English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, 15 February 2024 — From makeup to clothes, the family of the deceased in Sancti Spíritus must provide all the necessary supplies for the preparation of the corpse. Interviewed by the official press, Alberto Gómez, the employee of Communal Services who is in charge of this profession, unveiled the litany of precariousness of … Continue reading “The Cuban Authorities Ignore the Living, and the Dead Even More”
14ymedio, Havana, January 15, 2024 — The official newspaper Invasor published this Sunday, for the second time in four months, a warning to the officials of the Island. The reason: the lack of transparency of the authorities in the face of requests for information and solutions by the media and citizens. “People have the right … Continue reading “Ciego de Avila Newspaper ‘Invasor’ Once Again Questions the Transparency of the Cuban Authorities”
14ymedio, Miguel García, Havana, 15 January 2024 — Not even the Cuban military are saved from the mountains of garbage that are seen everywhere on the Island. The neighborhoods of Villanueva 2 and Villanueva 3, in the city of Holguín, where hundreds of workers of the Ministry of the Interior reside, is about to be … Continue reading “Not Even the ‘Integrated’ Neighborhoods in Cuba Are Saved From Garbage Piles Everywhere”
14ymedio, Juan Matos, Manzanillo (Granma Province), 31 December 2023 — It has been so many days since no one has collected the garbage on the streets of Manzanillo that the mountains of waste already have a uniform, ocher color. Due to the effect of the salt air and the indifference of the Community Services, the … Continue reading “Cubans in Manzanillo Try to Collect the Garbage Themselves Due to the Apathy of the Authorities”
14ymedio, Juan Matos, Manzanillo (Granma province) | December 27, 2023 — When the families of Manzanillo, in the province of Granma, see a water truck parked on the corner of any neighborhood, the line takes only a few minutes to form. With a sudden drought, which compromises all the lines of production and daily life, … Continue reading “Manzanillo Cuba Is Without Water, With a Deteriorated Aqueduct and a Single Water Truck That Circulates Through Its Streets”
14ymedio, Havana, December 26, 2023 — Cases of leptospirosis are increasing, the health authorities of Guantánamo announced on Monday, after informing the official press that this year 44 people are suspected of having contracted the disease, 12 more than those counted in 2022. So far, they acknowledged, two deaths have been reported in the municipalities … Continue reading “Leptospirosis Skyrockets in Cuba, the Country of Rats and Mountains of Garbage”
14ymedio, Havana, 23 December 2023 — The governor of Las Tunas reported to Parliament this Friday that 2023 has been one of the most disastrous years for the province in economic, health and social matters. With a contrite face and a thick report in his hand, Jaime Chiang translated into numbers the alarming infant mortality … Continue reading “Las Tunas, an ‘Ungovernable’ Cuban Province Due to Corruption, Inflation and the Economic Debacle”
14ymedio, Nelson Garcia/Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 4 December 4, 2023 — On the tombs of the two Jewish cemeteries of Guanabacoa there are no flowers, but rather stones. It is an ancient custom that has survived throughout the centuries and that represents the solidity of Jewish traditions in the world. The cemetery, several synagogues, a hostel, … Continue reading “A Poster from Cuba’s Jewish Community for the Hostages in Gaza Demands ‘Free Them’”
14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 30 November, 2023 – Soft and comfortable and long-lasting, that’s how they marketed the mattresses sold by the Lavín company more than half a century ago at the central Havana corner location of calles Neptuno and Lealdad. Only a memory remains of that private concern, nationalised and converted into the … Continue reading “The Havana Corner Shop ‘Lavin Mattresses’ Shows Its Endless Rubbish”
14ymedio, Havana, November 28, 2023 — Two private enterprises from Ciego de Ávila will be in charge of repairing the ward for patients with respiratory diseases at the Doctor Antonio Luaces Iraola Pediatric Hospital. The official press, which spread the news on Tuesday, did not explain if the choice of private over State companies is due … Continue reading “The Cuban State Looks to the Private Sector To Repair Hospitals”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, November 24, 2023 — The residents of Luyanó could not believe their eyes this Friday morning: the mammoth garbage dumps that had been accumulating for weeks in various corners of the Havana – and that only a day ago has been reported by 14ymedio reported – had disappeared as if by magic. … Continue reading “For a Few Hours, Luyano Was No Longer Cuba’s Garbage Capital”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 11 November 2023 — “They are not going to pay me for this!” shouted a man Saturday morning, as he was throwing part of the garbage that was overflowing a few meters from a container of the agricultural fair at Parque Trillo, in Central Havana. In the same space, bananas … Continue reading “Trillo Park in Havana, Where Food and Garbage Go Hand in Hand”
14ymedio, Havana, 6 November 2023 — A dozen state companies in Ciego de Ávila will end this year with their accounts in the red, Cuba’s official press reported on Monday. The authorities of the province, which have seen exports crumble by 66.6%, which translates into a debt of 85 million pesos, look with special alarm … Continue reading “In Cuba, Egg Subsidy Has Led to the Bankruptcy of Ciego de Avila’s Poultry Company”
14ymedio, Havana, 27 October 2023 — “We can’t even open the balcony door because the house is full of flies,” laments Clara, a resident of 30th Street at the corner of 37th, in the municipality of Playa, in Havana. A few meters from her home, a huge garbage dump has been growing for weeks without the … Continue reading “Cuban Authorities Ask for the Support of ‘MSMEs’ to Collect the Garbage in Havana”
14ymedio, Havana, 13 October 2023 — The directors of the Recycling Company congratulated themselves this Thursday on Cuban State TV’s Roundtable program for being one of the few “industries” in the country that has overfulfilled its plan: so far this year, the company has collected 74,000 tons of raw material and collected more than 41.6 … Continue reading “With Recycling, the Cuban State Earned 41.6 Million Dollars Exporting Garbage”
