English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
REPORT AT THE FOOT OF THE HORDE Orlando Lius Pardo Lazo I believed in the knowledge of writing. I believed in the power of freedom. So when a colleague called me from Mexico, inviting me to collaborate on a magazine entitled Letras Libres, I had no option but to accept on two accounts. The editors … Continue reading “TAKEN FROM VOICES 1 / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
(this time without visuals) PENULTIMATE FEARS Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo Fear was a literary attribute from George Orwell (there is no fear in Kafka, only suspicion) until the Cold War pushed and pushed to overthrow the totalitarian Iron Curtain. In the calcified Cuba of today, among the digital copies of the film 2012 in every … Continue reading “FRIGHTLESS / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
Of all the independent journalists and bloggers, perhaps there are no more than 150 across the entire island. Yet many of us should polish our style. Sometimes we think well, but rhyme poorly. On occasion, the words drown us. And the majority lack resources to engage in active journalism or maintain a blog on the … Continue reading “The Power of Small Things / Iván García”
Photo / Luis Felipe Rojas I have to admit that the kids of this current generation really manage to try to live with the pulse of the times. Increasingly, I run into more and more people on their way to the babalao* or tarot card reader; there are those who at night go into downtown Holguín to take courses in Positive … Continue reading “Amnesia, Spells, and Survival / Luis Felipe Rojas”
My grandmothers were called Carmen and Andrea, and my grandfathers, Jose Manuel and Rafael. Names are given according to the era. My uncles and aunts were given common names: Luis, Mario, Candida, Teresa, Maria, Dulce, Augustine, Maximus, Adelaide, Victoria, Milagros, Lidia… The exception was Avelino, no longer in use, and Veneta, of Italian origin. For … Continue reading “And Presenting the Names of Some Cubans / Iván García”
I heard an old joke the other day while I waited at the bus terminal in Havana. It was about the ex-president Fidel Castro Ruz, who returned to the media during the last weeks of July, despite his deteriorated state of health. Such an appearance was subject of much irreverence. However, the official press of … Continue reading “Retiring the Demons / Miguel Iturría Savón”
Photo: Orlando Luis A teacher without much character, I won’t mention her name, who worked in one of the ten elementary schools I attended when my father’s career — he worked as an industrial mechanic — moved our family like circus tumblers all over Cuba, came up with a strategy to maintain calm and discipline … Continue reading “Mamerto”
Photo: Dagoberto Valdes, Juan Juan Almeida, Yoani Sanchez Yoani Sanchez: 1. You are an important public figure, especially because you are the son of one of the historic icons of the Cuban Revolution, the commander Juan Almeida Bosque. How have you dealt with these circumstances? Have you taken advantage of them? Have they become a … Continue reading “Interview with Juan Juan Almeida*”
Cardinal Jaime Ortega. Photo: Luis Orlando The talks between the Cuban government and the highest Catholic leadership on the Island, which started last May and led to the gradual release of all the political prisoners from the Black Spring, have not only occupied the attention of the foreign press, but have also generated a great … Continue reading “A Mediation Discussed”
Being a journalist in Cuba is like performing black magic. Investigating a story or getting reliable data is like trying to catch hold of a mirage. With a faltering voice, people whisper information to you that there is no way of confirming. I will give examples. Having some drinks one hot night on the balcony of his … Continue reading “Being a Journalist is Almost Impossible in Cuba / Ivan Garcia”
A door has opened. Slightly, but there are signs that something is moving. The government of the Castro brothers asked for help in a very low voice. And they decided to ask the Cuban Catholic Church. The calculated strategy has its logic. They had to look for a solution to the 21 years of lethal … Continue reading “The Transition of the Castros”
Click image to be taken to video on Youtube On July 20th, political prisoner of conscience Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet González will turn 49 years of age. On that day we wanted to publish a text remembering him. Because Biscet and his wife Elsa Morejon also lived in the Lawton neighbrohood, one of the highest … Continue reading “Oscar Elías Biscet, Resident of Lawton”
The sun beats down hard on the grey and white building located on Aguila street at the corner of Dragones, next to Chinatown in Havana. On that piece of real estate which was long ago given up by the Cuban Telephone Company, are the offices of ETESCA, the Empresa Cubana de Telecomunicaciones (the Cuban Telecommunications Company). On his morning walk … Continue reading “An Act of Repudiation from Within”
Public transport has always been an unresolved issue for Fidel Castro’s government. In Havana, in particular, where after the trams were taken out in the early 1950s, the bus service was among the best of all the most important cities in the world. In the 1980s, when the county had a direct pipeline to the … Continue reading “Transport in the Capital: An Unresolved Issue”
To engage in the profession of journalism in Cuba, outside the control of the state, has its dangers. Not to the extreme of having a hitman show up at your door on a motorcycle and fire a full magazine at you point blank from a .45 caliber pistol, as happens in Mexico or Colombia. They also don’t … Continue reading “Being a Journalist in Cuba”
