From ’Protoplin’ to Sugarcane Juice

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Desde Aqui, Havana, 28 May 2020 — It was in the 1980s, durng one those trips to the provinces which I took as a journalist for the magazine Cuba International, accompanied by the Luis Manuel Fernández, better known as Pirole.  In the midst of the boredom of those hotels with no diversions, … Continue reading “From ’Protoplin’ to Sugarcane Juice”

The Departure Of Raúl Castro, The End Of An Era

14ymedio, Generation Y, (Politicaexterior.com), Yoani Sanchez, 9 January 2017 — “Six decades are a lifetime,” says Facundo, a Cuban retiree who sells the official press in Old Havana to supplement his low pension. Born shortly before Fidel Castro came to power, the man is suspicious of the appointment of a new president next April. “That’s going to … Continue reading “The Departure Of Raúl Castro, The End Of An Era”

Calves of the Revolution / Rosa Maria Rodriguez Torrado

The newspaper Granma provokes, slapping its readers’ faces with a fistful of falsehoods. I am not saying they use fallacy on a regular basis, but sometimes they publish opinions with a manipulative slant. These must be refuted because, if we remain silent, we are ourselves guilty of lying through inaction or omission. On July 31 … Continue reading “Calves of the Revolution / Rosa Maria Rodriguez Torrado”

Domestic Violence / Francis Sánchez

Photo: Francis Sánchez One day I discovered that my wife accused me of attempted murder. She based her accusation on a poem she had found among my unpublished scribbles, where I addressed the dream of a just death that could follow a liberating shot. Carrying forward the tragic event, with the right that attends every … Continue reading “Domestic Violence / Francis Sánchez”

Moral Exchange / Ernesto Morales Licea

Apparently the uneven playing field in the euphemistic “cultural exchange” that is happening today between the United States and Cuba alarms no one. Week after week, artists from this side of the ocean continue to arrive on American soil, filled with remarkable talent, an understandable excitement, and a willingness to return to the island that, … Continue reading “Moral Exchange / Ernesto Morales Licea”

Who Said All Is Lost? / Ernesto Morales Licea

One Anyone seeing all six-feet-eight of him go by, looking like a basketball forward, would never guess his true profession and what he cares about. Unless he puts on, obviously, the huge white coat he wears which marks him as a saver of lives. His name: Fernando Mederos. For a long time he’s been the … Continue reading “Who Said All Is Lost? / Ernesto Morales Licea”

A World Cup as an Antidote Against the Past

Morgan Freeman was at the finals. Seated in the VIP section of Soccer City with his dark baseball cap and a nervous expression on his face. Nervous in the angle the television offered us, of course. Perhaps two seconds later he would’ve been euphorically screaming if he rooted for Spain or would have been another … Continue reading “A World Cup as an Antidote Against the Past”