English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, 16 March 2023 — More than 11,300 drying sheds of recently harvested tobacco burned in a fire on Wednesday night in Jovellanos, Matanzas. The official press confirmed the news, advanced by a user on social networks, which shattered the calm of the neighbors of District 5 of the San Carlos People’s Council. According … Continue reading “A Fire in Matanzas, Cuba Wipes Out 11,300 Tobacco Drying Sheds”
14ymedio, Havana, 30 November 2022 — A fire that occurred on Tuesday afternoon consumed the load of a wagon with tobacco on a train from Pinar del Río, the province that produces the best cigars in the world. The authorities confirmed that the fire was extinguished by the Specialized Fire Forces, but they have not … Continue reading “Fire Destroys a Load of Tobacco on a Train from Pinar del Rio”
An extract from the novel ‘Náufrago del tiempo’ (Castaway in Time), published by la editorial Verbum (2022) 14ymedio, Xavier Carbonell, Salamanca, 26 November 2022 The village lives in a perpetual silence, as though words had the power to unleash a tempest. The women believe that any festivities would bring bad luck and catastrophe; the men … Continue reading “A Stranger is Shipwrecked in Cabo Lagarto, Land of Tobacco and Forbidden Women”
14ymedio, Madrid, 14 November 2022 — Pinar del Río’s recovery work after the passage of Hurricane Ian never ends. It has been almost 50 days since the hurricane landed in La Coloma, one of the westernmost points on the Island, and there are still 3,673 people without electricity, according to the latest update published this … Continue reading “Thousands of Cubans in Pinar del Rio are Still Without Electricity Almost 50 Days After Hurricane Ian”
14ymedio, Havana, 4 November 2022 — More than a month after the passage of Hurricane Ian, which devastated the west of the country, the Cuban government has as an urgent task to protect more than 6,000 tons of raw tobacco, part of which will be transferred to other provinces from Pinar del Río. There, the … Continue reading “Cuba: Pinar del Rio Needs Nine Trains to Transport Tobacco to Other Provinces”
EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 4 October 2022 — Hurricane Ian has been a “demolishing blow” for Cuba’s most select tobacco cultivation, the official press reported, with major material damage and the loss of thousands of tons of raw material. Hurricane Ian — a category three storm with heavy rains and winds of up to 125 … Continue reading “Cuban Tobacco ‘Has Suffered the Largest Blow in its History’”
14ymedio, Eliás Amor Bravo, 30 September 2022 — It is not clear that getting everyone to pitch in is what is needed, or the most efficient way to restore normalcy in the aftermath of a hurricane. Though there are more appropriate ways of dealing with natural disasters, Cuba’s communist regime still prefers to rely on … Continue reading “The Post-Hurricane Landscape”
14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 30 September 32022 — Analysts have been surprised that the Cuban communist regime has not openly asked for international aid to compensate for the disaster caused by Hurricane Ian. However, the regime has rushed to disclose information about the bank accounts authorized to receive emergency donations to Cuba that individuals … Continue reading “Hurricane Ian in Cuba: Does Anyone Know What They’re Going to Do With the Donations?”
14ymedio, Elias Amor Bravo, 29 October 2022 — Now the state press is describing in detail the “desolate panorama that the most violent meteorological phenomenon to hit Vueltabajo in the last 14 years has left in its wake.” That is, they even dare to grant the hurricane this honor by its strength and its devastating … Continue reading “Cuba: The Economic Consequences of Hurricane Ian (Part 2)”
14ymedio, Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 28 September 2022 — At the moment, there is no doubt that the most worrisome news for Cubans is the damage caused by the passage of Hurricane Ian through Pinar del Río. With its proverbial propagandist efficacy, the official newspaper Granma has referred to the consequences in the important region … Continue reading “Cuba: The Economic Consequences of Hurricane Ian (Part 1)”
14ymedio, Ricardo Fernandez, Pinar del Rio, 19 July 2016 — “I pledge that very soon you will have your homes,” Carlos Lage Davila, vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers, said in 2002 to those who had lost everything and still today have not received what he promised. Alexander Sanchez Villafranca, 33, was … Continue reading “Hurricane Isidoro’s Victims Are Still Waiting / 14ymedio, Ricardo Fernandez”
The Most Notorious of 2025 Cubanet, Luis Cino, Havana, 30 December 2025 1-Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez As he has done since taking office, the most inefficient and unpopular ruler that Cuba has ever had repeats in first place. This past 2025, Díaz-Canel has enthusiastically added to his track record, further increasing his total disconnection from reality: … Continue reading “Cuba’s Most Notorious of 2025”
Stripped years ago of their vacation centers, Cuban workers ask for their return 14ymedio, Madrid, May 12, 2025 — Eleven days have passed since the workers, called by their official union, the Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC), took to the streets on May 1 to show their commitment to the regime. As in most … Continue reading “Stripped Years Ago of Their Vacation Centers, Cuban Workers Ask for Their Return”
The Canadian company is losing money, according to expert William Pitt, and he fears an intervention by Gaesa in mining management Blackouts, fuel shortages, natural disasters and the loss of 2,100 workers affect the financial results 14ymedio, Havana, 9 March 2025 — The Canadian company Sherritt International has just corrected an omission by the Cuban … Continue reading “In Its Annual Report, Sherritt Points Out the Risks of Operating in Cuba”
The joint venture Habanos S.A., 50% owned by Spain, earned 721 million dollars in 2023 14ymedio, Havana, 23 September 2024 — The authorities estimate 300 million dollars to be the amount received each year by the Cuban State thanks to tobacco, according to a note published this Monday in the State newspaper Granma. It reports … Continue reading “Tabacuba Is Committed to a Harvest of 25,500 Tons and Income of 300 Million Dollars”