba is sown, a silent battle has been going on for years. The tobacco growers of the area, forced to sell their leaves to the state companies, opt increasingly for the cultivation of flowers, a production that they … Continue reading “Flowers Are Replacing Other Crops in Cuban Fields”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 20 November 2017 — Several impounded trucks and numerous drivers demanding respect for the law have been the results of the stiffening of police controls, in recent weeks, on the transport of agricultural products in the municipality of Alquízar, located in Artemisa province. Around a dozen truck owners complained to 14ymedio … Continue reading “Alquízar’s Truckers Challenge the Police, Showing Them the Wording of the Law”
14ymedio, Havana, 8 September 2017 — Hurricane Irma advanced through the archipelago north of the province of Camagüey early this morning, where it touched land in Cayo Romano on Friday night with winds up to 160 miles per hour. Irma is the first category 5 hurricane whose eye has touched Cuban territory since 1932. On … Continue reading “Live: Hurricane Irma Hits Center Of Cuba Hard”
Mr. Jose Ramon Machado Ventura met with a group of farmers leasing land under the concept of usufruct in the province of Artemisa, showing first his political skills, and, seeing that his exhortations and appeals were insufficient, moving straight to threats. “The land belongs to the state,” he said, referring to those who do not satisfy … Continue reading “The Land Belongs To The State … But The Work Does Not / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar”
HAVANA, Cuba – The Cuatro Caminos (Four Roads) Market, one of the most important of Havana, and pioneer of the system of supply and demand for agricultural products, will close its doors on 2 February. They already met with the employees and told them the site will undergo “repairs” and that they will be relocated … Continue reading “The Cuatro Caminos Market Will be a Museum / Orlando Freire Santana”
To Dr. Adelaida Fernández de Juan. Esteemed colleague: I recently read your article, “Medicine defended, which circulated on the web this past August. Before I read it I saw your name at the bottom, and as this is a sign of responsibility and courage — as those who dare not to hide in anonymity may … Continue reading “Allow us a word… / Jeovany J. Vega”
