English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
In the 1950’s there were two hotels out of their league: the Hotel National in Havana and the Hotel International in Varadero. The first one is still standing in the heart of Vedado, the second one will be demolished. This was just confirmed by Jorge Alvarez, Director of Center of Inspection and Environmental Control. This … Continue reading “The Hotel International in Varadero will be Demolished / Ivan Garcia”
“It hasn’t been the worst flooding, but it’s come at the worst possible time: without water or electricity and with the garbage dump almost reaching half a block.” 14ymedio, Havana, February 23, 2026 — Indifferent to internal crises and external tensions, the forces of nature stubbornly continue on their course, sometimes unpredictable, sometimes not so … Continue reading “The Sea Invades the Deserted Streets of Havana”
The new ’minimarket’ sells imported oriental products, as well as everyday items 14ymedio, José Lassa, Havana, 29 January 2025 — Since the beginning of this year, this new shop in Havana has become a meeting point for lovers of Korean culture. K-Mart is the first shop with South Korean products in Cuba, opening amid warming … Continue reading “K-Mart, the First South Korean Shop in Cuba Since Renewed Diplomatic Relations”
Amid blackouts, protests, and empty bus stops, Cubans are receiving the 176 economic measures announced by the government with skepticism. 14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Havana, June 20, 2026 / She carefully climbs onto the electric tricycle, while clarifying that she has had knee surgery. At 81, she says she dedicated her entire life to training athletes … Continue reading “Havana Chronicles: The Time For Reforms Has Passed”
Bruno Rodriguez denounces “a total blockade, akin to a military one” while the US “openly calls for the subversion of the constitutional order” 14ymedio, Havana, June 21, 2026 / The Cuban Government has made Marco Rubio the primary target of its propaganda offensive against Washington. This Saturday, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez again accused the US … Continue reading “Cuban Foreign Minister Accuses Marco Rubio of ‘Chronic Lying and Contradicting Trump’”
The British weekly says that poor investments in hotels have drastically reduced the foreign currency reserves of the Castro-era empire, while the Central Bank has barely 3 billion dollars. 14ymedio Madrid, March 25, 2026 – Far from the idea of a multimillion-dollar empire that exists about the Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (Gaesa), the military … Continue reading “The Military Conglomerate Gaesa Is on the Verge of Bankruptcy and the Cuban Economy Will Fall by 7.2% This Year, According to The Economist”
Without transportation and without gasoline, La Rampa, 23rd Street, Coppelia and other iconic places suffer from the crisis affecting the entire country 14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Havana, Februay 22, 2016 — It’s Saturday and I’m heading out to Vedado. Just a few years ago, the combination of this day of the week with La Rampa, 23rd … Continue reading “Vedado, the Heart of Havana’s Nightlife, Is Now Converted Into a Desert”
The RAE dictionary does not yet recognize the meaning of the verb that defines life on the Island under real socialism. 14ymedio, José A. Adrián Torres, Malaga (Spain), 5 October 2025 — Cuba—like so many other nations—proudly displays its national symbols: the national bird, the tocororo; the national tree, the royal palm; the national flower, … Continue reading “‘To Resolve’, the Art of Survival in Cuba”
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””
The measures also affect the Ministers of the Interior and the Armed Forces and restrict the entry into the US of their relatives. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez says that Washington “does not have the capacity to bend the will of the people or its leaders.” EFE/14ymedio, Washington/Havana, 11 July 2025 — The United States government … Continue reading “Washington Sanctions Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel for the First Time, on the Fourth Anniversary of the ’11J’ Protests”
Bartenders and maître d’s trained in schools such as the Hotel Sevilla or La Ferminia return to oblivion or exile, dragging with them the lost legacy of Cuban cocktail making and hospitality. 14ymedio, José A. Adrián Torres, Malaga (Spain), 21 June 2025 — In Cuba, there was a time when serving well was an art. … Continue reading “When the Cocktail Gets Cold: The Decline of the Art of Serving in a Cuba Without Tourism”
An employers’ organization says Havana owes more than 350 million euros to some 300 companies. 14ymedio, Havana, 12 June 2025 — Cuba’s financial crisis and its informality in paying its debts have made even its historical partners begin to distrust it. This Thursday, resentful of the defaults to several companies in Catalonia, the employers’ organization … Continue reading “Several Spanish Companies Have Gone Bankrupt Due to Defaults of the Cuban Government”
Real wages in Cuba today are barely two-thirds of the average salary in 1989. 14ymedio, Havana, 18 April 2025 — The report published this Friday by Cuba’s National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) is more than a summary of the “evolution” of the average Cuban salary until 2024, it is the umpteenth expression—in numbers … Continue reading “Official Data on the Average Cuban Salary Hide a Huge Decline in Purchasing Power”
Authorities invite the Chinese to “discover the smile, gratitude, and spirituality of a noble, heroic, resilient, and optimistic people.” 14ymedio, Madrid, 30 March 2025 — Not in vain has the official Cuban press widely covered the arrival, this Friday in Varadero, of the first flight of the season loaded with 285 Rosneft employees from Russia. … Continue reading “Rosneft and the Shanghai Fair, the Cuban Government’s Bets To Stop the Debacle of Tourism”
In its eagerness to extract more dollars from foreigners, the Government forces them to pay with plastic and prohibits them from using cash. 14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 22 March 2025 — A tourist enters the cafeteria of the Grand Aston Hotel in Havana and is immediately approached by an employee who warns him that … Continue reading “The Clásica Card, A Trap That Scares Away Tourists in Cuba”