English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
From World Affairs By Antonio Rodiles Five years ago, hopes were high among Cuba watchers when Raúl Castro officially succeeded Fidel. There was particularly intense speculation about who would be named the next first vice president of the Council of State. Bets focused on two candidates: Carlos Lage Dávila, a bureaucrat in his late fifties, … Continue reading “Change by Attrition: The Revolution Dies Hard / Antonio Rodiles”
Published in the second edition of Cuadernos de Pensamiento Plural, April 2013. People cannot live without history. On the 160th anniversary of the birth José Martí, “the crowning figure of Cuban political thought,” his ideas, instead of being used to solve the serious social problems that afflict Cuban society, continue to be manipulated in order to validate … Continue reading “The Philosophy of Marti versus the Totalitarian Model”
Five years ago expectations were high with regards to the selection of the new government elite. Many people speculated about who would be the next first vice president. Bets focused on two candidates: Carlos Lage Davila and Jose Ramon Ventura. Whoever was chosen, observers theorized, would suggest Raul Castro’s orientation over the next five years. … Continue reading “Where is Cuba Headed? / Antonio Rodiles”
A February 24th with young talent, a breath of fresh air. Yesterday Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power ended its session, a session where new appointments were made: Homero Acosta as secretary of the Council of State; Gladys Bejerano as vice president of the Council; José Ramón Machado Ventura as controller general; Ramiro Valdés Menéndez; … Continue reading “Castro’s Moves: A Light, Tenuous, at the End of the Tunnel / Juan Juan Almeida”
It is likely that the saga of a five decades old government in which the Castro brothers have played the leading roles is now on its last reel. Please, have a seat if you want to see how the movie ends. Fidel Castro and his revolution arouse mixed emotions. To his followers, he is an … Continue reading “Raul Castro: His Last Term / Ivan Garcia”
Once again Mr. Jose Ramon Machado Ventura addressed the issue of the speed of “the transformations” driven by Raul Castro, warning that these processes are distorted from the outside by voices “paid by the empire” who demand more rapid progress naively believing that they are going to lead to capitalism. On this occasion Cuba’s first … Continue reading “Continuity or a Dismantling? / Reinaldo Escobar #Cuba”
HAVANA — Just outside the Virgin of Regla temple, here in Havana, a fortune-teller throws shells for passersby in exchange for money. Every day she gets the same questions: Will they find love? Will they be able to buy a home? Will they be able to travel in the near future? And above all, when … Continue reading “Midnight in Havana: Will the Cuban government fall in 2013? /Yoani Sanchez #Cuba”
In March 2007 the Attorney General of the Republic replied just once to the first of three applications by two doctors who had been unjustly disqualified. It wasn’t just a technical report issued by a non-political and autonomous body against two citizens who considered their rights had been fundamentally violated, but this retrospective response was … Continue reading “The Turn of the Outraged / Jeovany Jimenez Vega #Cuba”
Tiny plastic trees peek out here and there, with garlands saved from other years and a wire star at the top. Superb conifers with every little detail, placed in the lobby of some grand hotel or in the living rooms of residences in Miramar. Lights, colors, melodies that play over and over without end. On … Continue reading “Self-employed Christmases / Yoani Sanchez #Cuba”
Four decades after taking power through revolution in 1959, the factors which made totalitarianism in Cuba possible have reached their limit. The populist measures imposed during the first years after the revolution were accompanied by the dismantling of civil society and a process of government takeover which began with foreign-owned companies and did not end … Continue reading “An Assessment of the Cuban Government’s Management Over the Last Six Years / Dimas Castellano”
Six years. So much and so little has happened. Of the seven names mentioned in that “Proclamation of the Commander in Chief to the People of Cuba” only three remain unharmed. As if the text was not only news of Fidel Castro’s illness but also a curse that would fall on those mentioned. José Ramón … Continue reading “The Deadly Proclamation / Yoani Sánchez”
Last Sunday ended the Catholic Social Week of the Miami Archdiocese, and luckily, I was able to participate in two of the events. In one of the programs, Cuban American businessman Carlos Saladrigas held a conference on the business future of Cuba. Saladrigas allowed the public to present written questions. According to the moderator, not … Continue reading “I Felt Shame, Much Shame / Pablo Pacheco”
Artemisa, 20 February 2012 To His Holiness Benedict XVI: Like most Cubans, I greatly rejoice in your announced visit to our country, which will undoubtedly be welcome. You come to a country living in the most complex moment in its history. When you come, certainly, our authorities will show, among others, the achievements of our … Continue reading “Letter to Pope Benedict XVI / Jeovany Jimenez Vega”
The current Cuban sugarcane harvest, which has been well underway, has set off an alarming buzzer. The workers have been on shift for periods of 12 hours or more, without voicing considerable protests, except in some cases when the administrations have once again appeased the nonconformists. In provinces such as Granma, Ciego de Avila, and … Continue reading “Cuban Unionism, a Shameful Pain / Luis Felipe Rojas”
The socialist labyrinth consists of so much injustice that even the functionaries joke about being trapped in it. The beauracratic skeins of the tropical Cuban creature have been designed to hinder citizens, to make their daily lives harder, but it is not always possible to demarcate the frontier between the most common of passer-bys and … Continue reading “Who Will Kill the Commander? / Luis Felipe Rojas”
