Translating Cuba – Page 74 – English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island

Artex Has a Lot of Income but Does Not Pay Cuban Musicians and Artists

The provincial branch of Matanzas collected 257 million pesos in 2024: “The money enters the box office and the talent is forgotten.”

If the profits were so significant, where is the salary of the artists? / Ricardo López Hevia

14ymedio, Pablo Padilla Cruz, Matanzas,15 July 2025 — Various voices of the cultural guild linked to Artex S.A. -the State trading company responsible for marketing Cuban culture- complain about delays of three to six months for delivery of their salaries. According to the statements of artists from different provinces, the payment they should receive for concerts in venues, hotels and festivals simply does not materialize.

“Three months of waiting, and they say the money is there, but it never arrives,” says José, a night club worker in the city of Matanzas. “There are colleagues with six months in this situation. Imagine, a salary is never enough to live on, much less without receiving tips.”

Joseph’s testimony is no exception. Efrén, a musician hired by a hotel in Varadero, says that he worked his shifts on time, but he has not been paid anything. “I started playing at the agreed time, but if I ask for my salary and they say ’not yet’. That’s how it’s been for two months.” continue reading

Artex’s branch in Matanzas closed the year 2024 with more than 257 million pesos in gross revenues.

In the annual balance sheet of the provincial Artex branch in Matanzas, it was announced that the entity closed the year 2024 with more than 257 million pesos in gross revenues. This positioned the territory as the second highest-earning branch in the country. For these results they received the status of “national vanguard” for the thirteenth time. If the profits were so significant, many question, where is the salary for the artists?

The same is true in Havana. The persistence of these defaults has led artists like Yanairis Fernández, director of the metal band Bonus, to warn that they will stop performing in centers such as Submarino Amarillo and Jardín del Mella if they do not receive their remuneration before July. His decision has also affected rock bands like Pyra and Green Beans, who have been claiming arrears since March. On social networks like Facebook, some directors have announced the sending of open letters calling on musicians to stop their performances until Artex complies.

The president of Artex posts more political propaganda on his social media than artistic promotion

Artex is a complex State trading company with headquarters, agencies, divisions and branches throughout Cuba. Its commercial network includes shops, cultural centers and promotion of products and services in both Cuban pesos and foreign currency. Its catalogue includes entities such as Bis Music (recording and publishing), Ediciones Cubanas, Clave Cubana, Musicalia, d’Arte, Paradiso (cultural tourism) and Soy Cubano (export of cultural products and services). Artex manages festivals, hotel events, tours and contracts with Cuban artists.

A glance at the X profile of Artex’s national president, Eladio Marrero Florido, reveals an extensive campaign to promote political figures such as Fidel Castro and Miguel Díaz-Canel, as well as attacks on Marco Rubio and Donald Trump. But it is almost impossible to find promotions, comments or allusions to the work of Cuban artists, much less a report on the fulfillment of payment dates for their work.

Artex “has money,” but the concept of “paying for talent” does not seem to be part of its priorities.

Musicians, sound technicians and artistic directors consulted by 14ymedio report that Artex “has money,” but the concept of “paying for talent” does not seem to be part of its priorities. “They promote festivals in Varadero paid in dollars and have huge advertising campaigns, but those of us who work directly at these events are waiting, without a clear explanation,” says Efrén. Sound technician Yoangel, in another hotel in the same area, says that signing a contract with Artex is like “playing Russian roulette.” After two months without pay, he decided to quit to avoid getting trapped in an endless wait.

“How many more months do you plan to leave us without pay?” asks a musician who threatens to boycott performances in venues linked to Artex. The proposal for a standstill is presented to a company which, without issuing official apologies or explanations, continues to operate and sell culture without paying the creators. The pressures extend to requesting the intervention of the Ministry of Culture and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, denouncing a supposed structural exploitation: “The money enters the box office and the talent is forgotten.”

In a country where the average wage barely covers the basics, these defaults are a daily tragedy. Artists like José, Efrén and Yoangel divide their time among concerts, private classes and informal jobs to survive. “I live on what I sell to tourists, records and tips; but I can’t go on like this anymore,” one admits. For families who depend on their work in culture, these unpaid months mean losing shelter, food and medicine.

Bars, restaurants and even small private cafes have become the alternative for artists.

Others have begun to present themselves in private venues, aware that the State is increasingly lacking in resources to meet its commitments. Bars, restaurants and even small cafes have become the stage for singers, magicians and comedians, who, tired of waiting for their salary, prefer to close a deal with an entrepreneur and support themselves with tips from customers.

Artex’s reputation is faltering under the shadow of this wage crisis. The question that resonates in the guild is clear: can a sustainable culture maintain itself on broken promises? Artists and workers demand immediate payments, transparency in financial management and a genuine commitment from the institution. If not, they warn, the silence could become louder than any song.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Florida Lawmakers Report 750 Migrants in Cages at Alligator Alcatraz

“The images you have seen do not do justice to the place. They are essentially crammed into cages,” they say.

Florida opened the site to Democratic legislators, but not to the press. / EFE

EFE (via 14ymedio), Florida, June 13, 2025 — Florida federal and state lawmakers reported on Saturday, after their first visit, that there are 750 migrants in cages at the new Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center. They called it an “internment camp” and an “expensive political publicity stunt” of the Trump administration and the Florida state government. The center opened last week at an abandoned airport in the middle of the Everglades, a natural area west of Miami surrounded by swamps, alligators, snakes and panthers.

“I just left the immigration detention camp in the Florida Everglades. There are 750 humans in cages. We were not allowed to speak with the detainees. We did not walk through occupied areas. There are immigrants in there with no criminal record,” said state senator Carlos Guillermo Smith.

Florida opened the site to Democratic lawmakers, though not to the press, after the first immigrants detained at Alligator Alcatraz denounced to local media the “sub-human” conditions in the makeshift tents, with “suffocating” heat and humidity, a shortage of water and rotting food.

Federal congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said after walking through the center that there are up to “32 detainees per cage,” with only a few bunks and bathrooms, so they “get water to drink and wash their teeth where they defecate, in the same unit. They are using cages. These detainees are living in cages. The images you have seen do not do justice to the place. They are essentially crammed into cages,” she told the media outside the continue reading

center.

Federal legislator Darren Soto questioned the cost of the detention facility, estimated at almost $500 million

Federal legislator Darren Soto questioned the cost of the detention center, estimated at nearly $500 million, in addition to being built in a flood-prone area during the current Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. He argued that the site “endangers” not only those detained by the Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE), but also federal agents and the Florida National Guard.

“Sadly, we see that President Trump is taking away the legal status of nearly one million Cuban, Venezuelan, Haitian and Nicaraguan immigrants in our state, and now he’s deporting relatives of millions of Florida citizens in the most inhumane way possible,” he said.

After the tour, the Democrats argued that full and constant monitoring is needed on site, which the Florida government opened last week with a projected capacity of up to 5,000 migrants following a visit from Trump. The criticism has also been joined by the Archdiocese of Miami, which labeled the new detention center as “corrosive” and “inappropriate.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Performances Interrupted in Cinemas and Theaters by Blackouts, Another Frustration for Cubans

The screenings end abruptly and the spectators, resigned, leave the theaters.

