Search results for: habana libre hotel

Cuba: Private Sector Entrepreneurs Feel Smothered by the Government / Ivan Garcia

Iván García, 17 June 2015 — Amid spider webs and musty smells, in a corner of his garage where things that no longer work go to retire, Leonardo has stacked molds for making candies and desserts. There are also three rolling pins, an electric oven outfitted with parts lifted from a state-owned factory, two chrome sandwich … Continue reading “Cuba: Private Sector Entrepreneurs Feel Smothered by the Government / Ivan Garcia”

The Bridgettines, in the Shadows of Power / 14ymedio, Rosa Lopez

14ymedio, Rosa Lopez, Havana 6 February 2015 — Discreet and elusive, donning gray habits and cross-adorned veils, they attend mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity in Pinar del Río. The three nuns, originally from India, belong to the Order of the Most Holy Savior of Saint Bridget headed by the Italian religious … Continue reading “The Bridgettines, in the Shadows of Power / 14ymedio, Rosa Lopez”

The New Cuban Rich / Ivan Garcia

Plaza de la Catedral, festooned for the Year End Grand Dinner and which some new Cuban rich must have attended. *See below for dinner menu. They are not as ostentatious as the new Russian rich who buy compulsively and empty the shelves of Marbella. Nor do their lifestyle and expenses have to do with a … Continue reading “The New Cuban Rich / Ivan Garcia”

Mummies Against Prostitutes: The Last Revolutionary Combat / Jose Hugo Fernandez

Havana, Cuba.  November, www.cubanet/org — The prostitutes of Havana never inspire as much pity as when we see them accompanied by those mummies of European and US Stalinism who today constitute their VIP clientele.  Really you have to have a heart of stone not only to go to bed with such a stinky and gassy … Continue reading “Mummies Against Prostitutes: The Last Revolutionary Combat / Jose Hugo Fernandez”

Taken Out of the Closet, But No One Asks Forgiveness / Reinaldo Cosano

By Reinaldo Cosano. Havana, Cuba Posted in the blog of Wendy Iriepa and Ignacio Estrada The veil covering violent homophobic repression is slowly being drawn back, but the gulity aren’t asking for public pardon. It is hard to specify just how the virus of homophobic repression was incubated, sharp-eyed with the machismo of the days … Continue reading “Taken Out of the Closet, But No One Asks Forgiveness / Reinaldo Cosano”

Eating in Havana / Regina Coyula #Cuba

Havana does not seem very aware that despite the crisis, the year-end holiday spirit is inundating other cities worldwide. Some lighting and modest Christmas trees give a vague nod to the year moving on. The state restaurants have barely hired an expert calligrapher to write “Happy 2013” in their windows, topped by a couple of … Continue reading “Eating in Havana / Regina Coyula #Cuba”

Michael Dweck (protagonist in the Exit of Eduardo del Llano?) / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo

I wish it were true that this is a city where the high-life is picking up, as promised in the ads for the book Havana Libre along with some happy photos posted, in advance, on the internet, including the Cubancentric comments against its author: the New York photographer Michael Dweck. I wish there was, indeed, … Continue reading “Michael Dweck (protagonist in the Exit of Eduardo del Llano?) / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”

The New Man Needs Toys / Dora Leonor Mesa

Without detracting from the prestige gained by Cuban education since 1959, in my view the shortage of toys that children in Cuba have suffered, and do suffer, has been ignored. While the Russians were sending millions of rubles every day, our parents gave up sleep to buy three toys a year. In schools and kindergartens … Continue reading “The New Man Needs Toys / Dora Leonor Mesa”

Vacations in Cuba / Iván García

Yosuan is a sixteen year old high school student who has a special plan for his summer vacation: beach and reggae. His father is in jail. He got an eighteen-year sentence for killing cows. When his mother can afford to she gives him some hard currency, and then he can go to a high-class discotheque. … Continue reading “Vacations in Cuba / Iván García”

Coppelia Ice Cream Turns 45… Without Strawberry or Chocolate / Iván García

Coppelia, the most famous ice-cream parlor in Havana and in Cuba, turned 45 on June 4. Located on the corner of Calle 23 at L on the central avenue La Rampa, its architecture is one of the most beautiful and best-designed since the olive-green revolution led by Fidel Castro. The design, by Mario Girona (1924-2008), … Continue reading “Coppelia Ice Cream Turns 45… Without Strawberry or Chocolate / Iván García”

Academic Fraud: An Ingrained Evil In Cuba / Iván García

Yuliesky, a high school student, doesn’t have the slightest concern about examination week. Certainly his scholarly learning is zero. Swinging nights at discotheques and hot parties are a substitute for studying. But at zero hour, his parents give money discretely to certain teachers, and they let him blow off the exams. Either way, Yuliesky has … Continue reading “Academic Fraud: An Ingrained Evil In Cuba / Iván García”

The Corner of 23rd and M / Regina Coyula

“23rd and M” is a Saturday program on Cuban television, which takes its name from the downtown corner where the TV studios are located. A massive building that also houses offices, a cinema, food service, a hairdresser and barber, and, until recently, just at the lower corner, a pharmacy. Cuban pharmacies attract the attention of … Continue reading “The Corner of 23rd and M / Regina Coyula”

MANIAS OF NOT MENTIONING MENCHÚ / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo

SHE’S CALLED RIGOBERTA MENCHÚ Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo She’s called Rigoberta Menchú. And, with her pre-Colombian bird’s voice, wreaked havoc on the recently closed Havana International Book Fair. Rigoberta Menchú wanted to enjoy the presidential suite at the Hotel Habana Libre where they housed her. Addressed not only as the Prizewinner or the Plagiarism Peace … Continue reading “MANIAS OF NOT MENTIONING MENCHÚ / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”

August 13 / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo

THE BLUEST CORNER OF THE FIRST WORLD Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo For August 13, the first ten years without my dad. Since I was a child I’ve lived in a neighborhood on the outskirts called Lawton. I am the “only child of older parents,” the reason why we barely went to the city center. In … Continue reading “August 13 / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”