English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
In Cuba people seldom go to extremes. Here you will not find a Mohamed Bouazizi ready to turn himself into a human bonfire in front of the Ministry of Housing to protest excessive taxes. There are, however, a lot of Bouazizis around. Their way of rebelling is different. Cubans do not take to the streets … Continue reading “Civil Disobedience Cuban Style / Ivan Garcia”
In Cuba, my unknown homeland, published on January 3rd, 2010, a reader who signed under the name of Philipp, and who, because of the flag shown, must live in Germany, left the following comment on August 3rd, 2011. “A question remains: this I don’t understand…How is it possible that you have a blog (meaning you … Continue reading “Response of Laritza Diversent to Two Readers / Laritza Diversent”
Note to readers: {FORGIVE THE ENGLISH!} We are trying to get a German version of 14ymedio on line, but we need someone who can manage it. Any errors in this post are because it was posted by someone who does not speak German (again, please forgive us). If you can help, please email: TranslatingCuba@gmail.com 14ymedio, … Continue reading “Das kubanische Staatsunternehmen, das 41,6 Millionen Dollar mit dem Export von Müll verdient hat / DEUTSCHE [GERMAN] VERSION”
14ymedio, Havana, 6 September 2023 – The operation of the Ñico López refinery in Havana didn’t last for very long after it was switched on last Wednesday after a year out of operation; the refinery has been responsible for the smell of gas across the capital this week. It stopped operating yesterday. If, on Monday, … Continue reading “No More Smell of Gas in Havana as Refinery Runs Out of Supply”
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”
Jeovany Jimenez Vega, 5 May 2023 — How was it possible, after the worst plane crash in our recent history, [Cubana de Aviación Flight 972 crashed in May 2018 at Santiago de las Vegas with loss of 112 lives], after the fatal collapse of the balconies that took the lives of three girls in a … Continue reading “Cuba: You Must Be Having a Laugh Diaz-Canel… / Jeovany Jimenez Vega”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 16 March 2023 – The mural which has decorated for years the empty space left by a building collapse in Calle Teniente Rey (almost on the corner of Monserrate and next to the paladar [private restaurant] Kilómetro Cero) has deteriorated in a very short time. The portrait of the ’Historian … Continue reading “A One-Eyed Eusebio Leal Watches Over Old Havana’s Decline”
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Generation Y, Havana, 30 July 2022 — I pick up the pace. The shared taxi I just got out of was going “at a snail’s pace” and if I don’t take longer strides I’ll be late for my appointment. I cross the Parque de La Fraternidad, I cross the street at full … Continue reading ““Hey, You Can’t Go Through Here!” a Guard From the ‘People’s House’ Yelled at Me”
14ymedio, Madrid, 10 May 2022 — Armando Franco Senén, former director of Alma Mater magazine, has broken his silence two weeks after the controversy generated by his dismissal from the publication. In an extensive Facebook post published on Tuesday, the journalist stated that his silence was converting him into an accomplice of the decision by … Continue reading “‘We Should Have Kicked You Out Long Ago’: How the Director of Alma Mater was Fired by Cuba’s UJC”
Ivan Garcia, 15 May 2017 — The plastic drawers holding garments for men and women give off the usual scent of things that have have been in storage for a long time. We are in a government-run store that sells used clothing on the Calzada de Monte, a busy thoroughfare lined with state-owned retail establishments, privately … Continue reading “Getting Dressed in Cuba / Iván García”
Ivan Garcia, 20 February 2015 — Fifty Cuban and foreign journalists attended the press conference that a delegation of congressional Democrats headed by Nancy Pelosi held on the afternoon of Thursday, February 19 outside the residence of Lynn Roche, the U.S. Interest Section’s public affairs officer. Nancy Pelosi, born in Maryland in 1940, traveled to Havana … Continue reading “Do Cuba and the United States Need to Rebuild Trust? / Ivan Garcia”
Cubanet, Miriam Celaya, HAVANA, Cuba, 2 December 2014 — Young journalist Ernesto Londoño should feel very gratified professionally: he has not only managed to raise a bitter media controversy in recent weeks, stemming from his uncharacteristic editorial which appeared in the New York Times (NYT), in favor of bringing closer the governments of the US … Continue reading “A “Clandestine” Meeting with Ernesto Londoño / Miriam Celaya”
Eight in the morning. On the ground floor of the Focsa building – Cuba’s Empire State – on M between 17 and 19 Vedado, in a shop between the Guiñol theatre and a beaten-up bar at the entrance to the Scherezada club, a queue of about 15 people are waiting to enter the internet room. … Continue reading “Internet in Cuba: A Success in Spite of Everything / Ivan Garcia”
There are not always good arguments for trampling on the jurisdiction of a foreign nation. The Cold War mentality is still latent in the behavior of certain U.S. institutions. If a government believes in democracy and political freedom, it shouldn’t go around hiding its peaceful efforts to support the democrats in autocratic countries like Cuba. … Continue reading “Cuba-United States: Focusing on Transparency / Ivan Garcia”
