English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
The Cuban newspaper, “Juventud Rebelde” (Rebel Youth) – print edition – has a Readers’ Letters section, essentially to make known and find a solution to the problems that afflict the readers, who in the great majority write looking for help or explanations relating to work conflicts, excessive bureaucracy and many other issues. Sunday January 15th … Continue reading “Laws Don’t Exist, says GECAL / Dora Leonor Mesa”
Persistent rumors from the ECAL No. 2 state that the entity surrendered to the police a letter dated September 7 this year which states that … “as outlined in file No. 174 of 2010, regular process established by Dora Leanor Mesa Crespo and provision made by the Municipal People’s Court of Diez de Octubre, ordering … Continue reading “Uncertain Execution of Judgment Hurts Civil Society Activist / Dora Leonor Mesa”
The other day, watching a triumphalist report on the news about the unrestricted sale of construction materials and under pressure from his wife who has been asking him to build a closet in the bedroom for years, my neighbor Chicho made the trek to the corner of Paseo and 33rd to buy washed sand, gravel, … Continue reading “Sand on Mondays, Gravel on Thursdays / Reinaldo Escobar”
“I know the naysayers are coming now to pour cold water on my illusions,” a neighbor parodied in a tango tempo, on hearing a Cuban television report revealing a plan to flood with soybeans what has been taken over by marabou weed, where sugar cane was once planted in the fertile lands of Ciego de … Continue reading “The Era of Soy? / Reinaldo Escobar”
Last Tuesday afternoon we were at a birthday party for Ronaldo, who lives on a very high floor in one of the microbrigade buildings in Nuevo Vedado. As always happens when we get together with some friends, the mono-theme emerged. We were all very animated sharing our opinions about how bad things are. Someone said, … Continue reading “Syndrome of War / Rebeca Monzo”
The day classes started, my son came up with the bomb that he did not want to continue going to his sports school. This is his last year of high school, so I advised him not to make any move and spend six months of classes taught in grade 12 and then start preparing for … Continue reading “A Visit to Hard-Core Socialism / Regina Coyula”
The old Mambí, on his stool, raised his saber, and with a perfect slash cut the large table where his twelve family members were fighting over the spoils in two. The radio stopped playing Michael Jackson singing “I’m Bad,” while from the window came the deafening noise of a the microbrigade’s concrete mixer. Daniel pulled … Continue reading “The Return / Fernando Dámaso”
She is not beautiful (at least not according to the canon of dogs), but she possesses the 3 key qualities that convinced me to take care of her: she’s female, flirtatious and abandoned. I could not leave her in the street, and she was interrupting my sleep. However, I could not take care of her … Continue reading “Margarita’s Rescue / Rebeca Monzo”
Being a journalist in Cuba is like performing black magic. Investigating a story or getting reliable data is like trying to catch hold of a mirage. With a faltering voice, people whisper information to you that there is no way of confirming. I will give examples. Having some drinks one hot night on the balcony of his … Continue reading “Being a Journalist is Almost Impossible in Cuba / Ivan Garcia”