English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
HAVANA, Cuba, October 11, 2013, www.cubanet.org.- The residents on Maloja Street at the corner of St. Nicholas in the Los Sitios neighborhood (Central Havana ), face the serious problem of the accumulation of garbage in front the doors of their houses. “We have written to the government and to our delegate to the People’s Power. … Continue reading “The Stinking Havana that Silences Eusebio Leal* / Lilianne Ruiz”
The Castro brothers consolidated their power through purges that eliminated key figures of the Revolution, many of them born in the capital. 14ymedio, Rafael Bordao, Miami, November 12, 2025 — It is striking that, for the past 73 years, Cuba’s main heads of government have shared a common origin: a rural background. From Batista, Fidel, … Continue reading “Castro’s Mistrust of Havana Politicians”
Twenty years after an idyllic first trip to the island, Marina from Spain discovers a destroyed country and deplorable service in five-star hotels. 14ymedio, Yaiza Santos, Madrid, 1 October 2025 — Mountains of garbage on street corners, power outages, expensive hotels with insufficient food, towels with holes, mosquito infestations, beggars, sad streets, and people everywhere … Continue reading ““What the Agencies Are Doing to Tourists in Cuba is a Scam””
Is it appropriate to hide the suffering of a people in the name of culture? 14ymedio, Yaiza Santos, Huelva (Spain) — The voice of Gema Corredera and the piano of Roberto Carcassés transformed the Spanish village of Trigueros, in Huelva, into a haunted place on Tuesday. In the garden of the Harina de Otro Costal … Continue reading “The Cuban Miracle in Trigueros Comes at a Disturbing Price”
“We remain unsheltered, homeless, and seeing no real progress in the reconstruction of our building.” 14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez/Olea Gallardo, Havana, May 6, 2025 — A massive police presence could be observed around the former Saratoga Hotel and an adjacent building on Tuesday, three years after an explosion destroyed both structures and left forty-seven people … Continue reading “Neighbors of the Saratoga Hotel in Limbo Three Years after an Accident that killed 47 People”
The main artery of Old Havana has lost much of the network of residents who once gave it grace and life. 14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 27 March 2025– It is one of the busiest streets in all of Cuba, but on the cobblestones of Obispo, those who pass by are mostly tourists, employees of … Continue reading “Obispo Street in Havana, Where Tourism Has Pushed Out Neighbors”
The gala included a wide repertoire of ballads, boleros, romantic and traditional music, as well as songs in English, the language that makes officials nervous. 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 16 November 2024 – On Friday night, Havana had a respite from its long decline. In the Plaza de Armas, a few meters from the point … Continue reading “Battered by Exodus and Crisis, Havana Takes Refuge “Behind the Wall” To Celebrate Its 505th Anniversary”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 12 October 2024 *Translator’s note: The title contains the author’s maternal last name, Infante, which in Spanish can mean either “child” or “young prince”. It is also a pun on the title of Maurice Ravel’s “Pavane for a Dead Princess.” ____________ COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious … Continue reading “Photo Series: Havana’s Cinemas No Longer Show Movies… Nor the ‘Dead Princelings’”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez/Olea Gallardo, Havana, 14 September 2024 — Entering La Chocolatera is a pleasure for all the senses. The place, situated at the Havana Club in the municipality of Playa, is small but clean, illuminated, stocked and perfectly air-conditioned. The strong odor – a sour vanilla – of chocolates and sweets seeps into … Continue reading “La Chocolatera, an Oasis of Luxury in Cuba, Alongside Poverty and Scarcity”
14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 31 August 2024 — In Cuba there is no more money, even for Martí. It is true that the cult of the man Cubans call ’the Apostle’ in his land always had something of alms, and there was no tribute – from the Civic Square to Martí Notebooks – that did … Continue reading “The Cartoonists From ‘Mazzantini’ Save August From Editorial Lethargy”
14ymedio, Havana, August 12, 2024 — “Rub out all mannerisms and antisocial behavior” was the first commandment of the Military Units to Aid Production (UMAP), founded in Cuba in the 60s as forced labor camps for “homosexuals, the religious and the social lumpen.” The phrase is fixed, like a mantra, in several documents of the … Continue reading “Leaked Documents From the UMAP Reveal Techniques To ‘Rub Out’ Homosexual Behaviors”
When the sun comes out and the shadows that inhabit the place retreat, what you see is a square fallen into disgrace. 14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 3 August 32024 — There is a map for any Havana you want to find. If you try to avoid danger, unsafe areas and having your throat cut, … Continue reading “Prostitution, Sales of Drugs and Other Trades Have Taken Over Havana’s Parc de la Fraternidad”
14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 12 July 2024 — A large part of Juan Gualberto Gómez’s library was kept in the house that the patriot and his wife had built in Santos Suárez. When the family decided to leave Cuba, after Fidel Castro’s coming to power, they didn’t have time to take everything out. Angelina Edreira, … Continue reading “Juan Gualberto Gómez’s Legacy Is ‘Democratic and Subversive’ for Cuba, Says His Great-Granddaughter”
The German chain estimates that it will be able to receive its first customers in just five months 14ymedio, Havana, 18 April 2024 — After announcing its remodeling in 2019, and after several years of work, the Metrópolis hotel finally found an owner. Located on Aguacate Street, on the corner of O’Reilly, in Old Havana, … Continue reading “Kempinski Luxury Hotels Will Manage the Recently Remolded Metropolis in Old Havana”
14ymedio, Pedro Espinosa, 27 February 2024– Of everything that Reniel carries with him, on his miles-long bicycle trips through Havana, there is nothing more important than his violin. With the case open and the bow taut, the young man of 30 from Havana performs in all kinds of improvised settings in the capital: squares, parks, … Continue reading “A Violin and a Bicycle in the Streets of Havana”
