English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Iván García, 15 February 2021 — As he drives a ramshackle Soviet-era Moskvitch down a central avenue west of Havana, Samuel, a retired athlete, explains why doing business in Cuba is very difficult. Eleven years ago, when Raúl Castro kicked off the expansion of private work, Samuel used the money he saved plus a loan … Continue reading “For Washington, Cuba is Not a Priority / Ivan Garcia”
Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, January 26, 2021 — The emergence of retail stores that only accept freely convertible currency — known in Cuba as MLC stores — and a system governing exports by private entrepreneurs are two recent developments that have attracted attention from analysts and observers of the Cuban economy due to their significant … Continue reading “The Hunt for Hard Currency Never Ends”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 6 January 2021 — After a week of lining up for oil, chicken, detergent and shampoo, Idania Herrera has very little desire to stand in another line. But Three Kings Day is more important than any fatigue and the little ones await their gift. “I am tormented, I can’t find anything for … Continue reading ““This Year the Three Kings Cannot Satisfy the Requests of the Children” in Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 20 December 2020 — As he leaves the store, he passes the magnetic card to his sister who is still waiting in line. Not only do they share the form of payment in La Arcada, a foreign exchange business on Havana Boulevard, but they also share the profits from the informal resale of … Continue reading “From the Hard Currency Store to the Cuban Black Market, the New Informal Supply Route”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, August 12, 2020 — Along with hoarders and coleros — people paid to wait in line — unofficial money changers are on the police’s radar. They are after individuals who exchange dollars and other hard currency on the black market. Raids began after digital classifieds began appearing on internet portals, where … Continue reading “Cuban Police Fight Illegal Currency Trafficking”
14ymedio, Havana, 7 August 2020 — The Cuban government announced this Friday that the matches will be sold outside the rationed market starting this August. However, the released sale will be restricted to an amount determined by each client, according to the official press. Citizens have verified a growing shortage, in recent months, of this product which … Continue reading “Matches No Longer Rationed In Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 5 August 2020 — The front opened by Cuban authorities against the “scoundrels,” advanced in recent days by a media campaign, is already on the ground. According to Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, 3,054 groups have been created with 22,281 people to pursue coleros (people who stand in line for others), hoarders and illegal … Continue reading “Cuban Army, Police and Block Watch Committees Lead More than 3,000 Groups to Persecute ‘Coleros’ and ‘Hoarders’”
14ymedio, Cynthia de la Cantera, July 1, 2020 — The stars have aligned for anyone who sees the electric motorcycle as a great business opportunity. At the end of 2019 there were already about 200,000 of these vehicles in Cuba. The recent boom is fueled by a combination of several factors: an inadequate public transport … Continue reading “The Electric Scooter, a Vehicle for the Times”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Sancti Spíritus, 6 July 2020 — A number written on the forearm, several days of waiting and the uncertainty of whether they will be able to buy a fan, this is how customers experience the reopening in Sancti Spiritus of the sale of household appliances. After weeks in which only food … Continue reading “‘Queen Pots’ and Fans Return to Sancti Spiritus Stores”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, March 20, 2020* — In front of the television screen, Cubans watch the days pass by without authorities ordering the closing of the borders, the suspension of classes, or more strict measures of quarantine. While life seems to continue at its normal rhythm on the Island, many citizens and private businesses … Continue reading “In the Face of the Authorities’ Inaction, Cubans Mobilize Themselves Against Coronavirus”
14ymedio, Marcelo Hernández, Havana, 5 February 2020 — You hear the sound of hammers and a wheelbarrow that comes loaded with mortar to finish building the bathroom. At the home of Olivia, age 28, there is an incessant movement of builders but the sound of the works can stop at any time. “I am waiting for … Continue reading “"Saint Western Union" Builds Houses in Cuba”
14ymedio, Havana, 10 January 2020 — The Mexican Embassy in Cuba is preparing a new system to apply for visas that will come into force soon, although it has already detailed how it will be done. Online appointments will put an end to the lines, as well as the ’business’ that some make out of the current … Continue reading “Mexico Wants to End the Lines to Apply for Visas in Havana”
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Generation Y, Havana, 17 December 2019 — He stops, takes a breath and continues to drag his stone. The pilgrim is one of the hundreds who, on Monday, started their slow walk from Havana to the Sanctuary of Rincon. They are moved by devotion to Saint Lazarus, the patron saint of the … Continue reading “Lazarus, of the Dogs”
Elías Amor Bravo, Economist, 27 November 2019 — The CUC was the fictitious currency created by Fidel Castro during the Special Period to avoid the dollarization of the Cuban economy. A controversial decision that has created not a few problems in the operation of demand and supply. Three years after his death, the authorities seem to have … Continue reading “The Slow Agony and Death of Fidel Castro’s Currency”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar / Mario J. Pentón, Havana / Miami, 26 November 2019 — When his mother asked him to send the usual monthly remittance in dollars, Guillermo Prieto — a Cuban man living in Homestead, a town south of Miami — thought it was so she could buy a household appliance at one of … Continue reading “Tourists and Some Cubans Are Happy about the CUC’s Devaluation”
