English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Luis Felipe Rojas, 1 February 2016 — This list is not intended to be a “Top Ten,” as is so common on internet publications. The list of names that follows carries the history of the men and women who believe in words and images as a tool of liberation. The independent journalists that appear below … Continue reading “Twenty Independent Communicators to Consult in Cuba / Luis Felipe Rojas”
14ymedio, Lilianne Ruiz, Havana, 23 January 2016 — A cake in the shape of a camera, figures of the newlyweds modeled in sugar, or the Real Madrid team emblem are some of the offerings of a private company that arranges weddings and birthday parties. The company enjoys a growing number of customers in a society … Continue reading “Social Status is in the Cake / 14ymedio, Lilianne Ruiz”
Somos+, Jose M. Presol, 1 January 2016 — “The Revolution declares its absolute and reverent respect for the constitution, which was given to the people in 1940, and restores it as the official legal code. It declares the only flag to be the tricolor with the lone star and carries it forth as always, glorious … Continue reading “January 1, 1959: The Beginning of a Betrayal? (Part 1) / Somos+, Jose Presol”
14ymedio, Orlando Palma, Havana, 18 December 2015 — On Friday morning, the political police surrounded the headquarters of the Ladies in White in the Havana’s Lawton district, blocking entrance to several activists who arrived for the traditional literary tea held every Friday, as confirmed to 14ymedio by Juan Angel Moya, former prisoner of the Black Spring and … Continue reading “Ladies in White Headquarters Surrounded by State Security / 14ymedio, Orlando Palma”
The author, a militant Chavista, does not want to validate with his vote the ‘continued destruction’ of his country. 14ymedio, Jesus Lanz Nelson Fuentes, Caracas, 6 December 2015 – Indeed, vote, what for? This is the question I ask myself all the time trying to come up with a reason to go out and vote … Continue reading “Vote, What For? / 14ymedio, Jesus Lanz Nelson Fuentes”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar (Special envoy), Liberia (Costa Rica), 28 November 2015 — A uniformed policeman guards the entrance to the shelter in the church of Nazareth, in the Costa Rican region of Liberia. It is there to protect 70 Cubans who are waiting for the Nicaraguan authorities to allow them to continue their journey to the … Continue reading “Stories of Life on the Border / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar”
Iván García, 12 November 2015 — Liudmila and Sheila are prostitutes and they don’t know about business or cutting-edge technology. But a colleague sent them a text message telling them, “Come here, the yumas (foreigners) are wild.” They put on stunning high heels, tight clothing and perfume with an anesthetizing fragrance. Their plan was simple: to … Continue reading “The Havana Fair: Hookers, Heat and Beer / Ivan Garcia”
When he is lucid, Dubiel has a photographic memory. Almost thirty years after the fact, he still remembers the names of remote villages in the Angolan jungle and can tell stories about a civil war there in which more than 300,000 Cuban soldiers and reservists were involved between 1975 and 1991. Dubiel came back traumatized. It … Continue reading “Castro’s Forgotten / Ivan Garcia”
Ivan Garcia, 24 September 2015 — The best news for Celestino Cabrera, retiree, who lives in a neighborhood of low-rise houses and steep streets, was the arrival of half a kilogram of chicken per person at his area butcher shop. “For a week now we’ve been waiting for the ration-book chicken. Lots of Pope, but … Continue reading “Many Cubans Were Indifferent to the Pope’s Visit / Ivan Garcia”
Ivan Garcia, 17 September 2015 — For Nicolás Sarmientos, 73, making his usual rounds between the farm market, the bodega and the carters who sell fruits and vegetables in Havana is almost an extreme sport. Although in theory we are knocking on the door of autumn, in Cuba the thermometers are soaring. The Meteorological Institute announced … Continue reading “Cuba Awaits the Pope in Record Heat and Repression / Ivan Garcia”
14ymedio, Orlando Palma, 12 September 2015 — Tania (not her real name) is one of the 3,525 workers of the Ministry of Public Health from Camagüey who work in around 50 countries around the world. Her medical mission abroad just ended and now she is trying to readapt to her own country. However, two years away from … Continue reading “In The Medical Missions, More Hardship Than Money / 14ymedio, Orlando Palma”
Freedom for Danilo Open Letter to the Pope Havana, September 8, 2015 Your Holiness, Pope Francis: In advance of your visit to our island, a group of Cuban citizens wish to call your attention to a case that needs an immediate solution. This is the politically motivated imprisonment of Danilo Maldonado Machado, a young artist … Continue reading “Open Letter to Pope Francis for the Release of “El Sexto””
Alfonso Susano, 20 August 2015 — The highest level of conscience is required amongst those who practice politics. On the other hand, the same activity which should promote liberty and creativity of individuals can transform into the worst form of violence and suffering. As the years pass by, various forms of political violence have been … Continue reading “From Political Violence to Citizen Participation / Somos+, Alfonso Susano”
14ymedio, Fernando Donate Ochoa, Holguin, 1 September 2015 — The beginning of the school year in Holguin has been complicated this early September by the complex epidemiological context facing the region because of the outbreaks of dengue fever and cholera. The city is experiencing a declared health emergency, but authorities say they have taken all sanitary measures … Continue reading “Holguin Starts the School Year in the Midst of a Complex Epidemiological Situation / 14ymedio, Donate Fernando Ochoa”
Declaration of San Juan The first Cuban National Conference met in San Juan, Puerto Rico from August 13 to 15, 2015. Twenty-three organizations from the Cuban archipelago and 32 from the exile participated, duly represented by more than 100 of their leaders. The event was organized by United Cubans of Puerto Rico. Animating us was … Continue reading “Declaration of San Juan / Cuban National Conference”
