English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, May 1, 2024 — Two resolutions adopted by the Central Bank of Cuba (BCC) have become a symbol of the financial future towards which Havana seems to be moving. In a announcement published on Tuesday in the “Official Gazette,” the bank indicated that it has accepted a request by Spain’s Banco Bilbao Vizcaya … Continue reading “A Spanish Bank Leaves Cuba as a Russian Bank Opens Offices in Havana”
The sale of medicines and the purchase of foreign currency, all informal, happens in full view of the police and despite the operatives 14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 14 April 2024 – The market known as La Cuevita, in San Miguel del Padrón, on the outskirts of Havana, is not larger than the one that … Continue reading “La Cuevita, Where Capitalism Works in Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 27 April 2024 — A special report on the lack of sanitary pads in Ciego de Ávila, published this Saturday in Invasor, harshly criticizes the slow production of the industry on the Island, which asks for “calm,” while menstruation does not wait. Of the 100,000 women – according to 2022 data – who … Continue reading “In Ciego De Avila, Cuban Women Have Not Received a Single “Intimate” Item So Far This Year”
“What’s for sale now are the belongings of local people who are leaving and can’t take everything with them” 14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 18 April 2024 — Women’s purses, babies’ shoes and several small home appliances are piled up on one of the tables. “These items have just come in and I haven’t had … Continue reading “A Massive Exodus Leaves Cuba with an Abundance of Secondhand Clothes and Home Appliances”
14ymedio, Havana, 28 March 2024 — The Cuban regime took another step this Wednesday in its attempt to capture a greater amount of foreign exchange. The Clásica card, issued by Fincimex, the financial wing of the Gaesa military conglomerate, can now receive remittances from any country through the Tocopay application, based in Bilbao, Spain. Fincimex … Continue reading “Cuban Military Tries To Regain Control of Remittances”
14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 7 March 2024 — Without much notice or publication of the schedule, long blackouts have returned to Havana. The Cuban capital, which for weeks had the privilege of electricity while the provinces sank into power outages of more than ten hours a day, has not managed to avoid the crisis … Continue reading “Blackouts Come to Havana While the Rest of Cuba Sinks Into Darkness”
14ymedio, Havana, 6 March 2024 — Among the Government’s pending and urgent tasks, said Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero on Monday, is “the restructuring of the foreign exchange market,” set for February. Now in March, and without measures on the horizon, it is impossible to contain. In the midst of government inaction, the escalation in the … Continue reading “The Dollar and the Euro Are on the Way to Reaching 340 Cuban Pesos in March”
14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 24 February 2024 — Careful!” a woman managed to say this Friday to a child who was rushing along the entrance ramp of the Paseo Galleries, in Havana’s Vedado district. The floor slabs, full of holes, forced customers going to the market, located on the first floor, to walk gently … Continue reading “Paseo Galleries in Havana, a Palace of Consumption Turned into Ruins”
14ymedio, Havana, 23 January 2024 — A group of “selected branches” of the Banco de Crédito y Comercio de Cuba (Bandec) will begin selling prepaid cards in dollars for domestic and foreign customers starting this Wednesday. Similar to those already marketed in hotels, the new cards offer advantages over their predecessors: they are valid for … Continue reading “A Cuban Bank Offers New Prepaid Cards in Dollars for Cubans and Foreigners”
14ymedio, Juan Matos, Manzanillo, January 16, 2024 – The authorities of Manzanillo, in the province of Granma, have covered the windows of the stores in freely convertible currency (MLC). In recent months, stone attacks on these shops have increased, because of the population’s discontent. Covering the windows is a temporary measure that seeks to protect … Continue reading “In Manzanillo, the Windows of Hard Currency Stores Are Covered Against Stones”
14ymedio, Madrid, 9 January 2024 — Fuel on the Island will quintuple in price starting February 1st. But Cubans, always thinking ahead, are more afraid of the dangers to come. These include even larger price increases on the black market and shortages at service centers, especially for those paying in Cuban pesos (CUP) rather than … Continue reading “Cuban Authorities Announce Price Increases of More Than 500 Percent for Regular Gasoline and Diesel”
14ymedio, Miguel García, Holguín, 7 January 2023 — Search, collect and crush. Ramón’s day, at age 57, contains those three actions. He makes his rounds through the city center of Holguín, where cans of soft drinks or beer can be more common in the trash. Then, after several days of accumulating, he sells his loot … Continue reading “‘The Cuban State No Longer Has Money To Pay Waste Collectors, so I Sell to the Private Companies’”
14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 4 January 2024 — Twinkling lights, sculptural bodies and music. The propaganda about the Tropicana cabaret in Havana has barely changed in decades. The environment has changed and customers looking for a night of relaxation will have to overcome some obstacles, including the method of payment: a convoluted and frustrating … Continue reading “Paying with Hard Currency Cards, A Scam for Tourists in Cuba”
14ymedio, Mercedes García, Sancti Spíritus | 30 December 2023 — Edith has been “hunting” for a few pounds of malanga and two pork shanks for weeks. This end of the year, her house in the Los Olivos neighborhood, in Sancti Spíritus, has become a base of operations. The budget: 100 dollars that her brother sent … Continue reading “How Much Does 100 Dollars Weigh in Cuban Pesos?”
14ymedio, Havana, 6 December 2023 — “Error.” That word, appearing this Wednesday on the payment terminal screens at the Casa del Café Mamá Inés in Old Havana, destroys the illusions of the Central Bank of Cuba (BCC) about the effectiveness of the Russian Mir cards. Despite its commitment to the officials of the Russian National … Continue reading “Russian Mir Cards Give an ‘Error’ Message at the Store Where the Central Bank of Cuba Did the Tests”
