English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
The former U.S. president, Jimmy Carter made a short but varied three-day visit to Cuba on Monday, March 28, 2011, in response to an invitation from Cuban President Raul Castro. He was greeted at the airport by Foreign Minister José Martí Bruno Rodriguez and diplomatic officials from Havana and Washington, respectively. That same day, the … Continue reading “Carter in Cuba Again”
Photos: Francis Sánchez My watch was still running slow, probably because I needed to change the battery, so I went looking for a watchmakers when, about to turn a corner, I noticed that I was passing in front of a sort of bunkhouse, tenement block or similar poor dwelling. I remembered that there, years ago, … Continue reading “Lead Us Not Into Temptation / Francis Sánchez”
This past 18th of January, it was the 7th year and 10th month anniversary since we 8 members from the group of the 75 were kidnapped by the communist political police. During this entire time, we’ve been hostages of the totalitarian Cuban regime. Two days later, at around 7pm, they took me to the office of … Continue reading “Decisions / Pedro Arguelles Moran / Voices Behind The Bars”
Cuban leaders should have learned the lesson that you can’t commit to dates you don’t have the ability to meet. I will not illustrate this post by referring to the Santiago de Cuba aqueduct, nor to the Ayestarán cottages (see this blog for November 30, 2008), but rather to the expiration of two promises with … Continue reading “Postponed Promises / Reinaldo Escobar”
When the high creole hierarchy enjoyed the arrival of the 51st anniversary of the insurrection which elevated them to power on 1 January 1959, a violent cold front was ravaging the west of the country. In Mazorra, a psychiatric hospital located on the highway that leads to the principal airport, a major scandal was uncorking … Continue reading “In 2010, Bad News Abounded in Cuba / Iván García”
Reina Tamayo, mother of the opposition prisoner Orlando Zapata, with family members in Laura Pollan’s house, site of the Ladies in White in Havana. I remember when my mother was doing the bureaucratic paperwork to emigrate to Switzerland at the end of November 2003, She told me she had seen a strange acronym — HP … Continue reading “Operation Exile / Iván García”
Perhaps as a punishment for their decision not to leave Cuba, the prisoners of conscience from the Black Spring of 2003 who have chosen to remain in their country will be the last batch to come out of prison. This was announced by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla in an exchange with the New … Continue reading “Those Who Don’t Want to Leave Will be the Last to Get Out / Iván García”
Painting: “Lighthouse” by Seamus Berkley In no time, life could take a 360 degree turn. Just two months ago my fate was in limbo. I would frequently ask myself, “will I come out dead or alive from this living tomb of men?” I was serving a 20 year prison sentence, of which I had already … Continue reading “A New Path / Voices Behind The Bars / Pablo Pacheco”
The dialogue between the government of General Raúl Castro and the top hierarchy of the Catholic Church continues to generate discussions between different opposition groups and the independent civil society sectors. It was expected that half a century of stagnation would bring, as its first consequence, the creaking of rusty hinges when trying to turn … Continue reading “The Cuban Catholic Church and the Opposition: An Unnecessary Conflict / Miriam Celaya”
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”
Those who expected some clues about the needed economic and political reforms that the island is crying out for were left disappointed. General Raul Castro sent them a message: you will have to wait. Castro II did not even speak at a ceremony held in the province of Villa Clara, 180 miles from Havana, to … Continue reading “The Castros, Each One on His Own Side”
The announcement of the liberation of 52 political prisoners was described by some as “great news”, while others received it with caution and even suspicion. However, the legal grounds for the release, an event considered to be the most significant of its type in a long time, remained unclear. It would be incorrect to speak … Continue reading “Libertation or Exile?”
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”
The doctor Oleyvis García, 38, is convinced that God heard her repeated prayers. “Every night I prayed to the Lord, asking him to free my husband, said García, wearing faded light-blue shorts and a shirt in the colors of the Spanish football team. Oleyvis lives in a dusty half-paved village street. Her home is over … Continue reading “Every Night I Prayed to the Lord”
Click Here for Audio of Interview with Pedro Argüelles Transcript, translated: Yoani Sánchez: What is your current situation? Where are you and what have they told you? Pedro Argüelles: I’m in the provincial prison of Canaletas in Ciego de Avila. And what I have been told is on Saturday, July 10, I went to the … Continue reading “Interview with Pedro Argüelles”