English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
For a decade critics have been talking about the poetic, Baroque, telluric and zoomorphic painter Ibrahim Miranda Ramos (Pinar del Rio, 1969), who presents his swarm of metaphors in UNEAC’s Manuela Villa gallery, where he invites us to unravel his allegories on Cuba and the world through the prints of his series Punishment, Bondage and … Continue reading “An Invitation to the Pictoral Universe of I. Miranda”
A tragic fashion. Objectionable to many. The only option the opponents have. They believe that in this way they can force the regime. It is their war cry. But it is not a new weapon. Already in 1972 a 53-day hunger strike took the life of opponent Pedro Luis Boitel. It was before the era … Continue reading “Hunger Strikes, Weapon of Cuban Dissidents”
During the last few years, Cuban places located outside of the island have exposed the production and consumption of catfish- that voracious species- in an unpleasant light, in fact, it has been stated that the environment may be at risk if we do not control the production of such a plate. The issue already made … Continue reading ““If we have eaten cat stew…””
When I first went to his home, what struck me most was an old glass cabinet. Inside, sorted by date, were national newspapers from at least ten years before. Lacking a computer and Internet, this had been the main source of information for Arnaldo Ramos Lauzurique (b. Havana, 1942), an economist who believed in the revolution while he worked in … Continue reading “An Economist Behind Bars”
While some prisoners of the Black Spring of 2003, like Pablo Pacheco and Adolfo Fernandez Sainz, have their optimism levels up in the clouds, there is much more caution amongst the feelings of the Ladies in White. In fact, there is much pessimism. The doctor Lidia Lima, wife of the prisoner of conscience Arnaldo Ramos … Continue reading “More Doubts than Optimism”
Click image to be taken to video on Youtube On July 20th, political prisoner of conscience Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet González will turn 49 years of age. On that day we wanted to publish a text remembering him. Because Biscet and his wife Elsa Morejon also lived in the Lawton neighbrohood, one of the highest … Continue reading “Oscar Elías Biscet, Resident of Lawton”
Nothing will be solved with the hard discourse. There will be no solution because General Raul Castro launches the call to slaughter against the dissidence. Neither will there be a way out of the deep crisis that Cuba inhabits, with the usual television Roundtables, where four rigid guys share their uniform opinions. Cuba needs a dialogue, … Continue reading “Waiting for a Dialogue….and an Inquest”
The morning of Monday March 1st in Havana was like any other. After spending the night with my girlfriend I returned to my house at around 6:30 AM. There was no sign of abnormality. The only warning sign emanated from a small portable radio next to the bus driver. It was a song by Silvio … Continue reading “House Arrest”
The writer Orlando Luis Pardo (OLP), 34-years-old, is like a box with buttons. You press a button and out comes a stream of ideas. OLP is bursting with talent. He has published several books of stories. He has a pair of blogs, among the best being done in this 21st century Cuba. He’s a high-flying … Continue reading “OLP’s Intifada”
It spread like wildfire all over Cuba. Beginning November 1st, potatoes and split peas would be available without rationing. They would now be sold at higher prices than what they cost through the rationing system since the State would no longer subsidize their cost. A pound of potatoes that costs 0.40 cents in Cuban pesos … Continue reading “Potatoes for free”
At nine in the morning an official looks, with boredom, at the citation we have presented at the door of the 21st and C station. We are left waiting on one of the benches for about 40 minutes, while Reinaldo and I take the opportunity to discuss all those things the dizziness of daily life … Continue reading “The Reprimands of Wednesday / Yoani Sanchez”
There are things you never forget, even though they may seem insignificant. There are words that, like the tea of Proust, provoke the same memory, with the precision of a reflex mechanism. The word substitute, for example; I refer to the start of Bulgakov’s novel, The Master and Margarita. At first reading, the word stumped … Continue reading “The three faces of Soy”
The signing of the International Covenants on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and on Civil and Political Rights is a done deal. I saw it on the news with the oaf and the slogans, so there can be no doubt. There are two aspects that draw my attention: The first is the disappointing pronunciation of … Continue reading “My ‘new’ rights…”