English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
An analysis of the role violence has played in Cuba history is long overdue. Looking back on death of Evaristo Estenoz in June, 1912 provides not only an opportunity to pay tribute to this man but also to focus attention on how the negative impacts of violence led to a fatal outcome. Evaristo Estenoz returned … Continue reading “The Centenary of the Death of Estenoz / Dimas Castellano”
by Ernesto Santana Zaldívar HAVANA, Cuba, June, www.cubanet.org – In the ’90s, the generation of the Novísimos (the Newest) brought to Cuban literature themes and narrative forms that marked a certain rupture with the previous generations. Angel Santiesteban, born in 1966, became one of the most emblematic creators of this time, not only for the … Continue reading “Now I feel more free in my conscience: Interview with the writer Ángel Santiesteban / Ángel Santiesteban”
Dr. Elias Carranza, Director of the United Nations Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, shocked us when he said that Cuba is the safest country in the region, during his Keynote Address at the Sixth International Meeting on Justice and Law held at the end of May in … Continue reading “Justice / Rafael León Rodríguez”
In 1915, the wives of the members of the Independent Party of Color managed something the Ladies in White have been denied in the 21st century. Article originally published in Diario de Cuba. Marking the 100th anniversary of the crime committed against black Cubans in 1912, data and facts previously relegated to history have come … Continue reading “Ladies in Black, An Ignored Antecedent / Dimas Castellano”
“There exists the phenomenon of whitening, and if you being black do not proclaim yourself to be so, you are in a demagogic position, of little ethic. In Cuban culture it is fundamental to achieve that people assume and be what they are. The defiance lies in forming a conscience, in which there will be … Continue reading “Messages from Miss Universe and Dolls of No Color / Dora Leonor Mesa”
By Antonio Rodiles Introduction The Sixth Congress of the Cuban Communist Party just concluded, leaving a trail of questions to be clarified. Most of the televised debates turned into semantic discussions, while a few dealt with practical mechanisms to achieve stated objectives. Listening to the speeches, which at some moments were limited exclusively to mentioning … Continue reading “Economic Transformations, Property Rights, and Cuba’s Current Constitution / Estado de Sats, Antonio Rodiles”
With the title “The Land Belongs to Those Who Work It,” the newspaper Granma published an editorial on May 17, in commemoration of “Peasant’s Day” from which I have selected three points that invite reflection. One: The Agrarian Reform was a basic need for economic liftoff. An affirmation that I share, since the concentration of … Continue reading “Why Doesn’t the Land Belong to Those Who Work It? / Dimas Castellanos”
I bare myself in discourses in the blog delahabanalcielo.blogspot.com/2012/05/en-esenciaorlando-l… In essence… Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo From my childhood I remember… Red. It was my favorite color. Now I don’t prefer any. Now nothing is as intense as it was at the beginning of the world. The red fabric in a handmade sweatshirt, worn over Mayte’s … Continue reading “From Havana to Heaven to Nothing / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
[In this part of an unedited interview, which I don’t know when it will be published, I respond to the question: “Ciego de Ávila: Love or scorn?”] I have tried to invent the province lovingly, although for that I had to give a primary form to that love without obligation until it was more or … Continue reading “Huge Hell Whether it Works or Not (For the Poetry of the ’90s) / Francis Sánchez”
By Luis Eligio D’Omni and Amaury Pacheco D’Omni: (Artists currently on tour in the United States of America) 1- On The 13th of April, Hector Riscart Mustelier (El Ñaño), the leader of Cuban alternativity, musician for and director of the band Herencia [Heritage], and Bobo Shanti Leader in Cuba, will be tried behind closed doors, … Continue reading “An Open Letter to Castro and The Cardinal / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
The Economic Chamber of the Court of Havana issued a summons to the Panamanian corporation Ingelco S.A., to appear and answer the lawsuit within sixty working days from March 28, 2012. The notice, issued on March 23, 2012 by the Supreme Court and published on the 27th of that month in the Official Gazette of … Continue reading “Havana Court Summons Panamanian Firm’ Joint Venture Partner in Rio Zaza / Laritza Diversent”
Julio Cesar Rifa and Roger Pupo Fariñas are completely without legal defense and they have no way to remedy this situation. There is no lawyer to be found who wants to oppose the Captain of the Port of Havana for harm wrought against their legitimate rights On the 17th of December of last year, the … Continue reading “Rafters Defenseless Before the Whims of the Captain of the Port / Laritza Diversent”
The government representing the military regime has denied Cubans the universal right to travel freely for more than half a century and still denies this right without any clear prospects towards change. With the greatest cruelty, it has torn millions of Cuban families apart and it still does. Government spokesmen have speculated for months about possible immigration changes and some, as President of the National … Continue reading “No more deception, FREEDOM NOW / Oswaldo Payá”
Mr. Presidents and Foreign Ministers participating in the Sixth Summit of the Americas, meeting in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia: I am Jorge Luis Garcia Perez Antunez, former Cuban political prisoner who, after warmly greeting you and sending you my respects on behalf of my brothers of the internal resistance, which in a peaceful but direct … Continue reading “Letter from the Front to the Attendees at the VI Summit of the Americas / Jorge Luis García Pérez Antunez”
INJUSTICE, BRUTALITY AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST RASTAFARIANS IN CUBA 2012. CUBAN RASTAFARIANS UNDER THE NEGATIVE POWER ASKING FOR HELP FROM THE POWER OF LIGHT AND TRUTH. By: Family, artists and friends of Hector Riscart TRUTH ALWAYS IN FRONT, THE TRUTH BEFORE, THE TRUTH AFTER, THE TRUTH WITH LOVE … Amid the profound changes taking place in … Continue reading “ZURAIMA AND HER RASTAFARIAN HUSBAND ASK FOR WORLD SOLIDARITY: +53-52519247 / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
