English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Elias Amor Bravo, Economist, 10 December 2022 — Cuban communists are privileged. Not only because they hold all the power in the nation, but also because they do what they want, without giving explanations, and then in their congresses they erase any responsibility. This is what happened in the recent Political Bureau of the … Continue reading “Economic Reflections on the Communist Party Plenary”
Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 15 December 2022 — The big attraction in Havana at the moment is the Christmas tree recently erected in the Fe del Valle park in central Havana, next to Calle Galiano. The fir tree, tall and not very bushy, becomes alive at night time, when its decorations are lit up. Dozens … Continue reading “The Havana Christmas Tree: The Only Thing Lit Up at This Year’s End”
14ymedio, Havana, 3 July 2022 — A tribute to Division General Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja, who died on July 1, was held this Saturday in the Granma room of the Ministry of the Armed Forces (FAR). The military ceremony was carried out “without uttering words” and stripped of “unnecessary protocols, just as Luis Alberto was in … Continue reading “Cuban Military’s Tribute to Lopez-Calleja Sounds Like a Warning Before Another July 11th (11J)”
14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, Miami, 14 November 2021 — Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla was used by Raúl Castro to try to “scare” the young creators of “Archipiélago” and the San Isidro Movement. Bruno summoned the diplomats based in Cuba and said that the excesses announced for November 15 wouldn’t be tolerated. Why? Very … Continue reading “Regime Change in Cuba”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, April 19, 2021 — The most striking development of the Eighth Communist Party Congress, which concludes on Monday after a four-day meeting with hardly any news, will be the retirement, at least officially, of the old guard. For the first time, no one with the last name Castro will hold a … Continue reading “In Cuba Marino Murillo Falls, Raul Castro’s Ex-Son-in-Law Rises”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 26 January 2021 — It is very difficult not to be repetitive when talking about recidivism. Before referring to the expectations regarding the VIII Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), scheduled for the middle of April, I reviewed what I had published on the eve of the VII Congress, held … Continue reading “Cuban Communist Party 8th Congress: The Continuity of the Useless”
14ymedio, Havana, 7 December 2020 — The bad news is piling up in Cuba. One of the most emblematic products of the Island, tobacco, does not promise a good harvest after the blows of Hurricane Eta flooded the fields of Pinar del Río, where 70% of the country’s leaf is usually grown. In October there … Continue reading “Pinar del Rio’s Tobacco Growers Foresee a Bad Harvest Due to Excessive Rains”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 4 October 2020 — This October 3rd marked the 55th anniversary of the creation of the first Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party. The selection of this hundred people followed a scrutiny that only allowed those who had had some participation in the uprising against the previous dictatorship to be promoted, as … Continue reading “The Birth of a Definition: The Historic Generation”
14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, September 29, 2020 — President Díaz Canel told the Council of Ministers in September that “failure will never be an option for the Revolution.” It’s all well and good for him to think that, even to say it, but when the official communist newspaper says otherwise on a daily basis, … Continue reading “Failures of the Cuban Revolution for Diaz Canel: Food Production”
Eliás Amor Bravo, Economist, August 24, 2020 — Perhaps, possibly, together with salaries, housing and the daily worry about food, monetary unification has become one of the main problems for Cubans. There is proof of that. The article published in Granma with the title “Monetary unification is on the horizon in Cuba”, in which several specialists … Continue reading “Monetary Unification: The Story Never Ends”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 22 August 2020 — In one of his most recent speeches, Miguel Díaz-Canel referred, among other issues, to “the Economic Strategy designed to face the crisis situation generated by the pandemic,” and saw the need to make it clear that “in its implementation it will be demonstrated that we do not … Continue reading “The Limits of Terminology”
Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 11 July 2020 — A brief note in the state-owned newspaper Granma, reports on a meeting between Cuban president Díaz-Canel and scientists and experts from prestigious Cuban institutions, held to discuss issues of food and nutritional sovereignty. The article offers an analysis of the problem that has always affected the Cuban … Continue reading “‘Scientific’ Meetings Don’t Put Food on Cuban Tables”
14ymedio, Havana, July 9, 2020 — Beginning now, the campesinos (farmers) who are members of farming cooperatives will be responsible for supplying the bodegas (ration stores) in their region. According to what several of them told 14ymedio in the province of Pinar del Rio, the farmers must take 30 pounds of food for each consumer … Continue reading “Farmers Must Provide Food to the Ration Stores”
14ymedio, Havana, 18 April 2020 — Raúl Castro reappeared this Friday after a long public absence to preside over a meeting to analyze the current situation of Covid-19 in Cuba, according to official press reports. The former president had not been seen in any official image since late February. As first secretary of the Communist Party, … Continue reading “Raul Castro Reappears After a Long Public Absence”
Juan Juan Almeida, 28 January 2020 — On January 25, Army General Raúl Castro attended the funeral services for Asela de los Santos Tamayo, held in the Pantheon of Veterans at the Colón Cemetery. In attendance were the most prominent members of Cuba’s political leadership. It was the same on Sunday, December 8, for the … Continue reading “Raul Castro "Sparks" at the Funeral for Asela de Los Santos / Juan Juan Almeida”
