English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
The few expectations generated by the Ninth Congress of the Union of Journalists and Writers of Cuba ( UPEC ), held last weekend, ended in frustration. The changes that demand journalism plays an effective role in social transformations were conspicuous by their absence. The conclave ignored the issue of press freedom, a vital issue to … Continue reading “UPEC and the Freedom of the Press / Dimas Castellanos”
Dimas is second from right. Interview with Dimas Castellanos Marti, historian and journalist. From Havana, Felix Sautie Mederos Por Esto! asks: “Unravel the causes of the crisis our society finds itself in (…) The concept of race as a group of hereditary characteristics seems to lack foundation, as a social construction it has a damaging … Continue reading “Interview with Dimas Castellanos”
This past March 23, the prize-winning essayist, critic and literary investigator Roberto Zurbano, who up until this moment functioned as the director of the Editorial Fund of Casa de las Americas, was dismissed from the position. This measure was taken a few days after the US newspaper “The New York Times,” published an article under the … Continue reading “On Racism There is Still Much to Discuss / Dimas Castellanos”
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”
The XCIII Plenary of the National Council of the Workers Central Union of Cuba (CTC) that recently met under the chairmanship of the Second Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), agreed to postpone the celebration of its XX Congress, create an Organizing Committee and appoint Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento to its leadership. The postponement … Continue reading “The Cuban Communist Party and the Workers Central Union / Dimas Castellanos”
Once the flag of the stripes and stars was lowered amid popular rejoicing on 20 May 1902, Generalissimo Máximo Gómez proceeded to raise the national ensign at Palace of the General Captains. “I think we have made it,” were his words that day. After four centuries of colonialism, three decades of independence wars, and more than … Continue reading “20 May 1902, The Possible Republic / Dimas Castellanos”
In the expanded meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Friday May 13, the head of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment reported on the irregularities in the operation of businesses with foreign capital and international contracts; the Minister of Economy and Planning spoke about the irregularities and criminal activity in the marketing of fuels; … Continue reading “The Morality of the Survivor / Dimas Castellanos”
On May 1 the government of Cuba was the subject for the second time of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a tool of the Human Rights Council (HRC) of the United Nations responsible for reviewing the obligations and commitments made by the members States in this area. When this function was exercised by the former … Continue reading “A Second Evaluation / Dimas Castellanos”
New resolutions issued by the Ministry of Economy and Planning, introducing changes in economic relations, give more attention to the re-insertion of non-state forms of management. The measures, published in the Official Extraordinary Gazette, No. 4, of February 21, 2013, authorize the “payment in convertible pesos (CUC), to legal entities to natural persons in certain … Continue reading “We Approach the Present Through the Past / Dimas Castellanos”
“Without a strong union there will be no economy,” said Salvador Valdes Mesa, vice president of the Council of State and member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in the recently concluded plenary session of the National Union of Sugar Workers. An approach which clearly expresses the vision of unions as … Continue reading “Are There Unions in Cuba? / Dimas Castellanos”
On the 29th of October of 1897 in the pasture of La Yaya, in Sibanicú, Camagüey, the drafting of what would become the last mambí Constitution came to an end. The resulting text represented a qualitative leap forward in Cuba’s constitutional history. This was due to the inclusion, for the first time, of a dogmatic … Continue reading “The Constitution of La Yaya and the Future Cuban Constitution / Dimas Castellanos”
According to the official results of the “elections” held on Sunday, February 3 of this year, 1,249,832 Cubans, “14.22% of all voters,” did not go to the polls or cast invalid ballots in a clear display of their rejection of the Cuban electoral system. The number of people behaving in this way has been growing over … Continue reading “The 2013 Cuban Elections and the Multi-Party System / Dimas Castellanos”
The 2011-2012 sugar harvest carries the same difficulties as those of the past two decades. Although this time enough cane has been planted to fulfill the production plan and from the start of the contest they could count on almost all of the resources planned for, the problems were repeated from previous harvests. The 2011-2012 … Continue reading “Is the Cuban Sugar Industry Facing Extinction? / Dimas Castellanos”
With the title “The Land Belongs to Those Who Work It,” the newspaper Granma published an editorial on May 17, in commemoration of “Peasant’s Day” from which I have selected three points that invite reflection. One: The Agrarian Reform was a basic need for economic liftoff. An affirmation that I share, since the concentration of … Continue reading “Why Doesn’t the Land Belong to Those Who Work It? / Dimas Castellanos”
A report issued by the NGO Save the Children, which states that Cuba ranks first among Latin American countries with regards to the conditions to be a mother, followed by Argentina and Uruguay, was reproduced in part on the first page of the newspaper Granma on 10 May. Such information, which the official press presents … Continue reading “Why Aren’t Cubans Having More Babies? / Dimas Castellanos”