Seeking emotional refuge in the cinema or theatre has become, for many, an additional source of frustration. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández, Havana, July 13, 2025– On a Sunday that appeared to be a cultural normality, the Teatro Trianón in Havana had a day that crudely reflects the energy crisis that has become embedded in the daily life of Cubans. An adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles was again a victim of the blackouts. Saturday had already been canceled, and on Sunday, a video captured the dismay of the attendees: “Again?” they complained from the seats.

At the Trianon, actors rehearse in stifling heat. Hundreds of spectators brave the congested transport system, cross half the city, and sacrifice an entire afternoon to finally face the uncertainty of the electricity grid. Fortunately, the performance was able to resume that Sunday afternoon, albeit more than half an hour late.

In the provinces, the situation is often even more critical. Just a few weeks ago, in Santiago de Cuba, the Hermanos Saíz Association website bluntly announced: “The Teatro El Portazo performance at the Santiago Theater Council has been canceled tonight due to a power outage. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

In Camagüey, the Teatro del Viento [Theater of the Wind] has also suffered prolonged power outages that have paralyzed its performances. Its director, continue reading

Freddys Núñez Estenoz, denounced on social media that they had been “living in hell for weeks with blackouts ranging from 17 to 23 hours a day.” On July 3, he wrote: “We still can’t offer dates or times for performances. We can’t even guarantee that we’ll have performances. We’re waiting for something as simple as finding out the blackout schedule for the circuit where the theater is located. And we’re not the only ones. The Camagüey Ballet is also waiting for the premiere ofDracula.”

A screening of an adaptation of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” was once again affected by the power outages. / 14ymedio

Under such conditions, theatrical creation becomes an act of resistance. Rehearsals are interrupted, premieres are postponed, performances are canceled. This is what happened with the play Fibra [Fiber], which the Camagüey-based collective planned to premiere on its 26th anniversary but it was postponed due to the impossibility of lighting the stage and setting up the installation.

The situation is no different in movie theaters. Last Sunday, in theaters 23 and 12, they were showing a series of favorite films by the late president of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry, Alfredo Guevara. But Jacques Becker’s Cascos de Oro was only halfway through when the theater went completely dark, and the screening ended abruptly. Resigned, viewers left the theater with no clear destination, adding yet another disappointment to the national routine. Seeking emotional refuge in the movies or theater has become, for many, an additional source of frustration.

The blackouts plaguing the country are not just incidental. With outages of up to 22 hours a day in several regions, even events planned months in advance are not spared. During the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, multiple screenings were canceled due to the power outages.

In theaters 23 and 12, the film was only halfway through when the theater went completely dark, and the resigned viewers left the theater. / 14ymedio

A Cuban filmmaker described that edition as an “organizational disgrace”: dark theaters, absent signage, and makeshift restrooms on 23rd Avenue in Vedado, with an unbearable stench. The reduced capacity, last-minute cancellations, and endless lines have become an inseparable part of the country’s cultural landscape.

The only show free of blackouts, it seems, was the premiere of La Colmenita, which was attended by Raúl Castro, Díaz-Canel, and almost the entire staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Propaganda never lacks power.

In a Cuba where even art is forced to wait for the lights to come back on, theater director Freddys Núñez summed up the general feeling with a lapidary phrase: “What’s the point of continuing to play the game that something is working, when in reality everything is screwed up…? Nothing works. Nothing.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Havana-Ciego de Ávila, a Trip in Apaguistan*

The Viazul bus travels through ghost towns, where passengers get on and off by the light of their cell phones.

Viazul station in Havana, without electricity or air conditioning. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Olea Gallardo, Havana – Those without fans waved cardboard with their hands this Monday at the Viazul restaurant in the Havana municipality of Plaza de la Revolución while waiting for their buses to depart. “How cheeky! Of course we always had air conditioning before,” protested a woman with a ticket to Santiago de Cuba, fanning herself. “Now we have to make do with the air that comes in through the open windows.” One flimsy fan for the entire room was useless even though it was turned on.

The fact that the transportation company serving foreign tourists—or Cubans with families abroad who can afford the ticket in foreign currency—can’t even air-condition its facilities in the capital is just one of the many symptoms of the dire situation of the national electricity system (SEN) during this peak season. In the provinces, despair prevails.

Those traveling to the eastern part of the country experienced this in a radical way upon arriving in Santa Clara. “We only knew we had arrived because the bus made a left turn. Everything was blacked out!” a Havana resident spending a few days on vacation in Ciego de Ávila with her family told this newspaper. “It was just darkness everywhere: in the terminal, people were stumbling, we were almost scared. There was no light but the cell phones, even in the bathroom.”

“A woman got out in total darkness and a frightening silence, as if the town had been abandoned.”

The young woman wasn’t pleased to hear a joke from a Cuban who seemed to be visiting: “We’re in Apaguistan*, he said, as if expecting laughter, but I didn’t find it funny because the imagery is so powerful, it feels like you’re in the middle of a dystopian movie.”

The same scene was repeated in Cabaiguán: “A woman got off in total darkness and a frightening silence, as if the town had been abandoned.” At the next stop, she says, “All I could see were the silhouettes of buildings, so continue reading

much so that I got lost: I didn’t know where I was, whether I had already passed Guayo and was I in Sancti Spíritus or what.”

And worse was to come, with yesterday’s shutdown for maintenance of the Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas, the largest in the country.

Authorities estimate the work will last four days, although it was initially planned to last one less. According to official press reports , there will be three days of construction work and one day for the start-up and synchronization process. The first days will include repairing a leak in the boiler and a faulty feed pump, cleaning the regenerative air heaters, and repairing and replacing valves.

A precarious fan for the entire Viazul waiting room was displaying its uselessness despite being turned on. / 14ymedio

No fewer than 140 employees from the Cienfuegos, Felton, Santa Cruz, and Mariel thermoelectric plants (CTE) have been called in for maintenance at the Guiteras plant, which reflects the magnitude of the work. “At this time, all the workers and resources are scheduled,” boasted Román Pérez Castañeda, technical director of the Matanzas plant.

Along with Guiteras, five other units are out of service: two due to breakdowns—Felton Unit 2 and Renté Unit 3—and three for maintenance: Santa Cruz Unit 2, Cienfuegos Unit 4, and Renté Unit 5. This represents a deficit of 294 megawatts (MW) in energy generation.

Due to a lack of fuel, 75 distributed generation plants (662 MW) and 9 motors (150 MW) of the 12 of the Suheyla Sultan, the Melones patana [floating turkish power plant], are stopped, although the report this Tuesday from the Cuban Electric Union (UNE) predicts that 80 MW of the first plants as well as one hundred percent of the motors of the floating plant will come on during the hour of maximum demand, in the afternoon-evening.

According to the state-owned company’s report, during that peak period, an estimated 1,970 MW of available power is expected to meet a demand of 3,670 MW, resulting in a deficit of 1,700 MW. The actual impact will be 1,770 MW, almost half of the country’s energy needs, a figure higher than yesterday’s 1,673 MW.

