English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Rebeca Monzo, 26 July 2016 — As random comments from ordinary citizens on the streets suggest, we are going through a new Special Period, though the government repeatedly denies it in media statements, calling it “a difficult situation from which we will recover.” For confirmation, one need only observe the bus stops crowded with people anxiously … Continue reading “No Air Conditioning and Intrusive Music / Rebeca Monzo”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 26 July 2016 – Sporting a hat to protect himself from the rays of the sun, Jose Ramon Machado Ventura explained in his speech for the 26th of July that the changes introduced in the Cuban model “are aimed at consolidating our socialism, to make more prospero (prosperous) and sustainable.” The … Continue reading “The Erratic Corrections of Machado Ventura / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar”
Rosa Maria Rodriguez, 27 June 2016 — For days now, due to the upcoming commemoration of the 63rd anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Barracks, Cuban television continues to repeat a spot with the fragment of a song from a musical group called Moncada, the chorus of which says over and over, “The 26th … Continue reading “Commemoration or Celebration? / Rosa María Rodríguez Torrado”
Cubanet, Jorge Luis Gonzalez Suarez, Havana, 21 September 2015 – The last time I spoke with Naty Revuelta by phone, she said, “I fell and I can’t go out alone any more. I’m here at home all the time, come whenever you like.” I never saw her again alive. Shortly afterwards came the news of … Continue reading “Naty Revuelta, Fidel Castro’s Lover / Cubanet, Luis Gonzalez Suarez”
Diario de Cuba, Angel Moya, Havana, 26 July 2015 – Some 60 activists were arrested this past Sunday in Havana following the customary Sunday march of the Ladies in White, reported government opponents on social media. The arrests took place within the context of an act of repudiation described by the opponents as “violent,” and … Continue reading “Dozens of Activists Detained in Havana Following the Ladies in White March / Diario de Cuba, Angel Moya”
A pandemic of freedom floods our senses. Juan Carlos Cremata 14ymedio, Pedro Campos and other authors, Havana, 25 July 2015 – It will soon be 62 years since a group of young men headed by Fidel Castro attacked the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba, an event that catapulted that figure to the foreground of … Continue reading “Restore Sovereignty to the People If You Want To Avoid another Revolution / 14ymedio, Pedro Campos”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 18 July 2015 – Like those erratic comets whose pulse astronomers have not yet measured, Marino Murillo disappears and reappears on the Cuban political scene, generating gossip about his “thunder” when he disappears and expectations about its relentless ascent when he returns. Those who knew him when he was the Director of … Continue reading “Marino Murillo, the “Antifidelista” / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar”
Desde Aqui, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 20 May 2015 — Yesterday I invited my granddaughters to get ice cream. To boast of her knowledge, the oldest, who is in the third grade, said to me: “Today marks the 120th anniversary of the death in combat of José Martí, our National Hero.” She said it with the same pride … Continue reading “May 20, That Hole in Our Memory / Reinaldo Escobar”
14ymedio, Orlando Palmo, Havana, 25 March 2015 — The newspaper Granma published Wednesday a comprehensive report on milk production in the province of Camagüey. This scenario is grim and confirms the downward trend in terms of delivery of this precious food. Since 2012, Camagüey’s milk production and sales to the industry have declined, both in … Continue reading “And where did that glass of milk go? / 14ymedio, Orlando Palma”
{*Translator’s Note: Angel disappeared from prison on July 21, 2014. As of today he has not been heard from for 29 days.} Five days* have passed now since the disappearance of the writer Angel Santiesteban in Havana, barely hours after he wrote a post from Lawton prison, in which he announced to the world that … Continue reading “Amidst Rumors and Disinformation, Angel Santiesteban Continues Missing”
If we paused to observe Leopoldo Lopez and Angel Santiesteban-Prats for one moment, we see two very different physical types. One is very slim, the other sturdy. One is a lawyer, the other a writer. One is Venezuelan, the other Cuban; both are the father of a girl and a boy. Both share the same … Continue reading “Leopoldo Lopez and Angel Santiesteban: Two Lives and One Destiny”
A great deal has been written about the assault on Moncado Barracks in Santiago de Cuba and the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Barracks in Bayamo on 26 July 1953. At times, with great exaggeration. Some, forgetting the differences in times and objectives, as compared with the Cry of Yara in 1868 or that of Baire … Continue reading “Was Moncada Necessary? / 14ymedio, Fernando Damaso”
As a child in Havana, more than a decade after Cuba had been expelled from the Organization of American States (OAS)—for placing itself within the Soviet Iron Curtain and constituting a danger to the region’s democracies—we were still forced to chant at school that slogan with no expiration date: “With or without OAS, we will … Continue reading “With or Without the Organization of American States (OAS) / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
Historical data show that long before Colombus, America had already been discovered. Leif Eriksson, son of Erik the Red, was a Viking explorer who in the year 1003 managed to arrive at a land that he baptized as “Viland” and which, according to his description and remnants found, could be Newfoundland. Zheng He, the famous … Continue reading “A Succession from Castro to Castro / Juan Juan Almeida”
The mess about the North Korean boat loaded in Cuba with obsolete arms for repair, hidden under some tons of sacks of sugar, suitable for the captain’s suicide attempts and the crew’s hunger strike, all lunatics of Kim Il Sung and his descendants, continues to monopolize international media attention. Nevertheless, for Cubans, after the concise initial report, … Continue reading “Little Paper Boat*. My disloyal friend. / Fernando Damaso”