English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, 2 September 2023 — Cuba’s support will be fundamental to the imminent inspection that the United Nations will carry out in China, which is accused of violating human rights and indoctrinating children in Tibet, under Chinese occupation since 1951. To tip the balance in its favor, Beijing invited a group of ambassadors from … Continue reading “Cuba’s Representative to the UN Praises China’s Occupation of Tibet”
14ymedio, Havana, 29 August 2023 — Miguel Díaz-Canel closes his visit to Namibia “with a flourish,” headlines the official Cuban press on Tuesday about the tour that the president has just made through several African countries. Cubadebate limits commentary to the symbolic aspect of the trip without mentioning a word about “the great hopes around … Continue reading “Oil, a Hidden Issue on the Agenda of the Cuban President’s Visit to Namibia”
14ymedio, 27 August 2023 — On the last stop of his tour of Africa, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel arrived this Saturday in Namibia, where he participated in the festive events of Heroes’ Day in commemoration of Namibia’s war of independence. The pomp of the reception contrasted with the lack of information about any agreements signed … Continue reading “Diaz-Canel Ends His African Tour in Namibia With a Lot of Pomp and Few Agreements”
14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 24 August 2023 — Pending the Cuban communist leader’s speech at the BRICS Summit on Thursday, as pro tempore president of the G-77 and China, not much was known about Díaz-Canel’s visit to Pretoria, where this meeting aroused enthusiasm in the weak Castro diplomacy. There was interest in knowing if … Continue reading “According to Diaz-Canel, Relations Between China and Cuba Are Not Proceeding at the Rhythm Needed. Why?”
14ymedio, Havana, 30 May 2023 — In front of the Russian television cameras, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel once again declared his unconditional friendship with Vladimir Putin. In a long interview, he defended the Social Communication Law recently approved by Parliament and called on the peoples of the world to “move away from the dollar.” In … Continue reading “Cuban President Diaz-Canel Praises ‘Friend Putin’ on Russian Television and Asks the World To ‘Move Away From the Dollar’”
14ymedio, Havana, 16 March 2023 — Families in Santiago de Cuba must resort to home methods to fight bedbugs due to the lack of chemical insecticides to eliminate them, said biologist Mirtha Pérez Menzies in an interview with Sierra Maestra. Until now, the Government had remained silent about the proliferation of the plague in the … Continue reading “The Government of Santiago de Cuba Says It Has No Resources To Combat the Bedbug Epidemic”
14ymedio, Havana, 10 March 2023 — The Cuban footwear industry stands to benefit from an injection of Chinese capital. The Asian giant has been investing increasingly more in the island’s industry and in the Combell footwear company. The business, located in Santiago de Cuba, will be one of the first to reap the benefits of … Continue reading “China Comes to the Rescue of Cuban Military Shoe Company”
EFE (via 14ymedio), Raquel Martor, Havana, 8 June 2022 — Cuban Loypa Izaguirre, with her small business in Old Havana that offers designer clothes, cocktails and music, is an example of the new generation of young entrepreneurs that is emerging on the island despite the crisis and the pandemic. The 33-year-old has been promoting the … Continue reading “Clothes, Cocktails and Music: A Cuban Entrepreneur Against the Crisis and Covid”
14ymedio, Luis Zúñiga, Miami, 22 November 2021 — The Cuban regime faces a very delicate and dangerous situation to maintain itself in power. On the one hand, the July 11 protests, in more than 40 cities and towns, showed the disgust of the population, which is living under the longest dictatorship in the Western Hemisphere, as … Continue reading “The Paris Club Must Stop Financing the Repression in Cuba”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 8 September 2021 — Like every September 8, the streets of Cuba are dressed in yellow fabrics and sunflowers to celebrate the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre. This year, however, the Patroness of the Island is not accompanied by her people. Facing the covid-19 pandemic, which offers the country no truce, and … Continue reading “Cubans Pay Tribute to Patron Saint the Virgin of Charity del Cobre From Their Homes and Under Surveillance”
14ymedio, Havana, 12 August 2021 — A letter signed by Cuban activists, journalists, intellectuals, and artists asks the Government of the Island for information on more than 800 people who were detained, and others who remain missing, after the protests of July 11. The signatories also demand justice and transparency in the legal processes that have … Continue reading “Cuba Activists Demand ‘Justice’ for the 11 July Detainees and ‘Transparency’ in Their Criminal Proceedings”
14ymedio, Bertha Karolina Guillén, Candelaria, December 28, 2020 — Jorge misses the days when he could meet his customers, shake their hands, share a coffee and venture off to explore Havana. Before the pandemic took his job as a private tour guide, this entrepreneur was part of a private network that is now trying to survive through creativity … Continue reading “Cubans Find Ways to Survive through Private Initiative”
14ymedio, Havana, 26 August 2019 — She dressed Michelle Obama, fled the fashion academy and developed her own style without stridency but with a unique trademark. Isabel Toledo, the famous Cuban fashion designer, died in New York of breast cancer, Vogue magazine reported Monday. She was born in Camajuaní, Villa Clara and given the name of Maria … Continue reading “Designer Isabel Toledo Dies in New York Without Being Recognized in Her Native Cuba”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 26 July 2019 — Bulletin boards in schools or workplaces are often ornaments hung in a corner, loaded with historical events and photos that nobody pays attention to. However, at certain times they gain prominence and dozens of eyes gather around, such as when the date school uniforms will go on sale is … Continue reading “Patience, This Year the School Uniforms Are Late”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 24 April 2019 — Where once the hustle and bustle of children’s voices resounded at all hours of the day, silence now reigns. Most entertainment devices for the little ones have disappeared and those that are installed are covered with tarps or disconnected. “The park was closed because the neighbors of the … Continue reading “Residents of Boulevard D’25 Win the Battle Against Noise”