“We are on the path to independence from imported fossil fuels.”

Given this, the statement made by the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, this Monday almost sounds like a joke. “We are on the path to independence from imported fossil fuels,” he said before Parliament’s Industry, Construction, and Energy Committee.

The minister was referring, of course, to the solar farms that have been proliferating on the island with the help of China, which are, he insisted, “a viable strategy to recover the national electricity system.” The 21 already operating, however, currently provide only 544 MW at most, and only during full sun hours.

Vicente de la O Levy welcomed the fact that “an average of five photovoltaic parks are being installed per month” and “with resources already in the country,” but acknowledged that “the security of fuels continues without a sustainable solution.”

He also referred to the Turkish floating power plants, whose final departure from the country due to nonpayment was expected last June and which are still holding on by the skin of their teeth. “We had up to eight barges in the country, and five have been removed,” the minister recalled. “With scarce financial resources, minimum payments have been made to keep the barges generating through July and August.”

“With scarce financial resources, minimum payments have been made to keep the trucks generating during July and August.”

Without a hint of self-criticism, but presenting a picture just as bleak as other committees, such as the Economy and Health committees, De la O Levy said that the main causes of the energy shortage are the increase in imported household appliances – 17 million in recent years, he indicated – the lack of liquefied gas and the low “electricity rates that do not encourage savings.”

In second place, he cited the decline in domestic crude oil production (from 3.6 million to 2.1 million tons) and the decrease in fuel oil and diesel imports due to a lack of foreign currency. Regarding generators, he stated that “there is no progress due to a lack of access to financing,” and regarding transformers, of which the country needs 12,000 annually, they are also at a critical point.

Regarding the crimes suffered by the SEN, he said they are primarily thefts of cables, fuel, transformer oil, and various accessories, as well as “misappropriations” at gas sales points.

“In the life of a country, 60 years are nothing, but in the life of a person, they are everything.”

Ordinary Cubans don’t need the minister’s dire statistics to know how things are. On the bus to Santiago de Cuba, like someone traveling in the depths of the night, the air conditioning is barely noticeable, there are seats that don’t recline, and the ticket numbers are repetitive.

A few tourists mingled with Cubans, most of them emigrants. A Cuban woman and her Belgian partner were talking about visiting her family, laden with gifts. They were the only ones not ranting about the country, along with another Cuban woman from the east. Their topic of conversation: the misinformation on social media about violence in Cuba, which only “spreads lies.” The eastern woman boasted about having “a floor plan for the whole house,” a house she made available to the couple she was talking to.

Another passenger, carrying all her luggage up to her seat, complained about not being able to leave it downstairs. “It was all full,” she said. “But I don’t understand: a little while ago, three people arrived with a pile of suitcases. They handed a dollar bill to one of the lounge employees, but they didn’t get on. Maybe that pile of suitcases was for shipping.”

A university professor spoke bluntly and directly against Fidel Castro. “In the life of a country, 60 years are nothing, but in the life of a person, they are everything,” he lamented. In his diatribe, he proposed, directly, “rebuilding the nation from scratch.” Cubans, he continued, are “people without values” and “deeply damaged” by a system for which the current president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, was now being blamed. The responsibility, he asserted, “comes from before: Fidel was a mentally ill person who tried to compete even with God and lost in every way.”

Already in Ciego de Ávila, the young Havana woman reported only two hours of daylight that night. “Everything seems so depressing to me, people are so sad, what we’re all experiencing in Cuba isn’t life.”

*A play on words: ‘Outage-stan’

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The Cuban Regime Expresses Its Impotence in the Face of the Economic Collapse of the Country

Official data confirm an 11% fall in GDP over the last five years.

The current revenues of the State “do not suffice to acquire essential raw materials. / Cubadebate

14ymedio, Havana, 14 July 2025 — The Cuban economy is not in recovery. Economy Minister Joaquín Alonso Vázquez made this clear on Monday during the session of the Economic Commission of the Parliament, in the presence of the president himself, Miguel Díaz, and the president of the National Assembly, Esteban Lazo. In his report, Alonso Vázquez revealed that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has fallen by 11% over the last five years, although it is likely to have been even more, apart from the official statistics. The session was marked by a gloomy tone, lack of solutions and an implicit recognition of a country in the midst of economic collapse.

The most crushing figure was the contraction of 1.1% of GDP in 2024, against the modest 2% growth that had been planned. But the most alarming thing is that, since 2019, the national economy has lost more than one-tenth of its size. According to the minister, primary production – including agriculture, livestock and mining – has been hit hardest, with a 53% drop. Manufacturing (23%) and social and non-social services (6%) also declined.

This decline is compounded by a complicated external context, marked by lack of access to fuels, rising international prices and the paralysis of key imports due to currency shortages. However, the biggest obstacles remain internal: structural distortions, an unstoppable growth in external debt, business inefficiency and a dilapidated energy system.

Cuban exports in the first half of 2025 barely reached 62% of what was planned

Minister Alonso’s report revealed that Cuban exports in the first half of 2025 barely reached 62% of what was planned, well below the disastrous 78% of the same period last year. The country is unable to place products such as nickel, honey, charcoal and shrimp on the international market, and biopharmaceuticals are also experiencing setbacks. Although there was some recovery in items such as tobacco, lobster and fishery products, it was not enough to reverse the negative balance.

As for tourism, another of the country’s strategic sectors, the figures are particularly depressing. At the end of the first half of the year, Cuba received continue reading

1.6 million visitors, which represents only 71% of the planned number. Domestic tourism also suffered, falling by 5.2 per cent.

During his presentation, Minister Alonso explained that the country continues to import more than it exports, which increases the trade deficit. Imports covered only 67 per cent of the plan’s projected needs, but expenditure was 7 per cent higher than in the previous year, reflecting an increase in the cost of international goods and freight.

Massive external debt continues to be a growing and unsustainable burden

One of the heaviest burdens on the Cuban economy is its large external debt, the size of which, according to the minister, remains a growing and unsustainable burden. Although the Government has been successful in renegotiating installments and restructuring commitments, the lack of liquidity and systematic default on payments have eroded the country’s financial credibility.

The situation is so critical that, according to Díaz-Canel himself, that the current revenues of the State “are not enough to purchase basic raw materials to increase national production.” Nor are they sufficient, he said, to “inject currency into a functional exchange market” or to supply semi-finished goods to shops in national currency.” We try to solve problems by redistributing scarce resources, but that is no longer enough,” he acknowledged.

In his assessment of the business system, the Minister warned that while the number of loss-making enterprises has decreased, this is not due to efficiency improvements but to a general rise in prices. Private MSMEs*, which already number over 11,000 in the country, account for more than 50 per cent of the national economy, but they still face bureaucratic obstacles, import restrictions and an increasing tax burden.

The deputies called for exploring new ways to capture remittances

Speaking about remittances, one of the country’s financial engines in the last decade, the minister noted that there are increasing difficulties in channeling them due to US restrictions, but he did not give details about possible alternatives. The deputies called for exploring new ways to capture that cash flow, which in practice supports millions of Cubans.

