English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Yania Suarez, Havana, 19 November 2015 – The presentation of Cuban Coffee by Portazo’s Cooperative was a public success during the Havana Theater Festival and is currently a success in Matanzas, its place of origin. Staged by the Matanzan group El Portazo and directed by Pedro Franco, the spectacle seeks – in addition to … Continue reading “Rebellion Comes To The Theater / 14ymedio, Yania Suarez”
14ymedio, Martha Beatriz Roque, Havana, 11 July 2015 — What classifies as a political prisoner is a cause for disagreement among the Cuban opposition. There are varying opinions about who has been jailed for political reasons or not, despite the criteria established by the United Nations and other organizations that concern themselves with these matters. … Continue reading “A List of Cuban Political Prisoners / 14ymedio, Martha Beatriz Roque”
Image of the pro-government supporters taken from the Internet Rebeca Monzo, 15 April 2105 — The 7th (of April) arrived. The Summit of the Americas in Panama and, with it, the invited and participating delegations started to arrive in the Central American country. The official Cuban delegation, one of the largest, had a good time organizing and preparing, under … Continue reading “To the Government supporters: “You showed your trashy ways” / Rebeca Monzo”
Tempting the Cuban Transition Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo FOLLOW THIS EVENT ONLINE HERE and HERE Since December 17th, when President Obama and General Raul Castro performed their simultaneous speeches, many Americans insist on congratulating me. I wonder why no Cuban has congratulated me so far, and why I still haven’t congratulated any other Cuban, whether in favor … Continue reading “Sunday: Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo at Northwestern University for a Free Cuba, Damn It!”
By Jeovany Jimenez Vega “Here rests a man who died millions of times” should be the epitaph engraved on the marble that finally covers him. By then, some will feel despondent, as if the earth were caving in on them; while others, no doubt, will receive the news with terrestrial joy. But absolutely everyone will … Continue reading “Personal Epitaph to Fidel Castro / Jeovany Jimenez Vega”
Our team had a conversation with the New York Times journalist who has authored the editorials about Cuba. 14ymedio, 1 December 2014 — Ernesto Londoño, who authored six editorials on Cuba published recently by the New York Times engaged in a friendly conversation on Saturday with a part of the 14ymedio team, in the hotel … Continue reading “Two hours with the New York Times’ Ernesto Londoño / 14ymedio”
School courtyard In its campaign to restore lost ethical, civil and moral values, the government is emphasizing the important role to be played by educators and the family. While it is good that responsibility for this is being returned to the latter, it is something that should never have been taken away in the first … Continue reading “By Their Own Right / Fernando Damaso”
Following the best tradition of Cuban humor, based on mockery and desecration of the human and divine, we have baptized the Cuban Telecommunications Company SA (ETECSA) with a different interpretation of its initials: We are Trying to Establish Communications Without Trouble*. The assignment of the nickname is based on the slow, deteriorating, negligence and other … Continue reading “Trying to Communicate / Reinaldo Escobar”
HAVANA, Cuba, January www.cubanet.org – The building where I live has 42 apartments and three floors. Most of the time did not see anyone in the hallways. However, on January 13, at 9 pm, for the second time since the last beating I received (November 19) a group of about 8 or 10 neighbors stood … Continue reading “I’d Rather go Back to Prison / Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello”
Camilo Ernesto Olivera, a member of the team of Estado de SATS, was stopped as he left his home on Dec. 7. Most alarming is how these things are happening in Cuba: going from one moment to another in a state of total helplessness before the forces of repression. I always remember Orlando Luis Pardo when … Continue reading “World Human Rights Day in Cuba / Lilianne Ruiz”
I present to you here the article that writer and poet Rafael Alcides published in the blog Penúltimos Días about the judicial farce mounted against Angel Santiesteban with the sole and hidden objective of silencing his critical and damning voice about the Castro dictatorship. I ask readers to read this article knowing that Rafael expresses … Continue reading “Rafael Alcides about the Official Novel against Angel Santiesteban”
To the wall! To the wall!* HAVANA, Cuba, March, www.cubanet.org – Luis Cino Alvarez – A worthy poet who has known how to confront decades of ostracism, Rafael Alcides, wrote, “Regrets and hopes for a new jailed writer.” After the letter by Alcides, email notes of support signed by various writers in favor of … Continue reading “Selective Ignorance: The Women Writers of UNEAC / Luis Cino Alvarez, Angel Santiesteban”
Good evening: More than a decade ago Vaclav Havel’s book “The Power of the Powerless” fell into my hands for the first time. It came wrapped in a page of my country’s official newspaper, the Cuban Communist Party’s daily. Covering books was one of the many ways of hiding inconvenient texts forbidden by the government from … Continue reading “My Words at Forum 2000 / Yoani Sanchez”
Photo: LFelipe Rojas An event has shaken the forums on Cuba and Cubans lately. The trips abroad of some Cuban opponents of the regime has focused attention on the tendency of we Cubans to be who we are: passionate, extremists, relaxed, dazzling, contemptuous, in short, human. But there are three women in particular I want … Continue reading “Useless? Without Virtue? / Luis Felipe Rojas”
Perhaps the most interesting and at times heated discussion of today with regards to Cuba is that around whether or not it is lawful to recognize that changes are occurring in the country. In this area the most frequent responses are usually: “Nothing has changed here,” or “Things are changing, but not enough.” What I … Continue reading “Change: The Power of a Word / Reinaldo Escobar”
