English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
These are the forces that keep us alive: dignity, freedom, and courage. – José Martí I confess that if something causes me pain is to feel helpless, as a black citizen, every time I see the statue of José Miguel Gómez, located in area of El Vedado, in Havana. The statue is right on the … Continue reading “Constant Shame / Mackandal – Manuel Aguirre Lavarrere”
By Alexis Jardines and Antonio Rodiles The most recent editorial in the Cuban Catholic Church’s journal Lay Space (Espacio Laical) put on the table for discussion, once again, several critical points regarding the course that should be taken in the Cuban transition. First, we have to say that we find it most interesting that the … Continue reading “Response to Catholic Church’s Editorial in Lay Space: “Commitment to the Truth” / Estado de Sats”
The press and official propaganda organ of the Cuban government, Granma, published a report dated May 18 in Washington, on a lecture given by the City of Havana historian, Eusebio Leal Spengler, at The Brookings Institution think tank in the U.S. Capital. It dealt with the project of restoring the historic center of Havana, declared … Continue reading “The Brookings Institution / Rafael León Rodríguez”
The following post was written by Luis Felipe Rojas for “Diario de Cuba” and published on Wednesday, February 15th: During the past few days, fragments of the recently concluded sessions of the Communist Party of Cuba National Conference have been televised. And the first thing that jumps out at one’s eyes is the lack of … Continue reading “The Party…Up for Debate? / Luis Felipe Rojas”
These days the Cuban nation should be crying and writhing in its own betrayal. It gives the sensation of a country winding down, that sells quickly, like someone trying to extract every possible benefit before leaving. For years it has been auctioning off its cultural heritage on the Internet. Works by leading artists who are not even alive … Continue reading “Cuba: A Country Being Auctioned / Angel Santiesteban”
In every self-respecting city there is a Chinatown. Havana is one of those. The Chinese are the largest population on the planet. If to the 1.3 billion people living in mainland China we added those scattered around half the world, the figure may exceed 1.5 billion. They arrived in Cuba in the mid 19th century, fleeing … Continue reading “The Chinatown of Havana / Iván García”
The Florida media commented on the details of the flow of musicians and writers that travel from Havana to Miami or New York, where they perform in clubs and theaters or speak in universities and conference rooms. Among the literary figures the writer Miguel Barnet, the President of the Union of Writers and Artists of … Continue reading “Barnet and His Alter Ego / Miguel Iturria Savón”
The Council of Ministers of Cuba expanded its quorum in order to hold a session this past February 28. Nearly 30 thousand proposals were already calculated in the meetings to discuss the lineaments, and now the olive-green leaders are rushing to put band-aids on the wounds of the battered Cuban society. Now, it turns out … Continue reading “Band-aids to Save a Country / Luis Felipe Rojas”
How neglected and abandoned! In Guanabacoa, the houses where masters of Cuban art and music, Rita Montaner and Bola de Nieve, were born are about to fall down. Neighbours from this area in La Habana have told to Rafael Egües Velázquez, from the Web of Community Communicators, who could not take photos because State Security … Continue reading “SOS from Rita and Bola / Laritza Diversent”
I To try to defuse the tension that comes over me by surprise and makes me clench my teeth, I decided to take these last days, nothing special, to enjoy doing nothing. Noting, indeed, the Cuban governments’ announcements for 2011. I try to be objective, I try to be dispassionate, I try to be optimistic, … Continue reading “Jaw Clenching and the End of the Year / Regina Coyula”
Glancing at the TV I was caught by a phrase from Zenaida Romeu, director of the chamber group that bears her name. It’s Tuesday and the energy of this woman, a guest on the program With True Affection, Two… had me sitting in front of the screen while the potatoes burned on the stove. She … Continue reading “The Children / Yoani Sánchez”
14ymedio, Nelson García, Havana, 9 December 2023 – If the mayor of Palma de Mallorca wants to get Antonio Maceo’s chair back he’ll certainly know where to find it. The Captain Generals’ Palace in Old Havana has opened an exhibition of objects connected to this commander of the independence movement, which includes the trunk of … Continue reading “Demanded Back by Mallorca, Antonio Maceo’s Chair is the Star of a Cuban Exhibition”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 20 December 2019 — Claudia Genlui Hidalgo, now a former official of the Office of the Historian, has been fired from the agency after presenting a talk on independent art at the embassy of the Czech Republic in Havana, as she denounced to 14ymedio this Thursday, shortly after being notified of her expulsion. “Today … Continue reading “Historian’s Office Employee Fired After Giving an Independent Talk”
Cubanet, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 14 December 2018 — The recent news about the possible transformation of the iconic Payret Theater into a five-star hotel has fallen like an icy shower over Havanan moviegoers, especially the residents of the municipality of Old Havana, where the building is located, as well as the residents of the adjoining … Continue reading “Requiem for the Payret Theater / Miriam Celaya”
CUBA IN FOCUS – New book edited by Ted A. Henken, Miriam Celaya, and Dimas Castellanos Article by Ted Henken, from his blog, El Yuma Those of you who follow me on Twitter @ElYuma will already know that just over a month ago ABC-CLIO published a new book about Cuba, called Cuba in Focus, that … Continue reading “CUBA IN FOCUS – New Book in English from “Our” Bloggers and Independent Journalists”