Nor has there been progress in foreign investment. In the first half of 2025, only 14 new businesses with foreign capital were approved, focusing on areas such as hydrocarbon production, wholesale and retail marketing, light industry, and finance. None of these projects has begun to generate substantial revenues.

Alonso stressed the urgency of implementing measures to stabilize the economy. Among them he mentioned the reform of the exchange market, the containment of the fiscal deficit and the promotion of exports through self-financing schemes, 23 of which have already been implemented. However, none of these measures seems to have an immediate effect.

The National Assembly admits that the current model is no longer viable.

The Minister also acknowledged the increase in accounts receivable, the persistence of tax evasion and the lack of productive “chains” as elements that hinder any attempt at recovery. Meanwhile, prices remain high, wages are insufficient, and inflation, although lower than in 2023, continues to affect purchasing power.

The Cuban regime is failing to contain the economic collapse and now admits, with fewer and fewer euphemisms, that the current model does not work. But instead of undertaking a major reform, it insists on partial measures, attributes the causes to external factors and clings to an approach of control that has already failed. The pessimism that fills the air of the National Assembly does nothing more than reflect the widespread feeling on the streets: the Cuban economy is literally in free fall.

*Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

Translated by Regina Anavy

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In Holguín, Cuba, Unlimited Beer for Leaders and Their Relatives Amid Blackouts and Shortages

The Cristal Fiestas, organized by Bucanero, coincided with the anniversary of 11J and the massacre of the ’13 de Marzo’ tugboat.

“How much did this cost? With what money?” multiple users asked.

14ymedio, Holguín, 14 July 2025 — Lights, beer, music and official propaganda. That’s what the Cristal Fiestas offered this Saturday near the Calixto Garcia stadium, while most of the residents of Holguín lived through another night in darkness, without electricity, water or enough food. The event, organized by Cervecería Bucanero S.A. and MB Producciones as part of the official “Forever Young Summer” campaign, has been described on social networks as a “mockery” and an “immoral waste.”

The festival, promoted by official media Now! and Radio Angulo, featured groups such as Elito Revé and his Charangón, Maykel Blancoa nd his Salsa Mayor, Juan Guillermo (JG) and Wildey. According to the organizers, the goal was “to bring joy to the Holguín family” and “to strengthen Cuban music,” with free admission, 16 beer tents, food stalls, raffles and games.

“It was free for those on the stage”

But what was promised as a “night for the people” became, for many, an elitist party in the midst of national chaos. In comments on social networks, citizens reported restricted VIP areas, exclusive wristbands and unlimited beer for leaders and their relatives. “It was free for those on the stage,” quipped one user.

The annoyance was not limited to the contrast between the opulence of the event and the generalized crisis. The celebration coincided with three highly symbolic dates: the fourth anniversary of the protests on July 11 and 12, 2021 – the historic ’11J’ social explosion severely repressed by the regime; the 31st anniversary of the March 13 tugboat massacre, in which more than 40 people, including children, died while trying to flee Cuba; and the execution of General Arnaldo Ochoa Sánchez on July 13, 1989. continue reading

“While in San Antonio de los Baños they detain the released prisoners to prevent them from protesting, here they waste money on drunkenness to silence the people”

Freelance journalist Annarella Grimal, also from Holguín and currently living in Ireland, reacted on her social media with the phrase “national shame.” “It is a slap in the face to the memory of 11J,” wrote an Internet user. “While in San Antonio de los Baños they detain the released prisoners to prevent them from protesting, here they waste money on drunkenness to silence the people,” added another. The criticism also pointed to the amount of electricity deployed for the event. “Why not save that current and give us a little to help us sleep?” questioned a neighbor.

There were also direct attacks on figures linked to the show, such as the presenter Edith Massola, artistic director of the event. “She promotes official parties while her daughters live comfortably outside of Cuba,” one commentator said. Outrage also spread to local media for “engaging in propaganda” against a backdrop of hunger, a collapsed health system and repression.

“And Sandrito isn’t coming?”

There was, obviously, no lack of allusions to the mischievous grandson of Fidel Castro. “And Sandrito isn’t coming?” someone asked, referring to Sandro Castro’s incessant promotion of the beer brand on his Instagram page.

A source in Holguín commented to 14ymedio: “The irony is that the company Bucanero S.A. itself is going through a crisis. They hardly have any beer production, because the pumping of water is also affected by the blackouts. Tell me these parties aren’t going to be controversial!”

The Fiesta Cristal in Holguín comes amid reports of more than 20-hour blackouts, lack of medicines, endless lines to get basic products and building collapses that end several lives. “How much did this cost? With what money?” multiple users asked. The official answer, if it comes, will probably be in the form of another slogan, another concert or another spotlight for a “Forever Young Summer,” but alien to the daily drama of the average Cuban.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuban Beach Volleyball Duo Takes Gold and Nearly $2,000 in the Russian League

Noslen Díaz and Jorge Luis Alayo obtain 600 points and a better position in the world ranking.

Noslen Díaz and Jorge Luis Alayo will play another stage of the Russian Cup in Saint Petersburg. / Facebook/CubanSp1ke

14ymedio, Havana, 14 June 2025 — Cuban beach volleyball players Noslen Díaz and Jorge Luis Alayo won the gold medal in the Moscow Open tournament, corresponding to the Russian Beach Volleyball Circuit 2025. This Sunday’s victory against Oleg Stoyanovski and Ilya Leshukov also guaranteed the Cuban athletes a prize of 150,000 rubles ($1,920).

“This is the second Russian League title, in addition to that of Kazan last year. Added to the gold of the Russian Cup and the Sirius Tournament, the Cubans earned four in a country that has treated them very well and has been key to the growth of both as athletes,” reported the digital sports media All in 1 Deportes on Facebook.

The sports evolution of Díaz and Alayo confirm that they are considered the “new hope of Cuba,” according to the specialized portal Olympics, after Idalys Ortiz (judo) and Mijaín López (wrestling) announced their retirements at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Their results “have put them in the sights of Cuban fans, who are in the process of searching for new idols,” highlighted the report.

The sports evolution of Díaz and Alayo confirmed that they are the “new hope of Cuba,” according to the specialized portal Olympics after Idalys Ortiz (judo) and Mijaín López (wrestling) announced their retirements.

Under the guidance of Francisco Álvarez Cutiño, Díaz and Alayo won in the first set, 21-11. However, Stoyanovski and Leshukov rallied and beat the Cubans in the second set, 21-16. The definitive set was won by the Cubans, 15-12, which, according to official media, reaffirmed them as one of “the best pairings in the world.” continue reading

Prior to the event, Díaz and Alayo were ranked 22nd in the world after finishing ninth at the Elite 16 tournament in Gstaad, Switzerland, part of the 2025 Beach Pro Tour. With the victory in Russia, the Cuban volleyball players obtained 600 points for a total of 3,940. At the top of the list are Norway (8,560), followed by Argentina (6,520) and the Netherlands (5,920).

“The Olympians had their best performance in that period, achieving first place in the Elite 16 of Quintana Roo, where they earned 1,200 points,” highlighted Granma, while recognizing that they “need to continue competing in competitions that deliver points and, for the moment, participate in the Russian tournament and then rejoin the world circuit in the Elite 16 in Hamburg, Germany, scheduled to take place this August 27 to 31.”

