English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Thursday morning will never be forgotten by thousands of people in Eastern Cuba. The wind, flying roofs, heavy rains and trees falling on streets and houses, will remain as permanent memories of Hurricane Sandy. Nor will they be able to get out of their heads that first night after the disaster in which, from their … Continue reading “Seven Proposals After Hurricane Sandy / Yoani Sanchez”
Today the UNPACU* activist and promoter of the campaign For Another Cuba, Yosbel Ramos Suárez, has been summoned to a police station. He is being interrogated by an official named Tamayo, who is warning him that there will be no concert at Estado de Sats tomorrow, they will not allow it. The concert scheduled for … Continue reading “Note About Threat From State Security / For Another Cuba, Estado de Sats”
This Monday several Cuban dissidents started a hunger strike which has already been joined by 25 people throughout the country. At a press conference, Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello explained that that the strikers are demanding the immediate release of Jorge Vázquez Chaviano, age 42. In 2011 this activist was sentenced for the supposed crime of … Continue reading “25 Cuban Dissidents on Hunger Strike / Yoani Sanchez”
When in Cuba we say “the system” we are referring to a circumstance which, even though we recognize it as abnormal, arbitrary and unnatural — the condition of being on an Island and being subjected to a “political-ideological education” experiment, as well as the terror — can be, for many, unbearable. There are many families … Continue reading “Where the Dictatorship Nests / Lilianne Ruiz”
Citizen Demand for Another Cuba As Cubans, legitimate children of this land and an essential part of our nation, we feel a deep sorrow at the prolonged crisis that we are experiencing and the demonstrated inability of the current government to make fundamental changes. This obliges us, from civil society, to seek and demand our … Continue reading “Citizen Demand for Another Cuba – 536 Signatures and Counting”
A friend called to ask me an important question about criminality in Cuba. Is Cuba a safe country with a crime rate lower than other countries in Latin America? In my haste to answer I overlooked a point which, in my judgement, is fundamental, so I want to explore it in my blog. When I was … Continue reading “Who Are The Criminals in Cuba? / Lilianne Ruíz”
So the CLICK Festival ended well in Havana. It must seem incredible to have a technology Festival without access to the Internet. This didn’t weaken the perception of breathing fresh air in Cuba. Metamorphosing, formatting, restarting, because we are getting old and the speed at which the world moves seems inconsistent with this sluggish reality. … Continue reading “Connecting as Fast as You Can Click… / Lilianne Ruíz”
Citizen Demand for Another Cuba As Cubans, legitimate children of this land and an essential part of our nation, we feel a deep sorrow at the prolonged crisis that we are experiencing and the demonstrated inability of the current government to make fundamental changes. This obliges us, from civil society, to seek and demand our … Continue reading “For Another Cuba – Citizen Demand for Another Cuba”
I wanted to say hello to Jose Daniel Ferrer of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), the next time he was in Havana. On Monday I learned that police had kidnapped him while he walked down a street of the capital, and sent him by force to Santiago de Cuba. How frightened they are of … Continue reading “Serene Among the Vile / Lilianne Ruíz”
After being confined to a dungeon of the Versalles Police Unit in Santiago de Cuba for 27 days, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, narrates how his recent arrest occurred, of which “crimes” he is being accused of, and sends out a message to the international and national (Cuba) … Continue reading ““Whatever We Need to Do for the Freedom of Cuba, We Will Continue Doing””
I knew they would go after him. When I spoke with José Daniel Ferrer for the first time, by phone, I immediately noticed his exceptionality. Shortly after, we talked around the table in our house and this impression was further confirmed. While outside night was coming on, the man from Palmarito de Cauto told us … Continue reading “Why José Daniel? / Yoani Sánchez”
The presence of the voice of a priest on television during the celebration of Mass, the opening words of the Pope, rendering thanks to his welcome, “the Church must earn a place in the public space”, the presence of the faithful, in the streets, in recent months to venerate the image of the Patroness of … Continue reading “Apologetic / Lilianne Ruíz”
Keep on eye on the blog Pieces of the Island, for up-to-minute reports of repression associated with Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba. Here are some “highlights” since the last report re-posted here. Benedict XVI Will Arrive to “a Nation in which Communism Has Left Behind Devastating Destruction” Former political prisoner of conscience Jose Daniel Ferrer … Continue reading “Updates on Repression Relating to Pope Benedict’s Visit from Pieces of the Island / Translating Cuba”
Site manager’s note: The information about the extensive repression leading up to the Pope’s visit is coming to us through Twitter, emails, Hablalo sin miedo (Speak without fear) and other routes, other than blog posts. Raul Garcia Jr., over at Pieces of the Island, has prepared an excellent summary of the most recent reports. Keep … Continue reading “(PARTIAL SUMMARY) Wave of arrests and threats sweep across Cuba just hours before the visit of Pope Benedict. #PopeCuba”
Posted by Pedazos de la Isla on March 11, 2012 Via the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU): This video was taken clandestinely by members of UNPACU who were detained in a dungeon of the Micro 9 police unit in Santiago de Cuba on December of 2011. The activist who managed to film the images … Continue reading “Cuban Dissidents Capture Images of the Regime’s Dungeons / Raul Garcia”