English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
By Bertrand de la Grange. Translated from DiariodeCuba.com. Attacks on Yoani Sanchez are getting a lot of media coverage, generally favorable to the blogger. Don’t panic, Yoani: if the dogs bark, it’s because you’re doing well and they’re afraid. So I would summarize my first impression of the fascinating journey of the most famous Cuban … Continue reading “Operation Yoani”
Cuba’s partisan newspaper, Granma, announced that at nine in the morning on October 5 in the city of Bayamo, Granma province, a public trial would be held of a Spanish citizen, Ángel Francisco Carromero Barrios,accused of homicide while driving a car on a public road. Ángel Francisco, 27 years of age and director of the … Continue reading “An Injurious Trial / Rosa Maria Rodriguez Torrado”
In the blink of an eye the voltage at the symmetrical hour of the prime time news, 8:08 on a Sunday evening, as boring as slitting your wrists, or walking naked in the street with a pacifist placard, or some other symptom of insanity. A blink of an eye and then black silence, deathly. The … Continue reading “Chronicle of the Blackout / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
The National General Strike is an important initiative sponsored by theOrlando Zapata TamayoNational Front for Civic Resistance and Disobedience. As its name indicates, this initiative seeks a partial paralysis of the entire national infrastructure through strong and systematic actions by the forces of internal resistance. In its first and second stages the General Strike is … Continue reading “Campaign for a National General Strike / Jorge Luis García Pérez Antunez”
Havana – In recent days I posted a piece entitled “Today as Yesterday” in which I made mention of one of those start-up businesses emerging thanks to Cuban creativity, which are taking advantage of the Castro reforms. It was supposed to be called the Today as Yesterday Cafe but now goes by the name Come … Continue reading “Ads Forcibly Removed / Wendy Iriepa and Ignacio Estrada”
Havana, Cuba– During the entire month of May, the Cuban government in conjunction with the official entity Centro Nacional de Educación Sexual (CENESEX, National Center of Sexual Education) has developed a group of activities with the purpose of curtailing homophobia in Cuba and to demonstrate its commitment to walk alongside the LGBT, Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals … Continue reading “Let Us Talk About Homophobia in Cuba / Wendy Iriepa and Ignacio Estrada”
Saturday I went shopping for Mothers’ Day gifts. The street was full of anxious people wanting to stretch the little bit of money they had in the manner of Jesus. While the expensive items stayed on the shelves, the cheap cologne, little soaps, plastic flowers, fans, and cards of congratulations soon ran low. A few … Continue reading “Havana May 12 at 2:00 p.m. / Regina Coyula”
In Havana, traditionally, carnival is celebrated in the second half of February. Later they changed the date, and it has practically disappeared. However, the first of May, which was a day when workers presented their demands and requirements to the current government, for years now has become a complete carnival. Yesterday was this year’s event. … Continue reading “Carnival on the Wrong Date / Fernando Dámaso”
Yesterday, watching on my planet’s television the images of the May Day parade, I couldn’t but feel embarrassed. How is it possible that a people, whose civil rights have been and are being trampled on, by a regime that maintains its power at all costs, for fifty-three years, can allow itself to be a part … Continue reading “Embarrassed for Others / Rebeca Monzo”
Almost 400 years after Juan de Hoyos, Rodrigo de Hoyos and Juan Moreno — the three Juans, as the Cubans affectionately called them — saw the appearance of a virgin that held a baby Jesus, while they rowed their little boat in the middle of a storm, I had the blessing of seeing the statue … Continue reading “What Would the Virgin Do? / Wendy Iriepa and Ignacio Estrada”
by Sironay González Rodríguez I do not remember exactly when I didn’t join a union. Since I started working, until a few months ago when the Revolution decided that I wasn’t necessary for its “perfection” of the system, and they made me “available”–that is laid me off–I didn’t find that this organization represented my interests. … Continue reading “Unions in Cuba: A Wrong Turn / IntraMuros”
Joven interceptado tras performance en Plaza 1ro Mayo 2011, originally uploaded by orlandoluispardolazo. A young man is stopped and subjected to a check after his performance at the end of the parade on May Day in the Plaza of the Revolution, Havana, Cuba. The boy looked very embarrassed, almost hysterical and crying as he overreacted … Continue reading “Young Man Intercepted After Performance in the Plaza on May 1, 2011 / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
Watching events unfold in Egypt, I felt envious. The people took to the streets, shouted euphorically and showed the rulers whose hands really hold power. How much I wanted the citizens of my country to interpret that reality! However, to my regret, I feel that the day is very distant when something like this happens … Continue reading “Between Guilt and Fear / Laritza Diversent”
For many years, it has been government practice to take most of the measures that affect the population without entrust themselves to God or the devil. Just show up one day with a brief press release or, if it relates to commodity price increases, we find out the store when go to we pay. It … Continue reading “Among the Measures / Fernando Dámaso”
The scene lasted just seconds on our screens, a brief flash, chiseled on the retina, of thousands of people protesting on the streets of Cairo. The situation was described by the pompous voice of the Cuban announcer, who explained that the crisis in capitalism had sparked discontent in Egypt and that social differences were sinking … Continue reading “So Far From Cairo / Yoani Sánchez”