There are also international events such as the World Championships in Adelaide, Australia, on November 14 to 23; the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo 2026; the Pan American Games in Lima 2027; and the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028. For this last one, the Cuban government accepts that if the US government maintains its refusal to grant visas, “they simply will not go and will do other things.”

The absence of Cuba in Los Angeles 2028 will truncate the rhythm of the Cuban duo’s process after winning second place at the Pan American Games Santiago 2023 and generating expectations in Paris 2024.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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A Cuba Without Disguise

“Disguised as hunger.” That’s how the government would define this scene, but no disguise can hide the emptiness in the stomach. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 15 July 2025 — “Disguised.” This is how Labor Minister Marta Elena Feitó described the real beggars who, every day, are multiplying on the streets trying to survive. The images taken by this newspaper in Havana speak for themselves.

In this crisis, even the right to be recognized as vulnerable is denied. / 14ymedio

Every night, hundreds of Cubans set up improvised shelters. But for Minister Marta Elena Feitó, they’re simply “illegals.” / 14ymedio

Amidst ruins and garbage, there are people who endure. Even though the State denies them even the name of their pain. / 14ymedio

This isn’t a “drill.” It’s the daily life of hundreds of people who have no roof over their heads, no voice, and no minister to represent them. / 14ymedio

Dehumanizing is a strategy. If you don’t see them as people, you don’t have to give them answers. / 14ymedio

The minister offered no figures, plans, nor solutions to address the precariousness affecting millions of Cubans. / 14ymedio

The minister, far from proposing concrete measures or admitting mistakes, chose to discredit the victims. / 14ymedio

Many Cubans reacted with disbelief and anger at what they consider a complete lack of empathy. / 14ymedio

Feitó even denied that hunger exists on the island. / 14ymedio

She called those who roam the streets “drunks, deceivers, and illegals.” / 14ymedio

The minister denies poverty, but these images name it. / 14ymedio

Living on the streets isn’t a choice. It’s the result of a system that doesn’t support, but rather pushes away. / 14ymedio

According to the minister, the social deterioration the country is experiencing cannot be explained by failures of the economic system. / 14ymedio

A few hours after the minister’s remarks, President Diaz-Canel wrote on X, without mentioning Feitó: “The lack of sensitivity in the approach to vulnerability is highly questionable.” / 14ymedio

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‘There Are No Beggers in Cuba, These Are People in Disguise,’ Insists the Minister of Labor

Economist Pedro Monreal calls Feitó’s words “insolently reactionary” for fighting the poor instead of fighting poverty.

“They are illegal self-employed workers who are violating the tax authorities,” the minister told Parliament. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 14 July 2025 — The Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta Elena Feitó, sparked a wave of indignation after her address to the Cuban Parliament on Monday. In an attempt to reduce the impact of the alarming number of homeless people, the official stated that in Cuba “there are no beggars,” but rather citizens “disguised as beggars.”

Her declarations, delivered during the joint meeting of the Permanent Commissions for the Care of Local Organs of People’s Power and for Children, Youth, and Women’s Equality, were quickly criticized on social media as “a desperate attempt to eliminate a problem by denying its existence” and also as “a way of dehumanizing the most vulnerable.”

She called them “drunkards, malingerers, and illegals.”

From the parliamentary platform, Feitó maintained that those who roam the streets in precarious conditions do not suffer from extreme poverty, but rather fake that reality for opportunistic purposes. She called them “drunkards, deceivers, and illegals” and asserted that the role of the State is not to recognize structural poverty, but rather to “prevent social opportunism” and “combat it.” According to the minister, the social deterioration that the country is experiencing is not explained by failures of the economic system, but by “individual selfishness” and a “lack of values.”

Feitó’s words provoked a strong reaction from economist Pedro Monreal, who wrote on his X account: “The ’minister’ of miserable wages and pensions has made the most insolently reactionary speech about continuity.” Monreal, one of the most critical and authoritative voices in Cuban economic thought, stressed that “the fight is against poverty, not against the poor” and attacked the lack of proposals to raise citizens’ real incomes. continue reading

“We do nothing with rolling down the window and handing out money. On the contrary, we are distorting things. We must fight them”

During her presentation, the minister offered no figures, plans, or solutions to address the precariousness affecting millions of Cubans. Nor did she address the deteriorating pensions or the helplessness of thousands of retirees, much less the runaway inflation that has turned state salaries into a dead letter. Her intervention focused on rejecting the images of poverty circulating in the media and online, reducing the phenomenon to “something out of the movies” or “a perception imposed from abroad.”

The minister clarified that those who clean windshields at traffic lights are not homeless, but rather “people who have found an easy way of life.” She added: “We’re not doing anything by rolling down the window and handing out money. On the contrary, we are distorting things. We must combat them. We cannot allow this conduct.”

In another of her most controversial passages, Feitó even denied that hunger exists on the island. “Divers? No, the divers are in the water. Those people in the garbage dumps are looking for cans,” she said. She added: “They’re not looking for food. That’s not true either. These are the patterns they’re trying to impose on us. They’re self-employed illegals who are violating the treasury.”

Social media and independent media quickly picked up on the impact of her words. Many Cubans reacted with disbelief and anger at what they considered a complete lack of empathy, as well as a total disconnect from the country’s reality. While Feitó denied the existence of hunger and begging, on the streets of any Cuban city it is common to see elderly people rummaging through garbage, people sleeping in doorways, and mothers begging for milk or medicine.

“There must also be people disguised as ministers,” Monreal concluded.

Unlike other countries in the region, where discussion of poverty and social inequality takes center stage in parliamentary debates, in Cuba the official discourse seems to focus more on denying the problem than addressing it. The minister, far from proposing concrete measures or admitting mistakes, chose to discredit the victims, accusing them of violating tax laws or feigning poverty. “There must also be people disguised as ministers,” Monreal concluded in his most scathing comment.

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Alejandra, 7, Drew Her Dream House Before Being Crushed to Death by a Building Collapse in Havana

Thousands of Cubans risk their lives living in dilapidated houses.

Alejandra Cotilla Portales, in one of the images in her drawing studio in Havana. / Loyola Reina Center

14ymedio, Olea Gallardo, Havana, 14 July 2025 — A dark-skinned girl with enormous, lively eyes stares into the camera in the midst of drawing. On the blank page, an figure impossible in Cuba appears: a snowman, and two others that she could not have seen: giant houses with roofs. These are some of the images shared by the Loyola Reina Center in Havana in tribute to seven-year-old Alejandra Cotilla Portales, who died along with her parents, Alejandro and Yuslaidis, in the collapse on Monte Street on Saturday .

The words of the educational center, run by the Society of Jesus, not only give a name and a face to the tragedy, but also make it even more stark. “Alejandra, the youngest member of our Drawing Workshop, always stood out for her vocation, her grace, and her extraordinary talent for the visual arts. Her creativity, confidence, and joy filled every space she shared with us with light. Her short but brilliant career was recognized in every competition she entered, and her enthusiasm was an inspiration to her classmates and teachers,” the community expressed, with “pain and dismay.”

