English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Written by: Wilfredo Vallín Almeida The case opened one afternoon, when two women, one, the wife and the other who turned out to be the sister, of the Cuban living in Florida detained for many months for the crime of trafficking in persons, came to see me in my house. The crime is one of … Continue reading “Let Justice Be Done / Yamil Domínguez”
Social harmony implies that scientific, technological, economic and cultural rights have a corresponding reflection in social justice, democratization and civil liberties. The absence of this correspondence makes the demands of the past coexist with the present and, therefore, its solution has to be undertaken jointly, which gives a high degree of complexity to the processes … Continue reading “February 24: Old and New Demands / Dimas Castellanos”
(… Chapter 7 …) Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo Dreams of death. Dreams of shit. Political nightmares of statelessness. Close your eyes and open your mind. Crack the skull. Dreaming does not cost anything. Dreaming dreams of a Havana deserted of Havana. White matter on the sheets. Semen, brain, liquid, gel and associations of anticoagulant ideas. … Continue reading “This is Not the Novel of the Revolution (7) / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
Given the different and legitimate concerns that are displayed by a large part of society with regard to the measures outlined in the Cuban economic and social future, I offer my opinion, because of the indifference and the disbelief as well as the indolence and concerns of the citizens, which deserve attention. There are concerns … Continue reading “The Honey of Power, the Reforms… and the Inheritance? / Rosa María Rodríguez Torrado”
Given the different and legitimate concerns that are displayed by a large part of society with regard to the measures outlined in the Cuban economic and social future, I offer my opinion, because of the indifference and the disbelief as well as the indolence and concerns of the citizens, which deserve attention. There are concerns … Continue reading “The Honey of Power, the Reforms… and the Inheritance?”
Note: This interview with a former prisoner of Cuba’s Black Spring of 2003, recently sent into exile in Spain, is from the blog Pedazos de la Isla, Pieces of the Island. Jose Luis Garcia Paneque, better known simply as “Paneque”, is an example of the brutality practiced by the Cuban government. In his face and … Continue reading ““Though separated by distance, we are still able to struggle for the return of democracy and freedom for our country” / Jose Luis Garcia Paneque”
Exploding on the sands of the world, the dissatisfied burst. Mobs of low-paid workers, fed up with lies and empty promises, remember that governments have no more power than their subjects choose to give them, and they say, “Enough already.” They say: “Out with the tyrants.” Out with the perpetual satraps, who have made of … Continue reading “The Pharaohs of My Egypt / Ernesto Morales Licea”
“History is lived forward, but to understand it we must look back.” Kierkegaard The interaction between the lack of administrative capacity, economic inefficiency, hopelessness, widespread corruption and the massive exodus, have made the current crisis in Cuba the deepest of its history. The combination of these factors, sufficient to break any human group that aspires … Continue reading “Seeing the Past From the Viewpoint of the Present / Dimas Castellanos”
The Australian Julian Assange has succeeded: his Wikileaks website is today’s star of the headlines. I do not think that the history of politics contains another incident more exotic and fit for Hollywood, and one where the revelations of the diplomacy of a certain government mixes so many nations in a complex skein, to the … Continue reading “The Worst Guarded Secrets in the World / Ernesto Morales Licea”
JJ Odlanier Solis Fonte, you are a glory of sport and the pride of Cuba. Three-time world champion, Olympic champion in Athens 2004, a personality in professional boxing. Why do you think that the Cuban government – violating its own laws – forbids you to enter your own country? OS Look, I ask myself that … Continue reading “…they will see me fight again in the Sala Kid Chocolate, in the Sports City or in whatever other place… / Juan Juan Almeida”
Press release (Miami-Madrid-Warsaw, 10 December)- A group of Cubans celebrates the International Human Rights Day by launching a campaign to abolish the death penalty on the Island. It is an initiative of the Christian Democrat Party of Cuba, based in Miami, which already has the support of the group Convivencia Cuba (Pinar del Río), of … Continue reading “Initiative for the Abolition of the Death Penalty on the Island / IntraMuros”
“It is always good to be, even in serious cases, as least hypocritical as possible.” April started off with good news for Havana’s lovers of the seventh art. I refer to the exhibit in the Charles Chaplin cinema of Martí: the Eye of the Canary, a fictionalized feature-length film, passionate and emotional, that successfully explores … Continue reading “Martí: The Eye of the Canary, a paean to dignity / Dimas Castellanos”
By Dagoberto Valdés Taking into account the absolute and meticulous control enforced by the state in Cuba since 1969 over economic, financial, commercial, and service activities, the Guidelines for the VI Congress are just a drop of water in the desert. Those who know what centralized economy means are well aware that said guidelines are … Continue reading “Guidelines for the VI Congress of the Party: Update Socialism or Renovate Societal Structures? / Intramuros”
As always, a macabre joke summarizes a Cuban reality with unsurpassed accuracy: Three guests of different nationalities celebrate the courage of certain practices that take place in their countries. The Dutchman says: “Brave men that we are, we went in a group to find prostitutes, knowing that among them, it is almost certain that one … Continue reading “The Untouchables / Ernesto Morales Licea”
In the back, the Cuban flag waves high above the world. Far ahead, the Hicacos peninsula stretches across the horizon. Varadero, the only town on the island that has been spared the rust, grows right there. Just don’t look down, at where we stand. Cardenas, the neighboring city, is just a mishmash of oil, industrial … Continue reading “The Contaminated Flag / Henry Constantín”