English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
I saw it today. It is in black and white, has little yellow spots on it, and smells like cockroach. I recovered a photo from my adolescence, frozen in time and already in Sepia color. It is a portrait of 11 young men, joyful under the effects of the poor man’s drink, alcohol mixed with … Continue reading “The Chronicles of a Deceived Generation”
Cuba today is more of an island than ever before. The discourse which took place this past Sunday, 4th of April, by the Cuban general and president, Raul Castro, has slammed the door to any anticipated reforms. During the closing ceremony of the IX Union of Young Communists (UJC), Castro II, with his hoarse voice, … Continue reading “Raul Castro Closes the Wall*”
Perhaps I’m not the right person to write this chronicle. Or maybe I am. I know colleagues who personally knew Silvio Rodríguez in that first stage of the revolution, ingenuous and difficult, crude and contradictory, where children magically became men. Further, I’m going to talk about the spell that Silvio provoked in my generation, by … Continue reading “Chronicle with First Quarter Moon”
This April 1st, we forgot about the lack of food and the tragedy of living without a future. We set aside our empty refrigerators, as well as all the anachronistic internal politics that don’t work. We ignored the bad taste left by an inoperative government, and the empty wallets. It is Thursday of Holy Week, … Continue reading “Havana Celebrates for its Ball Players”
Mister Editor of El Mundo America has put me in a tough spot. In a chain e-mail, he asked his colleagues throughout the continent to write about life during Holy Week in their respective countries. Fuck. If there is anything I can brag about it is of not knowing anything about Holy Week. I will explain. I come … Continue reading “I Consider Myself Agnostic”
Ladies in White leaving Laura’s house on March 25, 2010. I arrived just after 4 o’clock in the afternoon at the house of Laura Pollán Toledo, right in the middle of Cuba’s capital at 963 Neptuno Street. Pollán, is the wife of the prisoner of conscience Héctor Maseda, one of the 75 peaceful dissidents jailed … Continue reading “Three Hours with the Ladies in White”
Our dear old friend, the composer Jorge Luis Piloto, born in Cardenas, Matanzas, Miami resident since 1980, received on March 23 in Los Angeles, the Golden Note Award, given by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). It was in appreciation of his contribution to Latin music and to his career over 25 … Continue reading “Congratulations, Jorge!”
For Rolando, a 56-year-old worker, the internet is science fiction. Fernandez, who has never navigated the information highway, thinks it is pure fantasy that someone sitting in their home can read a newspaper or magazine, watch television shows or listen to the radio. Laureano, a 61-year-old retired cigar-roller, looks at me with amazement like he … Continue reading “The Two Faces of the Internet in Cuba”
Life for Juan Domeq, who is 79-years-old, is a vicious cycle. Every day, he gets up at 5:30 a.m. and with his gait slow and hesitant, he arrives at his newspaper corner. He buys 50 copies of the Granma newspaper and the same number of the Juventud Rebelde. Domeq invests 20 pesos (less than one … Continue reading “Surviving in Socialist Cuba”
The morning of Monday March 1st in Havana was like any other. After spending the night with my girlfriend I returned to my house at around 6:30 AM. There was no sign of abnormality. The only warning sign emanated from a small portable radio next to the bus driver. It was a song by Silvio … Continue reading “House Arrest”
Life is a vicious circle for 79-year-old Juan Domeq. Everyday he gets up at 5:30 in the morning, and with his slow and hesitant walk he arrives at a newspaper kiosk and purchases 50 copies of Granma (the official state paper) and also 50 copies of Juventud Rebelde (‘Rebel Youth’- another state paper). Domeq invests … Continue reading “Surviving Under Cuban Socialism”
Let us leave aside the journalistic theory that an unconfirmed rumor is not newsworthy. At least not in Cuba. On the island, idle gossip acquires the character of news. It even happens that at times the rumor is more accurate than the miserly news the regime deigns to publish. It so happens that the government … Continue reading “Where there’s smoke…”
I have good friends who completely support Castro’s revolution. I respect their opinions, as they respect mine. And there’s no problem. We have shared interests. We like soccer and baseball, white rum, and we love our children. We were born in Havana, which we love. And each of us, from where we stand, want the … Continue reading “The Ladies In White Are Not The Real Enemy”
The evening of March 17 my mind was elsewhere. I didn’t have a cent in my pocket and I had to buy a vitamin-filled milk complex, which at the time cost 4 dollars, for my daughter Melany, who was barely a month and a half old. The baby’s voracious appetite forced the pediatrician to order the vitamin-filled … Continue reading “How I Survived The Black Spring”
I present to you Canaleta. Not the famous fountain in Barcelona, where the fans gather to celebrate the victories of their soccer team. No. This is the Cuban prison, located in the province of Ciego de Avila, some 280 miles east of Havana. Inside the Cuban Canaleta, in a narrow cell, dirty and poorly ventilated, … Continue reading “Canaleta, Year Seven”