Alejandra as a younger girl in the arms of her father, Alejandro Cotilla. / Facebook

The text highlights Yuslaidis Portales’s maternal role: “Her mother, always present and attentive, was an example of kindness and commitment to her daughter’s upbringing.” Her funeral prayer includes a condemnation of the island’s precarious housing: “We pray to the Father to change the structures that force thousands of Cubans to risk their lives living in dilapidated homes.”

While the official press and authorities—the municipal People’s Power Assembly did confirm the news on the day of the collapse—they ignore the victims, friends and acquaintances who are helping to remember them through social media. For example, Mercedes Tabio, the orthopedist who treated little Alejandra, said: “They were excellent people. The mother was very concerned about her daughter, religiously taking her to all her appointments, and the girl was very polite.”

“Alejandra, such a loving girl, and her mother, so concerned, always carrying her little girl everywhere. I feel so much pain.”

Taimy Arébalo Guerrero shares a similar sentiment: “Alejandra, such a loving girl, and her mother, so concerned, always carrying her little girl everywhere. I feel so much pain.” The woman states in her post that she met Yuslaidis for nutritional consultations during her pregnancy and explains that their children attended preschool together and attended special English classes.

Although the comments emphasize the mother’s attention to the child, the family photos on Facebook also reveal a loving father in Alejandro Cotilla, a native of Guantánamo. There are many photos of Alejandra in his arms, both smiling, and others of him embracing his partner. Two exemplary adults and a beautiful, intelligent child who flourished despite Cuba’s poverty, are no longer with us.

Yuslaidis Portales and Alejandro Cotilla, Alejandra’s parents, in an image shared on social media. / Facebook

The collapse that killed the three, at 722 Monte Street in Old Havana, occurred while they were sleeping. Teresa, a resident of the same street, told 14ymedio about the area: “Most of the houses here have been declared uninhabitable, but people continue to live there because they have nowhere else to go.”

Just hours earlier, also in Havana, but in the municipality of Diez de Octubre, another building “under demolition” collapsed on three people, one of whom died. Both events demonstrate the state of the capital’s construction and the helplessness of Havana residents against the city’s ever-accelerating collapse.

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“You Open the Tap and a Murky and Fetid Water Comes Out” in the Houses on Pocito Street, in Havana

Also in Mulgoba, in the municipality of Boyeros, the residents have had a similar situation since April.

“The neighbors have gone to all the municipal and provincial authorities, without any response.” / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 11 July 2025 — “It’s in the tap, it’s in the sea, it falls from the sky and returns to the sky,” says a children’s riddle. The answer, however, is beginning to be difficult for residents of Havana, a city hit hard by a lack of drinking water. In a small amount and with bad quality, what arrives these days in parts of the Lawton neighborhood brings more concern than relief.

Pocito Street looks like a road in a war zone, where bombs have been
launched into the streets. But the overflowing septic tanks and potholes that dot the street are just one visible part of the problems faced by residents in the area. Through the pipes, a sinuous enemy enters the houses and sickens the residents: contaminated water.

“My father now has an infection attributed directly to drinking or contact with this bad water”

“You open the tap and a murky and fetid water comes out, which has made it impossible for families to cook, bathe or perform basic necessities,” a woman born in the Diez de Octubre municipality tells 14ymedio. The situation has caused health problems among the residents of Pocito Street, especially among 11 and 12-year olds. “My father now has an infection attributed directly to drinking or contact with this bad water.”

The source of contamination could be anywhere. At the corner of Pocito with Dolores runs a river of black water that, from taking so long to drain, has caused the growth of moss and abundant vegetation reminiscent of what is found on river banks. Near Buenaventura, also on the worn asphalt, is a stream that feeds from the waste of toilets, showers and the sinks of nearby houses.

In the area of Mulgoba, in the municipality of Boyeros, residents are also literally “posting signs to ask for water.” / 14ymedio

The panorama is repeated as you follow the road and cross Porvenir Avenue. The houses become more modest, more deteriorated, and people of poorer appearance peek out from the doorways. It looks like this section of the road has not been renovated in decades, nor has a single investment been made to improve the lives of its inhabitants.

“Most of the water pipes here are made of porous iron, and the sewer water gets in,” says Oscar, a resident who keeps the door of his house closed for much of the day to avoid the smells emanating from the dark stream. The continue reading

main pipes that supply the neighborhood branch off in a tangled network of pipes, many more than 50 years old, that end up supplying each house.

Oscar keeps the door of his home closed to avoid the smells that emanate from the dark stream.

“Where the sewer water accumulates for a long time, everything passes through it, so it contaminates the pipes, reaches the cisterns, goes to the tanks, and when you turn on your tap, it’s now in the glass of water that you’re drinking,” says the neighbor. But he recognizes that he can only speculate on the origin of the filth and the bad smell that makes them turn their faces away and avoid drinking the water that comes from the tap.

“We have lodged complaints on all sides and no one responds to us; no Havana Water or Public Health official comes to investigate what’s happening on this street,” says Oscar. “The neighbors have gone to all the municipal and provincial authorities, to no avail.”

“No Havana Water or Public Health official comes to investigate what’s happening.”

The man points a finger at the broken sidewalk in front of the childcare center, another sign of the abandonment suffered by the whole area. Putting together all the pieces of the puzzle that make up the idleness and lack of resources in Pocito, the resident has only one word to summarize what they experience: “Negligence.”

“The water here is contaminated; yesterday the water truck came so that people could fill some buckets, at least for drinking,” says the owner of a small private cafe who also has to deal with supply problems to keep the business afloat. “There are people who are boiling it to be able to drink it, but I don’t recommend this; it’s better to buy bottled water.”

The recommendation, however, clashes with the high cost of a product that a few years ago was consumed only by tourists but whose demand has soared, precisely because of supply problems. One litre of the Ciego Montero brand, nationally produced, exceeds 350 pesos in private establishments and $1.50 in State stores. “There are many people with diarrhea and not just on this street. There have also been cases of people around the corner who got sick by drinking water from the tap.”

“There are many people with diarrhea and not just on this street.”

Competing with Pocito Street in neglect, in the area of Mulgoba, municipality of Boyeros, are residents who are literally “posting signs to ask for water.” Since last April the supply crisis has increased the indignation of the inhabitants. The critical situation of those days is far from being resolved, and although “a little water has arrived, you can no longer trust that you will be able to bathe,” says Moraima, with a modest house a few meters from the Polyclinic.

The main cause of that collapse was a breakdown in pumping equipment, but when it was put into operation a few weeks later, the problem still wasn’t resolved. “There is no water in the houses but then you go out to the street and see all the leaks dribbling and bubbling,” complains the woman. “There are areas where the sewer water mixes with the clean water, and you can see that they are contaminating the pipes that pass through there and then continue to other houses.”

“It’s in the tap, it’s in the sea, but be careful, you can’t drink it,” would be the conclusion about the water of any clever child living on Pocito or in Mulgoba.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Avianca Will Stop Flying to Cuba in August Due to Lack of Passengers

Canadian WestJet will add another route to Havana in December.

