Search results for: Eusebio Leal

‘Let’s See if They Are Going to Fix Our Houses’ With the Millions from the Restoration of the Santa Clara Convent

14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 21 September 2022 — Julita is 57 years old and sells avocados next to the Santa Clara de Asís Convent, the oldest cloister in Havana which is in the middle of a capital restoration to return it to its former splendor. A few meters from its painted yellow walls the … Continue reading “‘Let’s See if They Are Going to Fix Our Houses’ With the Millions from the Restoration of the Santa Clara Convent”

Ten Dollars and Five Banks Later: a Cuban’s Dilemma in Selling His Foreign Currency

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 4 August 2022 — I took to the streets of Havana with ten dollars in my pocket. A sweaty, fought-for bill, a miniature fortune in the country of bank surprises. I wasn’t forgetting the words of the Minister of Economy, serene as an executioner between the president of the Central … Continue reading “Ten Dollars and Five Banks Later: a Cuban’s Dilemma in Selling His Foreign Currency”

The Saratoga Hotel’s Decline Began as Soon as the Military Took It Over

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodriguez / Olea Gallardo, Havana, 11 May 2022 — Though an explosion at the luxurious Saratoga Hotel last Friday led to the deaths of at least forty-three people and the destruction of an iconic Havana landmark, the seeds of its demise were planted within its walls much earlier. Specifically, this was in … Continue reading “The Saratoga Hotel’s Decline Began as Soon as the Military Took It Over”

More Than 20 Families Live in the Ruins of the Home of a Cuban Hero

14ymedio, Eustaquio García, Havana, 6 February 2021 — Two plaques, one from the 1930s and the other from the 1940s, are the only evidence passersby see on Obrapía Street, between Bernaza and Villegas in Old Havana, that shows that the patriot Manuel Sanguily lived there until his death in 1925. Manuel Sanguily was one of … Continue reading “More Than 20 Families Live in the Ruins of the Home of a Cuban Hero”

Havana’s Malecon: “If it becomes a wall, what will become of our view?”

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havanan, 30 July 2020 — The group, of more or less 8 or 9 young people, was sitting this on the wall of the Havana’s Malecon Wednesday afternoon, at a quarter to six in the afternoon. With their feet dangling towards the sea, they laugh, chat, take selfies while listening to music … Continue reading “Havana’s Malecon: “If it becomes a wall, what will become of our view?””

500 Years of What?

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, November 15, 2019 — A little after noon on November 15, right on the eve of the 500th anniversary of the founding of Havana, a young man, who identified himself (verbally) as a Counterintelligence agent, told me that he had orders not to let me leave my house. I explained to … Continue reading “500 Years of What?”

Ceremony, Walk, and a Photo With "Che" Guevara, The Spanish King and Queen’s First Day in Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, November 12, 2019 — A walk around Old Havana, an official photo with the face of Ernesto “Che” Guevara at their backs, and the signing of an agreement for 57 million euros in cooperation were part of the intense agenda of the king and queen of Spain during the first day of their … Continue reading “Ceremony, Walk, and a Photo With "Che" Guevara, The Spanish King and Queen’s First Day in Cuba”

Cuban President Diaz-Canel Takes Up Fidel Castro’s Obsolete Discourse on Intellectuals

14ymedio, Havana, 1 July 2019 — Miguel Díaz-Canel used his closing speech to the IX Congress of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) to recall the controversial Words to the Intellectuals delivered by Fidel Castro in 1961 and to call for fighting the “cultural mercenaries, those willing to lynch how many artists and creators … Continue reading “Cuban President Diaz-Canel Takes Up Fidel Castro’s Obsolete Discourse on Intellectuals”

The Fate of the Payret Cinema, in the Hands of Tourism

14ymedio, Havana, 21 December 2018 — After days of intense controversy, the Ministry of Tourism Director of Development, José Reinaldo Daniel Alonso, has had to respond to the speculation about Payret cinema in Havana. “It will be studied, it will be seen and decided, at the appropriate time, if the cinema stays or not,” the official said about … Continue reading “The Fate of the Payret Cinema, in the Hands of Tourism”

Cuba Keeps Betting On the Past and Fidel Castro / Iván García

Iván García, 29 November 2018 — A group of Swiss tourists walk through the gray marble corridor of the old Havana Yacht Club, in the Flores district, west of the capitol building, while the guide shows them old black and white photos hanging on the wall of what once was a meeting place for the most … Continue reading “Cuba Keeps Betting On the Past and Fidel Castro / Iván García”

An Indecent Proposal / Fernando Damaso

Fernando Damaso, 26 November 2018 — Now that the 500th Anniversary of the founding of the Villa of San Cristóbal de La Habana will be celebrated next year, with the aim of helping the city recover its identity, it would be healthy to restore some of its avenues, streets, roads, theaters, cinemas, health and education … Continue reading “An Indecent Proposal / Fernando Damaso”

Residents of 505 Zulueta Street Carry on Without Institutional Respect

This video is not subtitled but clearly shows the state of the building at 505 Zulueta Street 14ymedio, Marcelo Hernández, Havana, 8 September 2018 — If it rains, bad; if the sun shines, the same. For the residents of the half-ruined building at 505 Zulueta Street in Havana, there is no peace treaty with the … Continue reading “Residents of 505 Zulueta Street Carry on Without Institutional Respect”

Some 14 Families Camp Out on a Tourist Street in Havana to Demand Housing

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana | 30 June 2018 — A few yards from the place where tourists are trying to take a photo with the sign for Cuba Street, in Old Havana, a dozen people have planted themselves outside a half-demolished building to demand a decent home. At least 14 families have been out in the open for five days, … Continue reading “Some 14 Families Camp Out on a Tourist Street in Havana to Demand Housing”

Residents of Old Havana Sleep in the Portico Fearing the Collapse of Their Home

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 28 May 2018 — A crib, a large bed and a baby stroller are the first objects passersby come across as they walk through the porticos of Zulueta Street in Old Havana. In number 505, the most desperate of the nine families living in the ramshackle building, which has been declared uninhabitable by … Continue reading “Residents of Old Havana Sleep in the Portico Fearing the Collapse of Their Home”

Cuban Electoral Commission Raises Participation Figure By More than Two and a Half Points

14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 19 March 2018 — On Monday, the National Electoral Commission (CEN) updated the general election data from March 11. In this new information the participation figure rises from 82.9% to 85.65%, although that number is still more than five points below that registered in the 2013 elections (90.88%). This increase in the participation data … Continue reading “Cuban Electoral Commission Raises Participation Figure By More than Two and a Half Points”