Search results for: blackouts

Voices Of Official Journalism Strike Against A Foreign Correspondent / 14ymedio, Mario Penton

14ymedio, Mario Penton, Miami, 30 January 2017 — The controversy between the most radical wing of Cuban officialdom and the correspondent of Uruguayan origin resident in Cuba, Fernando Ravsberg, is rising in tone. The latest blasts from the most orthodox defenders of “revolutionary” journalism call out nine alleged false pieces of news from the communicator. … Continue reading “Voices Of Official Journalism Strike Against A Foreign Correspondent / 14ymedio, Mario Penton”

Cubans Don’t Have Big Plans For 2017 / Iván García

Iván García, 6 January 2017 — When you live on the edge of an abyss, you lose your capacity to think about the future. Just ask Giraldo, who works as a plumber for Aguas de La Habana, what his plans are for 2017, and you’ll see an expression of surprise on his face. He takes … Continue reading “Cubans Don’t Have Big Plans For 2017 / Iván García”

It Is Not Because Fidel Says It, It Is Because I Believe It / Somos+, Arlenys Miranda Mesa

Somos+, Arlenys Miranda Mesa, 21 December 2016 — December 3rd was the ceremony in Santiago de Cuba after the death of Fidel Castro and the procession of his ashes across the entire Cuban archipelago. I sat down to observe the ceremony, although I knew it would be repeated many times, but I preferred to be … Continue reading “It Is Not Because Fidel Says It, It Is Because I Believe It / Somos+, Arlenys Miranda Mesa”

The Seven Phases of Fidel Castro / Iván García

Ivan Garcia, 10 December 2016 — In a country sculpted by slogans, intolerance and symbols, the departure of Fidel Castro — absolute ruler and founding father of the Cuban Revolution — changes the rules of the game. Nothing will ever be the same again. No future autocrat will be able to summon a million people … Continue reading “The Seven Phases of Fidel Castro / Iván García”

Cuba: Tallies and Tales of the Reforms / Vicente Botín

Vicente Botín, Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy (ASCE), The Hilton Miami Downtown Hotel, 29 July 2016. Once upon a time… A female cat fell in love with a handsome young man and prayed to the goddess Aphrodite to turn her into a woman. The goddess, pitying the cat’s yearning, … Continue reading “Cuba: Tallies and Tales of the Reforms / Vicente Botín”

Cuba, 5 August 1994: Spontaneous Revolt, Expected Response / Juan Juan Almeida

Juan Juan Almeida, 5 August 2016 — In Cuba 1994 marked the low point of an economic downturn which has been ongoing since the demise of the Eastern bloc in 1989. At the time the government was anticipating social unrest in the east of the country. Discontent within the military had reached dangerous levels due to … Continue reading “Cuba, 5 August 1994: Spontaneous Revolt, Expected Response / Juan Juan Almeida”

The Special Period: The Return Of The Cuban Middle Ages / 14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez

14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 6 August 2016 — She split the plate into two meager rations. “Mommy, you’re not going to eat?” asked one of the daughters voraciously swallowing the mashed banana without oil, free of protein and with hardly any salt. The image of this skimpy dinner in the summer of 1993 is recalled by Maria … Continue reading “The Special Period: The Return Of The Cuban Middle Ages / 14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez”

Prominent Holguin Physician "Escapes" Mission in Brazil / Juan Juan Almeida

Juan Juan Almeida, 25 July 2016 — Although it is not the first case of a Cuban doctor suddenly abandoning his mission overseas, the desertion in Brazil of Dr. Alejandro Guerrero Gonzalez — a leading specialist in general medicine and a former director of Lucia Iñiguez Landin Surgical and Clinical Hospital in Holguin province — is one … Continue reading “Prominent Holguin Physician "Escapes" Mission in Brazil / Juan Juan Almeida”

The Cuban Government Wants to Regulate Prices for Collective Taxis / Iván García

Iván García, 19 July 2016 — At the traffic signal on Infanta and Carlos III, in the heart of Havana, Guenady takes advantage of the red light to thirstily take a swig out of a half-liter of ice water that he keeps at one side of his driver’s seat. Perhaps the cold water helps to … Continue reading “The Cuban Government Wants to Regulate Prices for Collective Taxis / Iván García”

A Lighter Version of Cuba’s Special Period / Iván García

Iván García, 23 July 2016 — It was announced on Friday, July 8 that Cuba had experienced an economic recession in the first half of this year and that there would be cutbacks in fuel consumption. If the country had a stock exchange or a convertible national currency, their fall would have been dramatic. It was … Continue reading “A Lighter Version of Cuba’s Special Period / Iván García”

Is This the Second Phase of Cuba’s Special Period? / Iván García

Joel, a fifty-five-year-old engineer, remembers the summer of 1994 when, after finishing his day job, he came home to roast two or three pounds of peanuts. After packaging them in paper cones fashioned from the pages of school textbooks, he went out to sell them on the street and make a little extra money. As … Continue reading “Is This the Second Phase of Cuba’s Special Period? / Iván García”

The Magic Number / Fernando Dámaso

Fernando Dámaso, 1 July 2016 — In 2016, the number “90” has taken on a major importance for Cuba’s government authorities. The unleashed hysteria of the cult of personality means that, since December of 2015 government agencies and institutions have been ordered to “dedicate absolutely all their actions” to this magic number, which represents the … Continue reading “The Magic Number / Fernando Dámaso”

Cuban Migration Crisis: Neither Economic nor Humanitarian / 14ymedio, Miriam Celaya

14ymedio, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 29 June 2016 — About 400 Cubans who remained ensconced in front of the embassy of Mexico, in the city of Quito, Ecuador, demanding an airlift to allow them entry to the United States, were violently evicted from the place by police in the early hours of Sunday, 26th June. It … Continue reading “Cuban Migration Crisis: Neither Economic nor Humanitarian / 14ymedio, Miriam Celaya”

Radio and Television Marti: Notes from Havana / Iván García

Ivan Garcia, 28 May 2016 — Thirty-one years after its founding, the government annoyingly continues to jam broadcasts by Radio Marti and its television signal still cannot be picked up in Cuba. Its website is censored and this media empire was a point of contention in negotiations with the Havana government to normalize relations with … Continue reading “Radio and Television Marti: Notes from Havana / Iván García”

Cuba: The Return of the Power Cuts / Ivan Garcia

Ivan Garcia, 27 May 2016 — As of three weeks ago there have been power cuts of up to three hours in different parts of Havana. Sometimes longer. “Friday, April 29 in Altahabana (a neighbourhood in the southeast of the city), the power was cut off from eleven at night until four-thirty in the morning. … Continue reading “Cuba: The Return of the Power Cuts / Ivan Garcia”