English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Generation Y, Havana, 14 August 2019 — Its users cannot talk about politics or religion, but even so, the Street Network (SNet), which connects tens of thousands of Cubans through the Wi-Fi signal, has become a place of citizen freedom and convergence. This virtual web, where people play, chat and exchange content, … Continue reading “The Wireless Network that Puts the Cuban Government in Check”
14ymedio, Havana, 8 August 2019 — The Kenyan army continues working to free the two doctors kidnapped last April, a task that does not fall to the police whose jurisdiction is limited by borders. According to local press, Assel Herrera Correa and Landy Rodriguez Hernandez are in the vicinity of Gedo, near El Adde in … Continue reading “The Cuban Doctors Kidnapped in Kenya Practice Their Profession During Their Captivity”
14ymedio, Havana, August 4, 2019 — The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) has urged the new legislature of the European Union, which will come into office in the next few weeks, to present “a more demanding posture in face of the human rights violations in Cuba,” according to a statement published this week. The … Continue reading “Cuban Observatory Urges "A More Demanding Posture" From the EU Toward Havana”
14ymedio, Havana, August 1, 2019 — Notice boards of missing products or those corrected in a hurry are part of the scene this Thursday as capped prices of drinks go into effect in private cafes and bakeries in Havana, a governmental measure that intends to contain inflation after the salary increase in the state sector. … Continue reading “Businesses Comply With "Capped" Prices Out of Fear of Complaints”
14ymedio, Havana, 30 July 2019 — Six months after the tornado that hit Havana, the authorities say they have resolved 95% of the damages suffered by the housing stock. This accounting, however, hides the drama of hundreds of families who suffered the total loss of their homes and for whom housing remains unresolved. Of the 1,068 homes … Continue reading “Havana Tornado Victims Disagree with Government’s Triumphalist Accounting”
14ymedio, Havana, 31 July 2019 — A few hours after the announcement of her dismissal from the Design Institute of Havana, Professor Omara Ruiz Urquiola has begun to receive expressions of solidarity from students and alumni on social networks. Some of these messages do not hesitate to criticize the decision of the school’s directors while others … Continue reading “ISDi Students and Alumni Express Solidarity with Omara Ruiz Urquiola”
14ymedio, Havana, 24 July 2019 — What seemed impossible one week ago is already a reality in Pinar del Río and Las Tunas. As of August 1, the prices of beverages sold in private premises will be ‘capped’ in both provinces, according to their respective Provincial Administration Councils (CAP). Beers, juices, soft drinks and malts that are sold … Continue reading “Beer Prices Are ’Capped’ in the Private Sector in Pinar del Rio and Las Tunas”
Luz Escobar and Mario J. Penton, Havana/Miami, 26 July 2019– Cardinal Jaime Ortega (1936-2019), a key figure in the secret talks that led to the reestablishment of relations between the United States and Cuba, died at age 82 on 26 July in Havana, after a long illness, according to ecclesiastical sources. “Jaime Ortega was a … Continue reading “Jaime Ortega, Cardinal of the Thaw, Dies in Havana”
Dear Mr. Prieto, if the intention of your article published on July 18, 2019 in the Granma newspaper was a recommendation for the public to listen to Mr. Fernando Ortiz and to be nurtured by his work — as reflected in your last sentence, although using other words — I am of the opinion that you did not … Continue reading “The ‘Apartheid’ of Abel Prieto”
14ymedio, Miriam Celaya, West Palm Beach, 23 July 2019 — Journalist José Jasán Nieves, general editor of El Toque, is the author of an article published last Sunday in which he exposes his particular vision about the difficulties of the new Cuban journalism in order to survive official pressures and obstacles, while noting that what … Continue reading “Between “Collateral Damage” and Direct Damage””
14ymedio, Havana, 20 July 2019 — After days of complaints on social networks and long lines at gas stations, this Friday Tomás Pérez Álvarez, the marketing director of the state oil company, Cupet, said in Havana on the television news that one of the causes of the deficit of gasoline is the “large number of vehicles circulating” … Continue reading “Cuban Government Blames Gas Shortage on Increase in Vehicles”
14ymedio, Ernesto Santana, Havana, 18 July 2019 — At this point, to say that Cuban baseball suffers from an unprecedented crisis doesn’t begin to describe what is happening. The game against Nicaragua, closing the preparation for the Pan American Games in Lima, has surprised even many skeptics. When the fourth and last game was suspended … Continue reading “There is No Name for What is Happening in Cuban Baseball”
14ymedio, Havana, 10 July 2019 — Authorities will approve a new package of measures to “stop illegalities” in the private sector, Margarita González Fernández, Minister of Labor and Social Security, announced Tuesday during a session of the National Assembly of People’s Power. The official explained during, a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Economic Affairs, … Continue reading “Cuban Government Prepares New Rules to "Stop Illegalities" in the Private Sector”
14ymedio, Havana, 12 July 2019 — Former political prisoner Ricardo Bofill Pagés, a renowned human rights activist in Cuba, died at the crack of dawn in Miami at 76 years old, according to friends and family members speaking to Radio y Televisión Martí. “I received a call with the bad news from Yolanda Miyares, his partner … Continue reading “Former Cuban Political Prisoner Ricardo Bofill Dies in Miami”
14ymedio, Marcelo Hernandez, Havana, 12 July 2019 — With a smile from ear to ear, a sparkling look, a mane grown long and a mischievous phrase sticking to his lips, is how so many remember the poet Nicolás Guillén. As of this Wednesday, however, those who pass from through the Alameda de Paula, in Old … Continue reading “Statue of Nicolas Guillen Raises Controversy Over Its Lack of Resemblance to the Poet”