The route, which Avianca had recovered in December, lasted a little more than eight months. / EFE

14ymedio, 13 July 2025 — The Colombian airline Avianca will abandon its route between Bogota and Havana from the 31st of August, in anticipation of the high season of tourism on the island. The specialized media have referred to the low occupancy of the flights as the reason for the suspension of the route, which would leave Wingo as the only company offering direct trips between both cities from September.

The route, resumed by Avianca last December after stopping it in 2020, lasted a little more than eight months, with a daily frequency and 2,500 seats weekly. However, specialized aviation media had already predicted a possible disappearance of the route, which will make its last flight from El Dorado to Terminal 3 of José Martí on August 30 at 12:35.

Last April, Reportur said that the demand for flights between Colombia and the Island had plummeted and that, according to an expert, the airlines operating the route were flying “with less than 70%” of capacity. The numbers, stressed the portal, are not profitable for the Panamanian Copa and the Colombian Wingo and Avianca, but then none had given signs of wanting to suspend their route.

For airlines to make a profit, flight occupancy must exceed 80%, “with a good average fare of at least 300 dollars.”

For airlines to make a profit, flight occupancy must exceed 80%, “with a good average fare of at least 300 dollars.” According to Reportur, at the beginning of the year Cuba had experienced some hotel recovery – mainly thanks to foreign companies importing their own resources and food – but this did not translate into an increase in passengers, at least not from continue reading

Colombia. “The demand has not recovered.”

The connection has also lost potential travelers with the closure of the southern border of the United States and the prohibition on Cubans to travel to Colombia without a visa. And since 2023, the US has imposed sanctions on all airlines and officials involved in smuggling migrants from the Island to Nicaragua. Because of the restrictions, several airlines have already had to suspend flights between destinations, and some have even been penalized by Washington.

Despite the crisis in tourism and the cancelation of several routes in recent months, some airlines continue to bet on Cuba. This July, the Canadian airline WestJet announced that it plans to include a new flight to Havana from Toronto in its winter itineraries for 2025-2026, with two weekly frequencies, and that it will operate from December 18 to April 23 of next year. In an official statement, the Cuban Aviation Corporation welcomed the announcement as another way to strengthen relations with Canada.

In an official statement, the Cuban Aviation Corporation welcomed the announcement as another way to strengthen relations with Canada.

WestJet will also increase the frequency of some of its existing connections to the Island. This is the case of the route from Toronto to Varadero, which will increase to 11 weekly frequencies from this Monday; there will be seven flights a week from Montreal to Cayo Coco (Ciego de Ávila); and from Montreal to Santa Clara there will be five.

Although Canada is still the hen that laid the golden egg for Cuba in terms of tourism, the number of travelers arriving on the Island from that country follows the same downward trend as the sector. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics and Information (ONEI), 387,404 Canadians arrived in Cuba between January and May 2025, almost 30% fewer than in the same period in 2024.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Etecsa’s ‘Tarifazo’ Forces Cubans To Return to Dangerous Parks with WiFi

In Matanzas, users recount the difficulties of connecting to the network and thefts of accounts by hackers.

The connection’s strength isn’t a reason to jump for joy. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Pablo Padilla Cruz, Matanzas, 12 July 2025 — The ‘tarifazo’ [huge price increase] imposed by Cuba’s State telecommunications monopoly Etecsa has suddenly returned hundreds of Cubans to the past and the search for a Wi-Fi hotspot that would allow them an internet connection. But also, due to time, those places are no longer what they once were. Blackouts and the widespread increase in theft and violence make those who are forced to resort to this option vulnerable, due to a lack of effective connections at home and the expensive and poorly managed data.

“I study,” says Yusmari sitting on a bench in Paseo Martí, in the Versalles neighborhood of Matanzas. “It’s not that all I do on the internet is study, but most of the time the so-called 6 GB extra for students, at least in the university Camilo Cienfuegos, is slow,” she says. Homework doesn’t wait, explains the young woman, who points out how small the packages are. “The 500 MB per month that we are given in school expire in no time, because a PDF enquiry can use more than 50 MB easily, and you have to get a turn for time at the computer. The only thing left is the park wifi,” she says.

But Yusmari knows that the landscape is not the same as it was a decade ago. “Now there is an atmosphere of insecurity; in addition, the street lighting almost never works because of the blackouts, so you have to be careful about coming alone. Nothing has ever happened to me, but if someone can snatch your cell phone in broad daylight, what will they do at night?” continue reading

“Now there is an atmosphere of insecurity; in addition, the street lighting almost never works because of the blackouts.”

The connection’s strength isn’t a reason to jump for joy. “There are parks that are better or worse,” says Orestes, who uses the wifi to download files while waiting for his transport to Varadero, where he works as a musician. “Everything depends on the users; in my case it’s the worst since there is not much signal in this area, and people point their phones at the park so they don’t have to leave the house. Many times in less than an hour the phone is disconnected more than 10 times, and you have to restart the authentication process,” he says. The average download speed on fixed broadband is 2.73 Mbps with an upload speed of just 0.96. These results place Cuba in 159th place out of 159 countries evaluated, according to SpeedTest.

Orestes complains that it is sometimes impossible to even enter the Etecsa user portal. “And to top it off there are cloned portals that steal your account and password with total impunity. In the end, with patience, it is resolved, and at least something lets you upload, but it’s a constant struggle.”

The young musician says that the insecurity is not only physical but also due to the hackers. “Several people have complained,” says a worker from a nearby point of contact. “Mostly elderly people, but I can’t do anything, only raise their complaints to the managers. My functions as a company worker are only commercial.” Etecsa’s investment in cybersecurity appears to be nil, they both claim.

The great alternative to public wifi areas were, before data worked, the hotels. In the case of Matanzas, many people approached the Velasco and the Louvre, in the center of the city, for their good options to get online. Being service networks abroad, the speed was much better – up to 4 MB of data transfer – and all you had to do was create an Etecsa account, but that only worked in those hotels.

The great alternative to public wifi areas were, before data worked, the hotels. In the case of Matanzas, many people approached the Velasco and the Louvre.

“The option no longer exists, at least for those Cubans who used it,” says Reinaldo, who works as a freelancer. “One day, without further ado, they told me that they could not top up my account because the service was only for guests, even though we are the Cuban customers who fill the lobby and the bar, both at the Velasco and the Louvre.”

“And every day, I spent more than three hours there and consumed enough, even had lunch several times a week. But now that network is under-exploited, and many people who are creating new ways of bringing foreign exchange into the country have to look for other paths. We all lost in this,” he says with resignation.

One of the employees at the Louvre confirms that if you are not a customer, you cannot have an account to connect to the internet in the hotel. “I don’t know the reason, and it’s not that I personally want it, but one day that law came from above and remained,” he says. “As a worker, I must comply, although it seems extreme. More so now, with the controversy over mobile data.” The employee claims that before, under the pretext of connecting to the internet, the bar was filled with domestic customers who are now mad. “Sometimes, he recalls, we couldn’t even keep up.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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San Pedro Campground: From a Coastal Paradise to a Refuge for Victims in Artemisa

The official press criticizes the management of the village, where only 35 cabins operate, half of the workers are missing, and salaries do not reach 3,000 pesos.

