English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
I was surprised listening to the words of Mariela Castro, in the United States, calling herself a dissident. I picture her as a kingbird on a clothesline, waiting to see where the food is thrown out. Then, she comes down and eats. I categorize her words as imprecise. And her speech, I would dare to … Continue reading “Mariela Castro a Dissident and Me an Opponent / Wendy Iriepa and Ignacio Estrada”
She carries a name that evokes encampments, and I am just a Sanchez, dragging the “ez” ending that once meant to be “the son of” some Sancho. Yes, like that chubby guy on the donkey who accompanied and satirized Quixote, although I weigh many pounds less and have never galloped, not even on a pony. … Continue reading “The Future with Mariela Castro / Yoani Sanchez”
Towards the end of October, sociologist Mariela Castro Espin, Director of the National Center of Sexual Education of Cuba (CENESEX), while on a visit to this country, expressed her admiration for the “dignified manner” with which prostitutes uphold the value of their work in Holland. But in these latitudes, whose Revolution since its first steps … Continue reading “Mariela Castro in the Red Light District / Jeovany J. Vega”
EFE via 14ymedio, Havana, 3 February 2018 — On Saturday, the Castro family expressed appreciation for the messages of condolence received after the suicide, at the age of 68, of Fidel Castro’s first-born son, the nuclear physicist Fidel Castro Díaz-Balart, whose death surprised Cuba and has been much discussed on the streets in recent hours. “On behalf … Continue reading “Except for Mariela, the Castro Family Remains Silent on Fidelito’s Suicide”
14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 14 March 2023–Universidad de la Habana, March 13, 1963. Fidel Castro leaned on the podium, at the top of the stairs facing thousands of students. Dressed in a suit, grimacing, are: President Dorticós; the adventurous geographer Antonio Núñez Jiménez; youth director José Rebellón; and the parents of Camilo Cienfuegos, who had … Continue reading “‘Cubadebate’ Exhumes Fidel Castro’s Speech That Gave Way to the UMAP Camps, and Removes it Hours Later”
14ymedio, Madrid, 27 July 2022 — The birthplace of Ángel Castro Argiz, father of Fidel and Raúl Castro, will be inaugurated this Thursday in Láncara, in the Spanish province of Lugo, as an interpretation center for Galician migration. The museum, which will be officially called Casa Láncara, has delayed its opening for two years, due to … Continue reading “Cuban Diplomats and Opponents in Front of the Castro House Museum in Galicia”
14ymedio, Havana, 13 September 2019 — Twitter started unlocking some of the official accounts closed last Wednesday. At the moment, the profiles of Granma, Mesa Redonda, Radio Rebelde, Dominio Cuba , the journalist Leticia Martínez Hernández and the deputy and director of the National Sex Education Center, Cenesex, Mariela Castro, have recovered their activity. Among those … Continue reading “Official Twitter Accounts Return, But Not Raul Castro’s”
Angel Santiesteban”When I left the fold they settled the score because, in addition to their spiteful nature, the Castros needed to punish me so that other artists wouldn’t escape from the corral.” Ángel Santiesteban-Prats (Havana, 1966) is one of the most prolific writers of his generation. Dichosos los que lloran (Happy are Those Who Mourn) (2006), Suerte que tienen algunos … Continue reading “Angel Santiesteban: "The Castros are professionals in the art of transformation." / Ángel Santiesteban”
EFE via 14ymedio, Havana, 5 February 2018 — The remains of the nuclear physicist Fidel Castro Díaz-Balart, Fidel Castro’s first-born son, known as Fidelito, who took his own life last Thursday, rest in the pantheon of the Academy of Sciences in the Colon Cemetery, the largest cemetery in Havana. On Monday, the discreet black marble pantheon was … Continue reading “Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart was Buried in the Colon Cemetery in Havana”
Ivan Garcia, 6 February 2018 — A silent police patrol began to search passersby they considered suspicious. When they saw it, the illegal tomato sellers quickly hid their merchandise on the staircase of a building in Havana’s Vibora neighborhood at Acosta and Diez de Octubre. An old woman, a regular seller of the newspaper Granma … Continue reading “The Other Fidel Castro / Iván García”
14ymedio, Havana, 25 January 2018 — With the publication, on Wednesday, of the list of candidates for the National Assembly of People’s Power, one of the great unknowns of the transfer of power in Cuba was clarified: the current president’s son, Alejandro Castro Espín, is not on the list and thus is automatically unable to legally rise … Continue reading “Alejandro Castro Espín Can Not Be President Of Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 21 December 2017 — In a last minute turn of events, the Cuban Parliament extended Raul Castro’s current mandate for two months, a decision that extends his presidency beyond February 2018, when he was expected to leave power. The “serious effects of Hurricane Irma across the entire national territory,” has been used to … Continue reading “Raul Castro Extends His Presidency Beyond February 2018”
Juan Juan Almeida, 13 September 2017 — On Friday, September 8, the day the faithful celebrate the feast day of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, Hurricane Irma — a powerful category 5 storm — slammed into eastern Cuba with full force. An onslaught of huge waves, heavy rains and hurricane-force winds caused damage … Continue reading “The Castros Celebrate While Cuba is Inundated / Juan Juan Almeida”
14ymedio, Havana, 25 August 2017 — In a period of 48 hours the survey released by 14ymedio on Wednesday, 23 August, received 1,503 valid responses. The poll asked which official figure is most likely to be Cuba’s President of the Council of State on 24 February 2018. According to our readers, Miguel Díaz-Canel, the country’s current vice-president, led the … Continue reading “Cuba’s Next President? Díaz-Canel and Castro Espín Lead in 14ymedio’s Survey”
Iván García, 17 May 2017 — In front of an old mansion on 17th Street in Vedado that now serves as the headquarters of the Union of Writers and Artists, there is a poster showing hundreds of men dressed in battle fatigues and lined up in military formation. A resounding verdict in two rows of … Continue reading “Cuba: More Castroism but Without the Castros / Iván García”
