English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Zunilda Mata, Havana, 18 June 2018 — “We used to complain because they were always coming and knocking on the door every week to fumigate and make sure you didn’t have standing water, or a vase of spiritual water or a water tank without a cover,” says Diosdado, 68, who lives in La Timba neighborhood a few … Continue reading ““We Can Hardly Sleep With the Mosquito Bombardment””
Juan Juan Almeida, 16 August 2016 — Holguín, the Cuban province reporting the greatest increase in cases of zika, dengue and haemorragic conjunctivitis, might experience an increase in the level of contagion with the arrival of travellers wanting to visit the area in the upcoming carnivals programmed from 17th to 20th August. Doctor Luis Arlet González, … Continue reading “Cuba Ignores Sanitary Crisis To Not Frighten The Tourists / Juan Juan Almeida”
Fenando Damaso, 1 June 2017 — To the annoyance of the citizens, the annual campaign against the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries Dengue fever and the Zika virus has begun anew, through weekly fumigations of homes. Undertaken year after year, it seems that the insect has been the winner since is has not been eradicated. In 1900, … Continue reading “Daily Incongruities / Fernando Dámaso”
Ivan Garcia, 23 April 2016 — They work as a pair. Raciel, a black man almost six feet tall, with long arms and legs and a pock-marked complexion, is in charge of the fumigation equipment, while Yilsander, a light-skinned, pudgy man, carries a black bag and a clipboard, where he writes down the houses that … Continue reading “Why Military Service Should Be Abolished in Cuba / Iván García”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, 7 April 2016 — Google may be the Internet giant, but in Cuba it has had to jump through hoops. This Wednesday, the newly inaugurated Google+Kcho.MOR site opened its doors late because the employee who keeps the keys arrived late and because fumigation against the Aedes aegypti mosquito –carrier of dengue fever … Continue reading “Google Jumps Through Hoops In Cuba / 14ymedio, Luz Escobar”
EFE / 14ymedio, Havana, 7 March 2016 – Cuban President Raul Castro urged an increase in discipline and acting “energetically” against the unfinished and “constant” hygiene campaign undertaken on the island to combat the mosquito that transmits the Zika virus and other illnesses, according to the official media on Monday. “This cannot be one more … Continue reading “Raul Castro Calls For More Discipline In Combating The Mosquito That Transmits Zika / EFE, 14ymedio”
Ivan Garcia, 18 September 2015 — After enjoying a strong espresso, sixty-eight year old Samuel Quijano lights a hand-rolled cigarette and looks at the sky, hoping for a sign of rain. Quijano is the owner of a small parcel of land, located one and a half kilometers from the National Highway, where he grows vegetables, … Continue reading “After Papal Visit, Nothing in Cuba Will Change / Ivan Garcia”
On Tuesday we learned of the beating of Marta Beatriz. They didn’t just beat her, they also dragged her up the stairs, 31 steps, beating her neck and whole body. I did not ask Marta’s age but she is an older woman, perhaps older than 60. She was the only woman in the group of … Continue reading “Marta Beatriz Roque, Injured by State Security / Lilianne Ruiz”
When I was a child, I heard my grandmother talk about the hard times of cholera, and of how her family had escaped from this terrible disease. That was all I knew of this plaque, pure history. And it turns out that now, in the 21st century, in “my beloved planet”, that terrible word is … Continue reading “Of Horror and the Times of Cholera / Rebeca Monzo”
I’m not referring to the beautiful song by David Kern, that is now an American classic, but to the terrible smoke of the fumigation that irritate the eyes and penetrate the nasal cavities, making it difficult to breathe; becoming in turn, the cause of so many diseases of the breathing passages that afflict many our … Continue reading ““Smoke gets in your eyes” / Rebeca Monzo”
Yes, that is how they have me, and I suppose many more, the campaign against the Aedes Aegipti mosquito. Any day at any hour they can ring insistently at your door to see if someone is home. Fortunately I live up high. It is almost mandatory to open the doors of your home to strangers, … Continue reading “To The Last Hair! / Rebeca Monzo”
I think a new epidemic of dengue fever is upon us. Numerous rains in the last few days and the health messages have already started: wash your hands well, don’t greet people with kisses, don’t stay in enclosed or poorly ventilated locations. The Public Health inspectors insist on reviewing even me; I don’t have spiritual … Continue reading “Suspicions / Regina Coyula”
