English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 2 January 2018 — The official media are celebrating, right now, a new anniversary of what they insist on calling the Cuban Revolution. The festivities around the 1st of January, when Fidel Castro marked a turning point in the nation’s history, show all the traces of a routine that has exhausted … Continue reading “The Successive Deaths of the Cuban Revolution”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 13 June 2017 – In less than 72 hours President Donald Trump will declare in Miami the new basis for the United States government’s policies towards Cuba. At that time the decisions of his predecessor Barack Obama, during the process of normalization of diplomatic relations with the island, could be paused … Continue reading “Trump And Cuba, Or How To Bet On The Wrong Winner”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar/Mario Penton, Havana/Miami, 25 March 2017 – Maria, 59, has a daughter in Miami she hasn’t seen for six years. Her visa applications have been denied three times and she promised herself that she would never “step foot in” the US consulate in Havana again. Cuba is the country with the most denials … Continue reading “Cuba Holds World Record For Visa Applications Rejected By The United States”
14ymedio, Mario Penton, Miami, 12 January 2017 – [Note: This is an extended version of an article that appeared earlier today.] The Obama administration ended the “wet foot/dry foot” policy that allowed Cuban citizens to stay in the the United States as long as they touched land in that country. The Obama administration has also … Continue reading “Wet Foot-Dry Foot Policy for Cubans Eliminated / 14ymedio, Mario Penton”
14ymedio, Miami, 12 January 2017 –The Obama administration today put an end to the “wet foot/dry foot” policy, which allowed Cubans to obtain permanent residence one year after arriving in the United States, even if they arrive illegally, as long as they manage to touch land in the country. According to an official of the … Continue reading “Obama Eliminates Wet Foot-Dry Foot Policy For Cuban Immigrants”
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Guatemala, 12 October 2016 – This will be the story of at least three stages my nation has lived through. Three moments when the young amassed hopes, collected frustrations and used their ingenuity to overcome obstacles along the way. Without this renewing energy and a capacity to defy the established, we would … Continue reading “The Grandchildren Of The Revolution Aspire To A Normal Life With Neither Utopia Nor Frustration / 14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, 9 October 2016 — “The whole country is a broken record” says Canek Sanchez Guevara, grandson of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, on one of the pages of his book 33 Revolutions published posthumously in France this year and recently published under the imprint of Alfaguara. The volume takes a hard look at the Cuban Revolution and the … Continue reading “Book by Che’s Grandson Dissects Bowels of Cuban Reality / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar”
14ymedio, Havana, 14 September 2016 — Residents and visitors of Regla and Casablanca can now travel with their laptops on the maritime vessels that connect the historic center of Havana with these two towns. For decades, travelers with computers were obliged to make the trip in buses or cars, due to a prohibition from the … Continue reading “‘Laptops’ Now Have a Place on the ‘Little Regla Ferry’ / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Abel Fernandez and Mario Penton, Miami, 29 April 2016 — By 2025, the Cuban population will be reduced to 10 million. The dramatic demographic change on the island—from 11 million to 10 million inhabitants—is propelled by the low rates of fertility and birth, and an elevated emigration, a group of experts recently explained at Florida … Continue reading “Cuba Will Lose One Million People In Next Decade / 14ymedio, Abel Fernandez, Mario Penton”
14ymedio, Havana, 2 February 2016 — There has never been a beach, but a piece of coast full of pieces of concrete. However, this part of the Havana coastline that everyone calls “Playita 16” (Little Beach 16) is a place filled with memories for several generations of Cubans. Free, ugly, and lacking food services and … Continue reading “Havana’s Beach 16 / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Havana, 1 February 2016 – Raul Castro’s current visit to Paris is receiving widespread coverage in the French press, focused on the possibilities offered by Cuba’s appearance in the international market. The island is considered the new El Dorado by many of the publications that trumpet the advantages of investing in a place with … Continue reading “French Press Describes Cuba as “The New El Dorado” / 14ymedio”
Miriam Celaya, Cubanet, Havana, 22 January 2016 – The imminent arrival in the US of thousands of Cubans stranded in Costa Rica has, once again, unleashed the debate whether the Cuban Adjustment Act its right or not, its original foundations, and opinions on whether Cubans who are exiting today should be considered political immigrants and, … Continue reading “The Cuban Adjustment Act is not the Problem / Miriam Celaya”
Somos +, Frank Rojas, 26 January 2016 — My history is like that of most Cubans born during the Revolutionary period. My generation grew up with our lives administered by others, carrying ration cards and bearing witness to those great moments that marked the lives of millions of us. The Mariel Boatlift, the ridiculous and extreme … Continue reading “My History / Somos+, Frank Rojas”
Cubant, Luis Cina Alvarez, Havana, 25 December 2015 — A year since 17D*, Cuban Miami grows ever more polarized. And it’s not only between those who favor dialogue with the Cuban regime and those who are staunchly opposed to the Castro regime –although at the end of the road, everything has to do, in one way or … Continue reading “Polarized Cuban Miami / Cubanet, Luis Cino Alvarez”
For Cubans, as long as I can remember and from the history I learned, December 17th is a sacred day in which St. Lazarus calls his devotees to the shrine at El Rincon, on the outskirts of Havana, to make promises, to thank him for favors received or to ask him for health for next … Continue reading “#Cuba, Cubans celebrate the 17th of December. Or do they cry for it? / Angel Santiesteban”
