English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Between the 11J protests in 2021 and those of this March there are multiple points in common, as ’14ymedio’ and ‘Yucabyte’ confirmed 14ymedio/Yucabyte, Havana, 21 April 2024 — On March 17, the flood of rumors reached a fever pitch comparable to, though less intense, those of 11 July 2021 (which were quickly baptized ’11J’). Fed … Continue reading “A Flotilla from Miami on March 17, One of Many Rumors from Cuba”
14ymedio, Mercedes García, Sancti Spíritus, 21 March 2024 — A State Security agent on a motorcycle arrived at the small town of Las Tosas, 11 kilometers from Sancti Spíritus, to ask what was happening. The reason? A simple blue house appeared full of huge white graffiti that made the text stand out even more. “Miguel Díaz-Canel, … Continue reading “A Small Town Shelters a Woman Who Stands up to the Cuban Regime”
14ymedio, Havana, 14 February 2024 – Ten months after Yasmany González Valdés’s detention – for creating graffiti opposing the government and the Communist Party – this Tuesday saw the conclusion of the trial in which he was charged with the crime of enemy propaganda. The prosecution requested six years imprisonment, two less than the maximum … Continue reading “Yasmany Gonzalez Admitted to Being the Author of Anti-Government and Anti-Communist Party Posters”
14ymedio, Yoani Sánchez, Generation Y, Havana, 12 February 2024 — He narrows his eyes, jumps and puts his hands on his chest. He is not in the middle of a mystical ritual but in front of the television cameras that report the visit of Miguel Díaz-Canel to Cauto Cristo, in the province of Granma. “It … Continue reading “Cuban President Diaz-Canel Had To Go to Cauto Cristo to ‘Bathe in the People’”
14ymedio, Pedro Espinosa, Havana, 18 January 2024 — “It’s a pasture,” says the athletic coach as he contemplates the desolation of the Pedro Marrero stadium in Havana’s Playa district. The soccer field originally belonged to the old Tropical Brewery. Maradona once played here but it is about to turn 100 years old and looks its … Continue reading “Excluded from Millions of Dollars in FIFA Funds, Cuba’s La Tropical Stadium Languishes”
14ymedio, Havana, 24 December 2023 — If instead of choosing faces, at the end of 2023 we had compiled the objects that best represent Cubans this year, we would have included in the list a suitcase, some police handcuffs, a baseball, a judge’s gavel, a keyboard, a microphone and graffiti on some facade. Every presence … Continue reading “Cuban Faces of 2023: The 14 Faces That Marked the Year 2023 in Cuba”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 8 November 2023 – It’s not as if the brightly lit screens located in various parts of Havana for its 500th anniversary in 2019 were of much use to anyone. Apart from the few messages that did have any use – those about traffic, cultural events, or Covid – most … Continue reading “Little Remains of the Bright Screens that Celebrated Havana’s 500th Anniversary”
14ymedio, Havana, November 4, 2023 — Activist Yasmany González Valdés is in a punishment cell in the Combinado del Este prison, in Havana, as confirmed to 14ymedio by his wife, Ilsa Ramos. The 31-year-old political prisoner is being accused of the alleged crime of “propaganda against government bodies” but the trial against him has not … Continue reading “Cuban Activist Yasmany Gonzalez is Kept in a Punishment Cell”
EFE (via 14ymedio), Miami, November 3, 2023 — The documentary Libres X Derecho [Free by Right], which includes “a brief account” of what has happened since the popular outbreak in Cuba on 11 July 2021 (’11J’), told from the perspective of 14 relatives of the detainees, is presented this Saturday in Miami before its tour … Continue reading “‘Libres X Derecho’ Arrives in Miami, a Documentary for Young People About Cuba’s ’11J’ Mass Protests”
14ymedio, Madrid, November 3, 2023 — The Provincial Court of Havana tried three Cubans this Thursday for crimes against State Security, which the Prosecutor’s Office asks to be punished with a total of 30 years in prison between them. Half of those years, for Jorge Luis Boada Valdés, 27 years old; to which is added the … Continue reading “Cuban Court Asks for 15 Years in Prison for Writing ‘Diaz-Canel, Motherfucker’ on Three Occasions”
14ymedio, Nelson García/Juan Izquierdo, Havana, October 23, 2023 — No one enters the ruins of the La Luisa farm, in the Havana municipality of Arroyo Naranjo, with good intentions. Where one of the most powerful families in Cuba once lived, now only beggars dare to sleep, surrounded by walls full of graffiti and vines. The … Continue reading “The ‘Castle’ of the Cortinas in Havana, Converted Into a Military Zone and a Beggars’ Refuge”
14ymedio Pedro Corzo, Miami, 7 October 2023 — I visited Colombia a few days ago on a tourist and family trip. In both visions I could see that the Government doesn’t have much sympathy. A significant number of those who say they voted against President Gustavo Petro seriously question those who elected him. Even more, … Continue reading “Where Are You Going, Colombia?”
14ymedio, Santiago de Cuba, 14 September 2023 — On Thursday, a sign with the phrase “Canel, you asshole, hand over the country” was scribbled on an exterior wall in Palma Soriano, an area in downtown Santiago de Cuba. Sources living in the area confirmed the graffiti can be found near a very busy intersection where … Continue reading “Anti Diaz-Canel Protest Grafitti Appears on a Wall in Santiago de Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 4 August 2023 — The Cuban Conflict Observatory (OCC) registered a total of 589 protests on the island in July. The figure, which represents an increase of 124% compared to the same month of the previous year, exceeded by 175 incidents than those counted in June of 2022. Except for the months of October … Continue reading “NGO Reports that July 2023 is the Month with the Second Most Protests in Cuba Since July 2021”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodriguez, Havana, July 2, 2023 — Cuban slogans evolve and change with the times. The song title “Patria y Vida” (Fatherland and Life) became one of the most popular chants during the protests of July 11, 2021 but now there are new versions. There was a lot of commotion on Saturday in … Continue reading “‘Fatherland and Lead’ Scrawled on Facade of a Neighborhood Store in Havana”
