Credibility: Basic Asset of the Dissident Blogger / Miriam Celaya

Some obviously well intentioned readers have sent me valuable suggestions regarding the events that have been occurring in the city of Santa Clara, in the Villa Clara province. These readers ask me to use images that attest to the events cited, but they overestimate this blogger’s materials and logistics. Regretfully, I inform you that if … Continue reading “Credibility: Basic Asset of the Dissident Blogger / Miriam Celaya”

Kidnapped Trip / Henry Constantín

(This is the story of a trip that I never imagined in my own country. I thank all those who made this experience possible, but I thank much more those who tried to prevent it.) Victor, the silent dean of Art Institute (ISA), next to the driver, without saying a single word; Danae and Rudy, … Continue reading “Kidnapped Trip / Henry Constantín”

Cuba: Whose Afraid of the Debate? / Iván García

Every day Cuba is more of an island than ever. A sector of the official intelligentsia is engaged in an interesting debate on the future of the country. It’s something that’s needed. I don’t think it’s the shock troops of Cuban Intelligence, as a certain sector within the opposition insultingly suggests. Simply something is moving. … Continue reading “Cuba: Whose Afraid of the Debate? / Iván García”

Cyber-Cubans: Digital Anarchy / Ernesto Morales Licea

I don’t have to think too hard to come up with the question I’ve had to answer most often since I came to the United States. It’s this: “How do independent bloggers on the Island update their pages without access to the Internet?” It’s an indecipherable puzzle for those who assume a connection as a … Continue reading “Cyber-Cubans: Digital Anarchy / Ernesto Morales Licea”

You, Princess, No. Not You. / Yoani Sánchez

You come out of this filth of the starving … Joan Manuel Serrat, from his song “Princess” She was raised to succeed. As a little girl, her mother took the fried egg of her own plate, if need be, to give it to her, because she was a promise which the whole family was hanging … Continue reading “You, Princess, No. Not You. / Yoani Sánchez”

Between a Rock and a Hard Place / Laritza Diversent

In less than a month, the Communist Party’s official newspaper published, in its weekly Letters to the Editor column, three critical opinions from those who are licensed to practice the fourth most popular self-employment activity for Cubans. Officially, the activity is called “Producer/seller of miscellaneous items of use in the home.” The legislation that regulates … Continue reading “Between a Rock and a Hard Place / Laritza Diversent”

The Smell of the Carob Tree / Laritza Diversent

David was found guilty of murder by the Camaguey tribunal after investigators from the Ministry of the Interior found traces of his scent on the trunk of a carob tree. Laritza Diversent In its sentence number 57 of March 30, 2007, the Camaguey Court sentenced Delvis David Pena Mainer to 40 years imprisonment for the … Continue reading “The Smell of the Carob Tree / Laritza Diversent”

Today As It Was Yesterday / Miguel Iturria Savón

They say that Benny Moré, before becoming “the barbarian of rhythm of Cuban music,” passed the hat in the bars of the Avenida del Puerto in Havana, where he sang with his guitar for a plate of food and three rums. In one of those bars he discovered the famous Miguel Matamoros, who needed another … Continue reading “Today As It Was Yesterday / Miguel Iturria Savón”

The Agrarian Problem / Dimas Castellanos

In the struggle for land ownership and against eviction in Cuba, many farmers and farm workers lost their lives. Among them is Niceto Perez, who was killed May 17, 1946. In tribute to him and the rest of the martyrs of the field that day, the Law of Agrarian Reform was promulgated in 1959 and … Continue reading “The Agrarian Problem / Dimas Castellanos”

Rain Has Arrived in Havana / Iván García

The habaneros were screaming for it. After 9 months of a fierce drought, where water-laden clouds kept moving around the city, and the dams and reservoirs had gone to code red, the rain appeared. Now, when the month of May leaves us, the longed-for spring showers made themselves present. Children and teens in shorts, barefoot … Continue reading “Rain Has Arrived in Havana / Iván García”

Investors’ Incentives… Cuban Style / Ernesto Morales Licea

My mother just closed the business that fed the better part of my family in Cuba over the last decade. The reason: the country’s new plan of economic recovery. A little over ten years ago, someone who shares my blood and who had an immense business vision, became a pioneer in a particular business: Renting … Continue reading “Investors’ Incentives… Cuban Style / Ernesto Morales Licea”

Al Qaeda Coffee / Rebeca Monzo

Since returning to my planet, I’ve found, among other things, the distribution of the new coffee, as well as the great number of comments that it has provoked. I wrote a post about it several days ago. The concerns continue to rise (just like the prices of all products). Many people have exploded their coffee … Continue reading “Al Qaeda Coffee / Rebeca Monzo”

Silence is Complicity / Angel Santiesteban

Sometimes I suspect that blogging in Cuba is like a scream from the depths of a cave that is lost in the void without finding any listeners. The echo comes back to me in an irascible silence, making me uncomfortable, thinking that outside the cave there are no inhabitants, we are alone. The scream simply … Continue reading “Silence is Complicity / Angel Santiesteban”

Babalawos Women’s Meeting in Holguin / Dimas Castellanos

Between March 8th and 9th in the eastern city of Holguín, the First Meeting of Women Iyaonifá in Cuba was held. During the event the association the “Universal Sisterhood” was established, the first organization of its kind in our country. During the meeting, of a universal character, 31 delegates from La Habana, Matanzas, Morón, Holguín … Continue reading “Babalawos Women’s Meeting in Holguin / Dimas Castellanos”

Whirlwind of Colors / Miguel Iturria Savón / Miguel Iturria Savón

According Dannys Montes de Oca Moreda, curator of Whirlwind II, exhibited from 9 May to 9 June in Havana Gallery, “it is in order that that object that hasn’t told a story before,” a maxim contradicted by the young artists who presented The Whirlwind in the capital last fall, a continuation of the show in … Continue reading “Whirlwind of Colors / Miguel Iturria Savón / Miguel Iturria Savón”