English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Photo: Luis Felipe Rojas My telephone battery runs down twice a day. Every three minutes I receive local calls, which, of course, I don’t respond to. On occasion, when I have responded I have received insults, threats, and attempts to destabilize me. As for the usual restrictions which the repressive forces exercise against me, we … Continue reading “ETECSA-CUBACEL-G2 / Luis Felipe Rojas”
Please help spread the word — forward the email below to friends and family, and post this link on Facebook. Dear Friends, Tomorrow, Iran could execute Sakineh Ashtiani. Our global outcry stopped her unjust stoning sentence in July. Now we have 24 hours to save her life. Iran’s allies and key UN powers are our … Continue reading “STOP THE PAID ASSASINS OF SAKINEH ASHTIANI / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
Jose Antonio Triguero Mulet’s house, and my house, have both been watched since Thursday, the 28th of October, despite the fact that they are on the outskirts of town, as I previously reported on Twitter. But it wasn’t until Sunday, the 31st, that the political police once again found their way onto my porch. They … Continue reading “Another Punishment… Another Report I Wish I Didn’t Have to Write / Luis Felipe Rojas”
A relic of crumbling Soviet era architecture along the Malecon, Havana’s waterfront boulevard and seawall Originally published in The Huffington Post Rarely does a person interviewed complain that a journalist has interpreted their statements to the letter; more frequently the opposite occurs, when, whether from negligence or malicious intent, a clear statement is ignored, mutilated … Continue reading “Fidel’s Words Continue to Echo… Bitterly / Yoani Sánchez”
I spent the night of September 30th traveling, and part of October 1st on the expressway of Farola in order to get to Baracoa. The 7th session of the committee of the Eastern Democratic Alliance was to be held in Maisi, but the detentions began on Friday and did not cease until Sunday. The grand … Continue reading “Crossing the Barbed Wire with the Blue Bird / Luis Felipe Rojas”
Many people want to do something to help the bloggers directly. The most important thing is to read them, talk about them, comment on their blogs, share their blogs with others, keep them IN THE PUBLIC EYE, which is a shield that helps to protect them. If you want to help with a donation, one … Continue reading “Direct Help to Bloggers”
A long line of people waits in the sun outside the telephone office on Obispo Street in Old Havana. Some passersby ask about the latest news for those hoping to open a cellphone contract. Many of them carry some old device with a monochrome screen, bought in the black market or sent by relatives abroad. … Continue reading “Phone Companies’ Request To Obama Is A Ray Of Hope For Cubans / Yoani Sánchez”
How do I connect a mobile phone to Cuban Twitter? 1. First you must connect to the Internet and and get an account at http://www.twitter.com 2. Keep the user name and password you are given in a secure place. 3. Add to your mobile phone address book a new contact named Twitter with the number … Continue reading “Mobile-Activism 2 / Yoani Sánchez”
At the end of 2008 I published a text here titled “The Year of Yoani,” where I detailed the distinctions and achievements of the famous blogger up to that time. I realized, then, that nine was her lucky number and 2009 was also overwhelming, particularly with the mention in the Maria Moors Cabot prizes from … Continue reading “Again, Yoani / Reinaldo Escobar”
From the translator: As there have been no posts on this blog for quite a while, I have chosen to update it by copying recent posts on Twitter from Yamil’s family. Following are two “tweets” from today: # Yamil Domínguez InjustNotoria Ayer visitamos a Yamil, él se recupera notablemente, pero su streé aumenta cada día … Continue reading “News From Yamil / Yamil Domínguez”
As I look at a map of Cuba, I can’t help but wonder about how, in the 21st century, an island that is so close to the country which exhibits the greatest digital advancement, can be traveling in the opposite direction. From Villa Clara to the tip of Maisi there are only two hotels which … Continue reading “The Digital Playpen / Luis Felipe Rojas”
EL HIP HOP DEL 2010 EN ALAMAR…!, originally uploaded by orlandoluispardolazo. This Thursday, September 2, 2010, at 3:00 in the afternoon, irremediably or enviably, the Alamar Siberia will return to the site where OMNI ZONA FRANCA plus 26 Cuban rappers will throw themselves in an independent way on the only theme that UNITES EVERYONE which … Continue reading “HIP HOP 2010 in ALAMAR…! / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
Photo/Luis Felipe Rojas In the absence of bread, cassava, say the grandparents. I say that in the absence of a tweet, a post. I was able to put a note on Twitter before leaving for the barracks of San Germán this past Monday, the 23rd because I only had enough money on my card for … Continue reading “Clarification Note / Luis Felipe Rojas”
Claudia Cadelo uploaded, very early, her photo of the accident at Fabrica and Lyuano streets at:http://a.imageshack.us/img826/4273/accidente.jpg. In recent days in August several accidents in Havana involved these large articulated buses. [Translator’s note: This blog post is a reprint of a series or “tweets” from Twitter — which are combined here into a single text, slightly … Continue reading “ROUTE P7 BUS ACCIDENT AT FABRICA AND LUYANO STREETS / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
A Spanish friend of mine who has come twice to Cuba told me that she read the official press while in the airport, and according to that paper it makes it seem as if, despite all the problems, deficiencies, and tensions she witnessed when she met with a wide range of people, there are no … Continue reading “Governmental Glaucoma / Miguel Iturría Savón”
