English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, 19 May 2020 — As of this Monday, May 18, the inhabitants of the town of Camajuaní in Villa Clara will no longer be able to buy the so-called “liberated bread” — that is bread that isn’t rationed — and will only be able to consume the bread sold on the rationbook with … Continue reading “In Camajuani, Cuba, Unrationed Bread Disappears”
14ymedio, Julio Aleaga Pesant, Havana, 8 May 2020 — The patients and their companions were surprised. A beautiful caravan of 16 new blue buses, from the company Ómnibus Nacionales, passed festively at full speed in front of them, led by two police motorcycles that facilitated their passage. The public admired the semi-empty buses, amid the … Continue reading “"The Bus Left, What a Pain"”
14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, Miami, 10 April 2020 — Henry Kissinger says that “the world will never be the same after the coronavirus.” He assumes that the pandemic will forever alter the world order. I don’t think so. The truth is that the world is constantly changing. Every generation change clothing, music, ideas, things, but … Continue reading “The World Was Not and Will Not Be a Filthy Place”
14ymedio, Havana, 2 March 2020 — The government of Nicolás Maduro will send 16 containers of medicines to Cuba this Tuesday, according to Venezuelan journalist Javier Ignacio Mayorca. The writer published through his Twitter account that the Armed Forces in the state of Vargas launched “a special unit” for this operation. “Vargas FAN [National Armed … Continue reading “Despite Its Enormous Internal Shortages, Venezuela Sends Medicines to Cuba”
Iván García, January 20, 2020 — Three years ago I had a smart phone for the first time. It was a gift from Celeste Matos, a journalist in Miami, with whom I worked for a time. It was robbed, and she offered me another, which was blocked because I couldn’t remember my account ID. In … Continue reading “10 Years: A Guy Named Ivan Writes from Havana”
14ymedio, Havana, January 12, 2020 — The researcher and essayist Serafín ’Tato’ Quiñones passed away in Havana this Sunday afternoon at age 77. Considered an expert in Afro-Cuban matters, the also-historian published several studies on racism in Cuban society and the Abakuá fraternity. Born in Havana in 1942, Quiñones worked as a history professor and journalist, … Continue reading “Researcher and Essayist Tato Quinones Dies in Havana”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 22 December 2019 — Along with the appointment of Manuel Marrero Cruz as prime minister, the deputy prime ministers were also appointed this Saturday and the holders of six government portfolios were renewed. In total, 19 ministers were ratified in their posts, including the most important, such as the Interior and … Continue reading “Cuba’s New Ministers: Obey Blindly or Dare to Innovate”
14ymedio, Havana, November 13 — Independent journalist Ricardo Fernández Izaguirre was arrested this Tuesday after answering a police summons. The 14ymedio and La Hora de Cuba contributor remains detained in the cells of Villa Maria Luisa, run by State Security in the city of Camaguey, as relatives and colleagues confirmed to this newspaper. This Monday, Fernández … Continue reading “14ymedio Journalist Arrested For Being "Counter-Revolutionary" In Camaguey”
14ymedio, Havana, October 14, 2019 — When Cubacron, a competition to award the Island’s best reporters held by the Press and Society Institute (IPYS), was announced this summer, nobody could have suspected that it would unleash a storm in the autumn over the inclusion of several pieces published by the Cuban official press in the … Continue reading “Awarding "Our Journalists" is an "Interference" by the US, Claims Diaz-Canel”
14ymedio, Havana, 19 September 2019 — The Roundtable TV show once again featured a new parade of ministers summoned to appease the Cuban people, who are greatly affected by the energy situation despite the arrival of a Venezuelan oil tanker on September 14. In this edition, the participants on the show were: Betsy Díaz Velázquez, Minister … Continue reading “On the Roundtable TV Program the Ministers Have Solutions for All of Cuba’s Problems”
14ymedio, Havana, 21 July 2019 — The independent journalist and 14ymedio collaborator Ricardo Fernández Izaguirre was released this Sunday after nine days in detention. The police issued a warning letter regarding his “illegal” stay* in Havana, which the reporter refused to sign, he told 14ymedio In conversation with this newspaper, minutes after being released, Fernández said that after being … Continue reading “Reporter Ricardo Fernandez Released After Nine Days”
14ymedio / Mario J. Pentón, Havana, 14 July 2019 — Despite the government’s commitment not to allow “programmed blackouts” this summer, power cuts of several hours are multiplying throughout the country and causing annoyance among the population. Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Mayabeque, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Camagüey, Las Tunas, Holguín and Santiago de Cuba are the most … Continue reading “Cubans Increasingly Annoyed by Blackouts and Government Silence”
14ymedio, José Gabriel Barrenechea, Santa Clara, 1 Aptil 2019 — Perhaps to keep us in suspense, as usual, Gustavo Andújar and Jorge Domingo Cuadriello again bring us their magazine, Espacio Laical (Lay Space), at least in its paper edition. But the resource works, because when it finally appears, the accumulated impatience is such that one can not … Continue reading “"Lay Space" Arrives Late But is a Must Read”
14ymedio, Havana, 13 March 2019 — Cuban authorities acknowledged on Wednesday the shortages of several staples such as eggs, chicken, cooking oil and flour while admitting the failure to meet their sugar production plans. According to the official newspaper Granma, in the session of a meeting chaired by the first secretary of the Communist Party, … Continue reading “Cuban Authorities Acknowledge Food Shortages and Problems with the Sugar Harvest”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 15 March 2019 — The residents finish removing their belongings from the apartments at the far end of the building on Rancho Boyeros Avenue that collapsed on Thursday, at the corner of Cerro and Colon Streets. They have been told the property is going to be demolished and that for their … Continue reading “"The Person Who Fought the Hardest to Get the Building Fixed Died"”
