Almost Always Villains

14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 4 December 2023 — Martí is good, Weyler is bad, Chibás is doubtful and a little hysterical. Cubans were always reckless; the Spanish, lazy; Americans, greedy. The independence movement was inevitable; annexationism, inadvisable; reformism, a symptom of laziness and lack of character. Céspedes is the father of the country; Mariana, the … Continue reading “Almost Always Villains”

Political Police Isolate Opponents During EU Representative Eamon Gilmore’s Visit to Cuba

14ymedio, Madrid, 24 November 2023 — Before the  of the European Union’s Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, landed in Cuba, State Security had already detained Professor Pedro Albert Sánchez and Dr. Fernándo Vázquez, both activists, who had announced their intention to meet with the Irish senior official. Ana Elvis Amaya, wife of Pedro … Continue reading “Political Police Isolate Opponents During EU Representative Eamon Gilmore’s Visit to Cuba”

“The Silences and Scandals of Cuban Freemasonry” is Presented at the Miami Book Fair

14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 18 November 2022 — The book, Del templo al temple. Silencios y escándalos de la masonería cubana [From Temple to Temple. Silences and Scandals of Cuban Freemasonry] (Editorial Primigenios, 2022), by journalist Camila Acosta, will be presented from November 18 to 20 at the Miami Book Fair. It’s a history of … Continue reading ““The Silences and Scandals of Cuban Freemasonry” is Presented at the Miami Book Fair”

The Great Masonic Temple Building Also Falls Apart in Havana

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 21 May 2022 — Pieces of the structure are falling from one of the most emblematic buildings in Central Havana, the Great National Masonic Temple of Cuba. Due to the lack of maintenance, the building shows fragments of part of the roof in its large portal that can be fatal … Continue reading “The Great Masonic Temple Building Also Falls Apart in Havana”

Cuba: The Old Guard

14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 10 April 2022 — Memory is made of places, paths and faces. We go through them again and again, while the rum is spent and the tobacco is burned; taking advantage of the conversation with a stranger, during dreams and obsessions. The one who remembers knows that the world — his … Continue reading “Cuba: The Old Guard”

Angel Santiesteban’s Personal War

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana | 7 February  2021 — Ángel Santiesteban Prats (1966, Havana) is perhaps the living Cuban writer, residing in Cuba, who has had the most problems with the political police. He is also one of those who has garnered the most recognition for his literary work. He writes film scripts, practices journalism … Continue reading “Angel Santiesteban’s Personal War”

Fidel Castro, All Over the Place / Iván García

Ivan Garcia, 13 July 2016 — The bearded Castro — famous for his long speeches, sponsorship of guerrilla groups in Latin America and Africa, and utopian promises — retired for health reasons after forty-seven years in power. But like a disembodied ghost, he is apt to reappear at any moment in Cubans’ lives. “A few … Continue reading “Fidel Castro, All Over the Place / Iván García”

Gulliver Against Twelve Thousand Dwarves / 14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner

14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, Miami, 31 October 2015 – Cuba 191, United States 2. This is called a diplomatic beating. One-hundred-ninety-one countries at the United Nations voted in favor of a resolution presented by Cuba against the commercial and financial restrictions imposed by the United States on the Castros’ government in 1961. Only two nations … Continue reading “Gulliver Against Twelve Thousand Dwarves / 14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner”