English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 6 April 2019 — A new and unequivocal signal of the current difficult times in Cuba has just arrived with the news of the reduction of the number of pages in the printed editions of several official publications. At first glance, the news could seem the least of the problems in … Continue reading “Signs of a Silenced Crisis”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 19 February 2019 — The newly released book “Sodom: Power and Scandal in the Vatican” can be taken as a scandalous revelation for some or as the confirmation of their suspicions by others. Either way, the 600 pages of the book will create a buzz about the inner life of seminars … Continue reading “Sodom: The Cuban Chapter”
14ymedio, Gabriela Selser, Managua, 28 March 2019 — He was in the hospital for 16 days and many feared the worst. But at 94, the Nicaraguan poet and priest Ernesto Cardenal not only survived a serious kidney infection, but he has returned to his literary routine. “I feel very well, I just have a little … Continue reading “"There’s Nothing to Talk About: We Want Ortega to Leave"”
Dimas Castellanos, 17 January 2018 — The impact of fundamental rights on the development of society is of such magnitude and significance that it becomes impossible to comprehend the advancement, stagnation or regression of a population without accounting for it. To mark the tenth anniversary of Convivencia (Coexistence), the current issue addresses a central theme … Continue reading “Cuba and Fundamental Rights / Dimas Castellano”
EFE, via 14ymedio, Havana, 9 February 2019 — On Friday, Havana received one hundred tons of construction materials and machinery sent by Venezuela to alleviate the damages of the tornado on 27 January that devastated five neighborhoods of the Cuban capital, leaving six dead, 195 injured and more than 10,000 displaced. The Venezuelan donation arrived in … Continue reading “Venezuela Sends 100 Tons of Aid to Cuba for Tornado Victims”
14ymedio, Ricardo Fernández, Camagüey | February 8, 2019 — The strict regulations for the entry of men into Cuban maternal hospitals ruined the plan that the new parents had imagined: she, still exhausted by the birth but happy, while he takes the first photo of the baby to show the family. Despite the fact that the … Continue reading “Prohibited From Attending Childbirth”
Iván García, 5 February 2019 — After the daily rush, Aleida, a housewife, goes out in search of fruits and vegetables and other foods in the market. At lunchtime, thanks to her culinary creativity, she turns three chicken legs into six little servings. After cleaning up, she sits down to watch the Brazilian telenovela and when it is … Continue reading “How Cubans See the Crisis in Venezuela / Ivan Garcia”
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 26 January 2019 – If the populists share something, in addition to believing that they embody an entire nation, it is their inability to cede power when their project is exhausted. The decision to cling to the helm, no matter what the cost, has been shared by numerous caudillos in Latin America, … Continue reading “Nicolas Maduro Clings to Power With No Concern for the Cost to the Country”
14ymedio, Ernesto Santana, Havana, 18 January 2019 — With four victories against one loss in the final, the Las Tunas team has just made their debut at the top of Cuban baseball against the orange Leopards who neither gave nor asked for a truce, and won 9-4 in the third encounter and lost by scores … Continue reading “Lumberjacks Achieve the Throne of the National Baseball Series”
Yoani Sanchez, New York Times, Havana, 13 January 2019 — A young man posts images of a flood in Centro Habana on social networks. From the internet come complaints from neighbors who are clamoring for an official response and for repairs to the sewer network. Sixty years after the triumph of the Revolution, Cubans are prohibited from … Continue reading “The Revolution Does Not Want To Be Tweeted”
14ymedio, Ernesto Santana, Havana, 30 December 2018 — When he died 20 years ago, barely over 50, Salvador Redonet was younger than many of his protégés at that time and many beginning writers that he made known. Almost all those “newest ones” that he promoted so tirelessly are as old or older than he was when he … Continue reading “Salvador Redonet, a Teacher Outside the Mainstream”
14ymedio, Zunilda Mata, Havana, December 13, 2018 — Last summer testing began for online shopping in national money (Cuban pesos, or CUP) in Cuba but the official launch happened this Wednesday in the Caribbean Chain of Stores on 5th and 42, in Miramar. After months of waiting and tests on the web, the first shopping … Continue reading “After Months Of Testing, The First "Online" Shopping Site In Cuban Pesos Doesn’t Manage To Overcome Faults”
14ymedio, Zunilda Mata, Havana, 23 November 2018 — Without long lines outside stores or massive orders via Amazon or store windows decorated for the occasion, we have Black Friday in Cuba, a practice that has come with the private sector and that this year has featured extensive offerings in the informal market. “If you send text message … Continue reading “Black Friday Arrives in Cuba in the Hands of Private Businesses”
14ymedio Yoani Sánchez, Havana, 20 November 2018 – Pedro Sánchez will arrive in Cuba and will put an end to a long period of 32 years during which the island has not hosted an official visit by a President of the Government of Spain. The former Motherland hopes to reaffirm its business presence and reconquer the … Continue reading “Cuba, A Risky Trip For Pedro Sánchez”
14ymedio, Zunilda Mata, Havana, November 18, 2018 — First eggs went missing, then it was sugar’s turn, and now it’s wheat flour that has been added to the list of products that are lacking in Cuban markets. The valuable ingredient is the basis of many recipes that are sold in private businesses, like sweets, breads, … Continue reading “Flour Shortage Affects Thousands of Private Businesses in Cuba”
