English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
It seems that an important part of the Cuban Jewish community, from fear or pressure, have turned their backs on the U.S. contractor,Alan Phillip Gross, age 62. I venture to predict he would not finish his sentence, nor even a couple of years of it, if his family and the lawyers tied to the case … Continue reading “Politics or Humanity? / Juan Juan Almeida”
The punishment cell is narrow, is five feet wide by two long, cold and there is not even a blanket for cover. From the hole in the floor that serves as a toilet, a rat occasionally emerges and looks curiously at the curled up man lying there. Outside shouts are heard, metal banging, and the … Continue reading “Wilman Villar Mendoza: The Death of a Dissident / Yoani Sánchez”
Thousands of eyes were glued to national television screens this last Friday. The social networks and text messages also vibrated nervously. A strong rumor had been growing all week, feeding the hopes of Cubans on and off the island, killing sleep. Initiated and fed by official voices, the speculations centered on the possibility of the … Continue reading “The General’s Pardons / Yoani Sánchez”
Various witnesses were called by the Havana Tribunal to participate in a murder trial which began this morning, December 9th, against Amado Interian, a retired police officer who is accused of shooting a black, 14-year-old teenager on July 15th of this year. The teenager’s name was Alain Izquierdo. According to Ismael Suarez Herce, a 17-year-old cousin of the victim who … Continue reading “The Havana Tribunal will judge a former military man today who shot a teenager / Laritza Diversent”
Lyrics by Jorge Luís Piloto; sung by Amaury Gutiérrez (English translation follows) Laura, Dama de Blanco, te quisieron silenciar y hoy tu voz suena más alto por las calles de la Habana tu energía acompaña a tus hermanas, tu familia esas bravas heroínas con gladiolos en las manos defendiendo los derechos del cubano… Laura, Dama … Continue reading “A Song Honoring Laura Pollan, Lady in White”
This post is from Raul Garcia Jr.’s blog, Pedazos de la Isla. Translating Cuba’s Dissident Voices Mary Jo Porter is an American who lives in Seattle. When she wakes up each day, she works as a transportation consultant. In the moments she is not working, she focuses her energies and talents on providing an enormous … Continue reading “Translating Cuba and HemosOido.com: How Did it Happen?”
Chapter 3: Dissident Muralist* The procedure was simple. Very simple. You looked for a piece of cardboard and painted it with a phrase against the Government. You hung it around your neck and went out into the street. Like in the reality shows where a naked man comes out into the light of day starkers, … Continue reading “Instructions for an Escape / Ernesto Morales Licea”
[I have decided to publish, before this blog is closed down, some texts that I didn’t publish at the time because it was practically impossible to do it because of obvious difficulties or because as time passed I doubted that it would be the best idea. Due to recent events, I think it is best … Continue reading “Closed by Demolition / Francis Sánchez”
Photo: Luis Felipe Rojas The automobile pretentiously came to a stop and interposed itself in front of the four individuals dressed in civilian clothing. Suddenly, two more vehicles arrived and took away one woman and a man. Nobody protested, everyone was astonished by the arrest. Those being detained screamed slogans against the government, but no … Continue reading “One Day They Will Not Return / Luis Felipe Rojas”
The government extended authorizations to contract workers, a decision which violates the Constitution and which no tribunal can question. Laritza Diversent The Council of Ministers agreed to extend the authorization to hire workers in the 178 authorized activities of self employment. The measure was announced by the Granma Newspaper, the official voice of the Communist … Continue reading “Cuban State Remains Silent About Unconstitutional Measures / Laritza Diversent”
Photo: Luis Felipe Rojas The automobile pretentiously came to a stop and interposed itself in front of the four individuals dressed in civilian clothing. Suddenly, two more vehicles arrived and took away one woman and a man. Nobody protested, everyone was astonished by the arrest. Those being detained screamed slogans against the government, but no … Continue reading “One Day, They Will Not Return / Luis Felipe Rojas”
Voces 8 28 May 2011
The habaneros were screaming for it. After 9 months of a fierce drought, where water-laden clouds kept moving around the city, and the dams and reservoirs had gone to code red, the rain appeared. Now, when the month of May leaves us, the longed-for spring showers made themselves present. Children and teens in shorts, barefoot … Continue reading “Rain Has Arrived in Havana / Iván García”
From their literary Mount Olympus, where they had already given the world their tremendous fiction, Borges, Monterrose, Quiroga, Bukowski, wrote Decalogues for young writers. Decalogues and, perhaps, subtle warnings. Others, not content with brevity, took it more seriously; Rainer Maria Rilke published his “Letters of a Young Poet,” and Mario Vargas Llosa, balancing genders, his … Continue reading “Decalogue for a Cuban Blogger / Ernesto Morales Licea”
I saw him before me, for the first time, in a television studio in Miami. He had been invited to debate an incident in which he had been a protagonist: A billboard, in an anti-Castro city par excellence, that for twenty-four hours spoke out on behalf of the five Cuban members of the “Wasp Network” … Continue reading “Among Dissidents: My Interview with Max Lesnik (I) / Ernesto Morales Licea”
