English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
-Painting by Lori Mcnamara December 16th 2006 could have been a day just like any other in detachment No. 1 of the Sancti Spiritus provincial prison. But that day we awoke, in addition to a requisition, with the news that Javier had just injected petroleum in his legs with the aim to have them amputated … Continue reading “Escape to Eternity / Voices Behind The Bars / Omar Ruiz Hernandez”
At last! The punishment for my neighbor and friend Juan Juan Almeida was lifted, and he will be embraced by his wife and daughter. I’m not going to tell the story that all of you already know, but then I ask, and I can not find the logic: why did the government close the doors … Continue reading “¡Buen viaje! – ¡Bon voyage – Safe journey! / Regina Coyula”
As August progresses, as if the summer sun and rain weren’t enough, the official press is punishing us with news that tests the boundaries of even the complete joke represented by the newspaper Granma, the Communist Party organ, and Juventud Rebelde — Rebel Youth — the newspaper for the younger generation, two sides of the … Continue reading “Young But Not Rebels / Miguel Iturría Savón”
I’ve been around here less, but I’ve had the joy of being with new friends who bring messages from old friends and with friends I haven’t seen in some time. The first was Carmen Agredano, from Córdoba, who doesn’t live in Córdoba but in Las Palmas, and who brought me an old card from my … Continue reading “Summer / Regina Coyula”
Note from the “blog manager”: Laritza contributes to two blogs which we consolidate into one on this English translation website. This post is very similar to the August 22 post, “The Scene is Indeed Confusing” — they are from the two different blogs — and we have decided to publish it here as well. Before … Continue reading “Confusing Scene / Laritza Diversent”
Two years ago, in a work I published about “the comrade who reflects,” I said: “The elder Castro, in his reflections, goes back in time and rehashes the past, mainly the 60s and 70s, which suggests that ‘the providential man’ of the Cuban revolution, age 81, is showing symptoms of senile dementia. “Easily recalling events … Continue reading “The Logic of the Predictions / Laritza Diversent”
Minister of Finances and Prices In July 2009, The Minister of Finances and Prices, a member of the Council of Ministers, ordered the confiscation of property obtained by Teófilo Roberto, the father of Antonio Roberto, during the period from 1998 to 2008. The action was taken under the authority of Decree-Law 149 (“Regarding the seizure … Continue reading “Minister Places Citizen in Indefensible Position / Laritza Diversent”
Fidel Castro in Parliament, for the first time in four years Before the formation of the current Council of State on February 25, 2008, Fidel Castro resigned his posts in that body. In a public address he explained that the state of his health no longer allowed him to hold “a responsibility requiring more mobility … Continue reading “The Scene is Indeed Confusing / Laritza Diversent”
I took a look around that place, because they had already told me about its crowd. And I saw them. One of them could not have been more than fifteen years old. The others, who were not more than 25, gave off subtle signals, between smiles, of having lived much more. Except for the youngest … Continue reading “Of Flesh and Laws / Henry Constantín”
May the influenza not win over us! THE SOLUTION IS IN YOUR HANDS A message from the Cuban Public Health at the service… Photo: Orlando Luis When I was young, there was a very popular children’s song that made reference to a sick donkey whose ills always had a solution. “My donkey, my donkey, has … Continue reading “My Donkey, My Donkey… / 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”
After many days without being able to access my blog, I was dismayed to see what it had turned into. When I opened this space, I believed it would be for exchanging ideas, opinions, that it would help to develop a debate among people who only had to agree on one thing: the good of … Continue reading “IF YOU WANT TO COMMENT, PLEASE READ THIS POST / Regina Coyula”
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”
It is a likely probability. It is known that the Castros are unpredictable. At times, they attempt to behave like brothers respectful of international norms. The truth is the rules of democracy and human rights agreements are instruments against which the government in Havana holds grudges. The three-way negotiations between General Raul Castro with the Cuban … Continue reading “Will the Prisons be Filled Again? / Iván García”
From the moment you push the door open, you notice something is not right. By now you should be feeling a change in the atmosphere, the change of temperature to give your skin, so mistreated by the sun, a breather. You should feel the air conditioner running at a place where you pay with the … Continue reading “Tropical Cancer / Ernesto Morales Licea”