English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
February 28, 2013, the day that the Castro brothers’ totalitarian regime jailed me, was not a day chosen randomly by the political police. That day, several events happened simultaneously, and it was significant for many reasons in my case. Firstly, that day was the birthday of my partner, and they well knew it because they … Continue reading “The Dictatorship’s Gift / Angel Santiesteban”
Reporters without Borders: Cuba prohibits a free Internet All content considered “antirevolutionary” is automatically blocked. All information that is published in the media is filtered, according to the criteria of the Party. Cuba continues preventing the majority of its population from having access to a free (i.e. uncensored) Internet, even though the submarine fiber-optic cable, … Continue reading “RWB: The Castro Regime Has Developed an Original Model of Control / Angel Santiesteban”
It is no secret that passenger transportation is a national problem, which for years, rather than being solved has gotten worse. Right now it affects virtually every city in the country and in the capital, with two million inhabitants, it is a daily headache for citizens who depend on it — the majority — to … Continue reading “A Good Experience Forgotton / Fernando Damaso”
Havana, Cuba,November 2013, www.cubanet.org.– The Cuban Adjustment Act generates a lively controversy on both sides of the Straits of Florida. For the government it is the cause of indiscriminate exodus by Cubans to wherever, and for some of the exiles it constitutes the best escape valve which the regime utilizes to ease its tensions. Another … Continue reading “The “Murderous Law” Which Allows Many Cubans to Eat / Manuel Cuesta Morua”
The road to exit the crisis is clear; what is lacking is the political will to travel it. Among the partial reforms the government of Raul Castro announced was the enforcement of a timeframe for measures to eliminate the dual currency, implemented following the loss of Soviet subsidies. A look back at the topic helps … Continue reading “Currency Unification: Causes and Limits / Dimas Castellano”
In recent weeks we have heard some information in the United States media about the possibility of selling medicines produced in Cuba in that country, particularly Heberprot-P, a drug for the treatment of diabetic foot. On the other hand, the Cuban authorities continue to express themselves about the obstacles facing them in buying certain medications … Continue reading “Humanitarian Demand / Rosa Maria Rodriguez”
HAVANA, Cuba, December, www.cubanet.org — The Bastion 2013 Strategic Exercises recently concluded with the so-called National Days of Defense. Headlines such as “The Heart of the Country Is Invulnerable,” “The Enemy Will Have No Peace,” “An Unbreakable Coastline” and others equally ridiculous could be read in the November 25 edition of the weekly Trabajadores. They have … Continue reading “Bastion 2013, A Little Game in a Make-Believe War / Jorge Olivera Castillo”
COMBINADO DEL ESTE, 28 November – In Cuba, “Free Territory of America,” there is a population of almost 12 million inhabitants. This entire population suffers terrible disappointments when their family members are taken to prison for fabricated reasons and without any proof; but it turns out that in various newspapers and magazines they have publications … Continue reading “Ramon Alejandro Munoz, Sonia Garro’s Husband, Writes to the Daughter of One of the Five Spies”
In recent weeks we have heard some information in the United States media about the possibility of selling medicines produced in Cuba in that country, particularly Heberprot-P, a drug for the treatment of diabetic foot. On the other hand, the Cuban authorities continue to express themselves about the obstacles facing them in buying certain medications … Continue reading “Humanitarian Demand / Rafael León Rodríguez”
The Calzada de Jesús del Monte (Jesus of the Mountain Roadway), now known as the Calzada de Diez de Octubre (Tenth of October Roadway), begins at Esquina de Tejas (Texas Corner) as an extension of Calzada de Infanta (Princess Roadway). It extends to Entroque de La Palma (La Palma Link), where it splits into Calzada … Continue reading “The Longest Roadway / Fernando Damaso”
HAVANA, Cuba, November www.cubanet.org- Today no one doubts that much of the knowledge (still rare) that people in Cuba have about the people and projects of civil society, opposed to the political system, has been possible thanks to the dissemination of alternative materials in all formats, but especially in video. Thousands of discs, flash memories … Continue reading “The Revolution Hasn’t Been Well Done But It’s Been Excellently Edited / Eliecer Avila”
A brief summary of topics that describe the situation of Cuba in late 2013 could be summed up in two words: reform and repression. The reforms have been directed mostly in the right direction, but in a superficial way and excessively slowly. In addition to trying to alleviate an economic situation caused by years of … Continue reading “First Report of the Advisory Group / Cuban Civil Society Advisory Group”
HAVANA, Cuba, October, www.cubanet.org – Should the controversial law be annulled or changed? No Cuban who emigrates does so for purely ‘economic’ reasons. Hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens, persecuted or not, live freely in the U.S. thanks to this law. “It’s hard to argue that Cubans who can come and go as they … Continue reading “The Cuban Adjustment Act: Does it Contribute to Demoralizing and Draining the Opposition? / Miriam Celaya, Jose Hugo Fernandez, Luis Cino,”
Interview of Dimas Castellanos by Ernesto Santana Zaldivar, published on April 26 and 29, 2013 in Cubanet. Although still uttered timidly, recently you have begun to hear the word “negotiation” in some statements by the Cuban political opposition. Despite having diverse opinions about it, a negotiation is, in general, a process in which two or … Continue reading “Political Opposition and Negotiations in Today’s Cuba / Dimas Castellanos”
Óscar Espinosa Chepe When I heard this morning that Oscar Espinosa Chepe had died, some memories of the prominent Cuban economist came to mind. I had the privilege, the pleasure, of meeting him in person; he offered a master class on the Cuban economy in our Blogger Academy and participated on one occasion in the … Continue reading “My Memory of Oscar Espinosa Chepe / Reinaldo Escobar”