If current conditions continue, it’s no wonder San Pedro is on its way to disappearing. / El Artemiseño

14ymedio, Havana, 13 July 2025 — Looted by bandits, illegally occupied, a refuge for victims: the popular campsite at San Pedro, a beach in Bahía Honda (Artemisa), has been through it all. Once a paradise, the place is practically inaccessible due to the marabou weeds and the poor condition of the roads. As if that weren’t enough, it was hit by a cyclone last year, and its devastation is still visible, as if Rafael—which hit Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane—had passed through yesterday.

In an report unusual for its critical tone, the newspaper El Artemiseño reports on the current neglect of the camping sector, run by the Alojamiento company. In 2014, when the government decided that the companies’ summer cottages would be used by the population or become homes for victims of the disaster, Alojamiento received nearly 30 cabins that belonged to the sugar industry. They came with “air conditioning, televisions, refrigerators, beds, curtains, various transport options, a generator, and other resources.” A similar number of cabins were transferred a few years ago by the Ministry of the Interior, which exchanged them for another village in Mariel.

More than a decade after it settled in San Pedro, out of 70 facilities, Alojamiento now has only 35 that are habitable, and only seven were occupied during the newspaper’s visit. “The hurricane caused a lot of damage to the roofs, when the coconut trees fell. They will be repaired, but so far there is no cement,” the director of the camp explained to the newspaper. However, Rafael is not the only disaster to blame for the area’s dereliction, with weeds over a meter high and abandoned to “neglect”—according to the newspaper. continue reading

Fallen trees, the remains of a playground, a restaurant, a ranch, or a game room—all are “at the mercy of the rain and the sun.” / El Artemiseño[/caption]

The mere 20 kilometers to enter are almost endless, between deep hollows and abundant marabou grass. One doesn’t pass any vehicles along the way, except those pulled by horses. And very few of them,” the newspaper criticizes, noting that with each step through the campground, it finds more traces left by “time and apathy.”

The government hasn’t passed up the opportunity to blame local residents: “This ’neglect’ was the opportunity for residents of Bahia Honduran, recently affected by the 2024 hurricane, to occupy cabins on their own. From others, they stole windows, doors, toilets, fences, and paving. And according to what we’re told, some ‘daring’ individuals marked the remaining ones as their property.” However, the newspaper acknowledges that if the authorities had done their job, things would be different.

Fallen trees, the remains of a playground, a restaurant, a ranch, and a game room—all are “at the mercy of rain, sun, and deterioration.” The options of those staying in the available cabins don’t vary much from those called out in the newspaper. “It’s an affordable option when comparing hotel and rental prices near the beaches, but it requires better conditions,” explains one vacationer who rented two houses for which he had to bring “everything, even the refrigerator and drinking water.”

The man has been a regular at San Pedro for 20 years, traveling with his family, and no one could better identify the facility’s debacle. “The campground staff is very nice, but they don’t offer food or recreation. The playground is gone. We cook with electric equipment, but due to the constant power outages, we use alternatives,” he says, before showing the newspaper a wood-burning stove.

Guests’ meals depend on what they bring to cook and the “knick-knacks” and drinks sold by individuals on the beach. / El Artemiseño

A resident of San Cristóbal, a city in the municipality, the Artemisa native paid 40,000 pesos to a private individual to take him and his family to the beach along with everything they needed for a few days of camping. The experience, in short, was disappointing: “No area shows its best side,” another vacationer explained.

Contrary to what guests report, whose meals depend on what they bring to cook and the “junk food” and drinks sold by individuals on the beach, the campground director claims he has the resources to provide lunches and dinners, “but campers don’t ask for them; they cook for themselves,” something the newspaper doesn’t fully believe.

The same thing happens, it says, with the sale of toilet paper, liquor, and “other goods” that haven’t been sold to visitors. “Something kind of strange,” he admits. But the answer to these irregularities soon becomes clear: the workers’ conditions are appalling.

“We can’t do much to expand our offerings because we only have one vehicle, not in very good condition, and a monthly allocation of 20 liters of diesel. Any form of non-state management is also not permitted at the facility, and the workforce isn’t even 50% covered. Salaries are below 3,000 pesos,” explains the manager.

Under these conditions, it is not unusual for San Pedro to be on the way to disappearing, as happened with La Herradura, another nearby campsite that, according to El Artemiseño, “disappeared from the map” after being practically abandoned.

San Pedro isn’t the only one “with its days numbered.” Two years ago, the province had 310 lodges, but by the end of last May, there were 242 left. The chronic lack of resources and budget for a sector that is far from a priority for the state only worsens the situation. A capital injection could solve part of the problem, but thinking that a miracle investment could rescue the facilities, the newspaper acknowledges, is a “utopian dream.”

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‘They Treat Us Like Dogs’, Says a Cuban Reggaeton Singer Detained in Alligator Alcatraz

Former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez and several local officials denounce the conditions of migrant detention.

The moment of arrest in Miami of the Cuban reggaeton singer Leamsy Izquierdo, ‘La Figura’. / Facebook

14ymedio Havana, 8 July 2025 – In the new migrants’ detention centre Alligator Alcatraz “they treat us like dogs”, said the Cuban reggaeton singer Leamsy Izquierdo, La Figura. “There’s nothing in the place, it’s not suitable for humans”.

The singer, who was detained last week by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Miami, described for his girlfriend Katia Hernández by telephone the conditions in the migrants’ prison, which was inaugurated by US president Donald Trump on July 1st.

“We only get one meal a day, and sometimes they have maggots in them”, said the musician. According to judicial records, Izquierdo was admitted into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and bailed for 6,000 dollars for armed aggression. However, his freedom was blocked by a migrant detention order and he was detained by ICE.

La Figura said he doesn’t even know whether it’s day or night. “The lights are permanently on, 24 hours a day”. The Cuban also said that “the mosquitos are like elephants and there’s no water for washing. He asked that everything be made known to his lawyer so that he could post it onto Instagram.

Inside the complex, which has a total of 200 surveillance cameras, 8,500 metres of barbed wire, more than 400 guards and is surrounded by swamp, caymans and snakes to deter escape, the reggaeton singer says there are “more than 300 people who are suffering”. He added that there are a number of shortages. “There’s no medication for mental health issues”. continue reading

The first of Miami’s mayors to be born in Cuba, Xavier Suárez, protested against Alligator Alcatraz. “That installation is an environmental risk in a very fragile ecosystem”. He added that “the people are treated with the same rhetoric that they always use”.

On Tuesday, before the denouncements, Daniella Levine Cava – mayor of Miami-Dade County where the new detention centre is situated – demanded that the federal and state governments give her access to the site for monitoring purposes; last week legislators from Florida State were denied entry to the centre.

For their part, the environmental associations Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity pushed their legal demands that the centre should be closed because of its averse environmental impact.

“This country’s national parks are considered to be one of the United States’ best ideas but this massive detention centre in the heart of the Everglades is one of its worst ideas”, said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades and who leads the campaign Stop Alligator Alcatraz.

Translated by Ricardo Recluso

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