Search results for: CDR Committee

The Mosquito and the Democratization of the Cuban Political System / 14ymedio, Pedro Campos

14ymedio, Pedro Campos, Havana, 10 March 2016 – You don’t have to be a doctor or an epidemiologist to realize that mosquitoes are not defeated by occasional fumigation battles and the collection of debris and trash, much less with military interventions that both kill mosquitos and violate basic human rights “because nobody can prevent the … Continue reading “The Mosquito and the Democratization of the Cuban Political System / 14ymedio, Pedro Campos”

Academies To Produce Macho-Men In Cuba / Abel Sierra Madero

In the 1960s, close to 30,000 young men were detained in forced-labor camps. The mistreatments that took place in these camps, known as Military Units to Aid Production UMAP, in the name of “social hygiene,” testify to the homophobic component of the Cuban Revolution. Abel Sierra Madero, From Letras Libras, January 2016 — Between 1965 … Continue reading “Academies To Produce Macho-Men In Cuba / Abel Sierra Madero”

Cuban Faces of 2015: Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, Second Secretary of the Communist Party / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 24 December 2015 — If the reputation of a politician is measured by his or her presence in the media, we should say that José Ramón Machado Ventura has been the most visible picture of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) this year. Exercising his functions as the second secretary of the PCC, he has … Continue reading “Cuban Faces of 2015: Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, Second Secretary of the Communist Party / 14ymedio”

‘The Visionary’: A Tank Dedicated To Fidel Castro / 14ymdio, Juan Carlos Fernandez

14ymedio, Juan Carlos Fernandez, Pinar del Rio, 1 December 2015 – Pedestrians walking along Martí Street in the capital of Pinar del Rio were astonished last Wednesday on seeing a crane moving a tank. A work by the artist Humberto El Negro Hernandez, in collaboration with Arquimedes Lores Nelo, weighs several tons and has been … Continue reading “‘The Visionary’: A Tank Dedicated To Fidel Castro / 14ymdio, Juan Carlos Fernandez”

A Night in Paso Canoas on the Border with Panama / Ivan Garcia

Ivan Garcia, Costa Rica, 25 November 2015 — When Alex Sigler, 22, landed in the Quito airport in an African heat with thunderclouds that presaged a tropical shower this past November 11, he began his own journey to achieve the American dream. In five days of passing through the Colombian jungle, Alex encountered hitmen of … Continue reading “A Night in Paso Canoas on the Border with Panama / Ivan Garcia”

Teenage Gangs Assault And Rob Residents Of Havana Neighborhoods / Diario de Cuba, Jorge Enrique Rodriguez

Diario de Cuba, Jorge Enrique Rodriguez, Havana, 24 November 2015 — Two teenage gangs disturb the public peace on the streets of the Havana municipality of Cerro, while the police remain passive. Known as Los Apululus and Los Atormentados, both gangs engage in physical aggression against the elderly, assault and robbery on public streets. The … Continue reading “Teenage Gangs Assault And Rob Residents Of Havana Neighborhoods / Diario de Cuba, Jorge Enrique Rodriguez”

Soup Under the Eclipse / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 28 September 2015 — On the night of a red moon eclipse, the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) celebrated the 55th anniversary of the founding of their organization. Updated reports state that more than 8,500,000 people (91% of the population over age 14) are enrolled in the CDRs, … Continue reading “Soup Under the Eclipse / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar”

Machado Ventura: Neither Young Nor Female / 14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez

Generation Y, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 31 August 2015 — If anyone embodies the most antiquated orthodoxy of the Cuban political system, it is undoubtedly Jose Ramon Machado Ventura. With his frail gait and infinite power, the vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers represents the most reactionary and ultra-conservative wing of the island’s government. … Continue reading “Machado Ventura: Neither Young Nor Female / 14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez”

Diplomatic Relations between the United States and Cuba / Anddy Sierra Alvarez

Anddy Sierra Alvarez, 24 August 2015 –The Obama administration apparently betrayed the deep grief of many Cubans who have suffered the “welcoming” hospitality of the Cuban government. Everything points to economic interests, but as of now US government officials may enter Cuba. What will happen? Cuba opened the doors of its prison and in the future it … Continue reading “Diplomatic Relations between the United States and Cuba / Anddy Sierra Alvarez”

Camagüey’s San Juan Festival, Somewhere Between Fun and Indecency / 14ymedio, Henry Constantin

14ymedio, Henry Constantín,Camagüey, 28 June 2015 — Saint John the Baptist, or San Juan in Spanish, was a man who used river water to baptize those who wanted to purify themselves, yet he ended up decapitated for criticizing Galilee’s corrupt rulers. Ironically, now almost two thousand years later, San Juan’s feast day is celebrated in … Continue reading “Camagüey’s San Juan Festival, Somewhere Between Fun and Indecency / 14ymedio, Henry Constantin”

To the Righteous (?!) Women from UNEAC*, When is Your Statement Expected’

Ángel Santiesteban-Prats, 3 June 2015 — There is not a single day of my existence in prison in which I don’t feel embarrassed for those women who, at the beginning of 2013, once I was jailed, made a supposed appeal against gender violence, when in fact it was later shown — by the silence they maintained … Continue reading “To the Righteous (?!) Women from UNEAC*, When is Your Statement Expected’”

Professionals of ‘Snitching’ / Cubanet, Camilo Ernesto Olivera

Cubanet.org, Camilo Ernesto Olivera Peidro, 18 June 2015 – An old man is going out of his house in the little village named Henequen Viejo, near the Port of Mariel. Everyone there knows him as Alfonso. In reality, his name is Idelfonso Estevez. At first glance he seems like an old man like so many … Continue reading “Professionals of ‘Snitching’ / Cubanet, Camilo Ernesto Olivera”

Cuba: Capitalism has Won the War / Miriam Celaya

Cubanet, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 8 June 2015 — In the beginning, there were the cassettes, first the ones we viewed on ancient Betamax equipment, and a bit later on VHS. In those dark years in the 90’s, the illegal dealers, better known as “messengers” would arrive with their backpacks, pedaling their inseparable bikes, from customer … Continue reading “Cuba: Capitalism has Won the War / Miriam Celaya”

What the Wind Left Behind* / Cubanet, Rafael Alcides

Cubanet, Rafael Alcides, Havana, 10 April 2015 – Havana sixty years ago was a pretty city—clean, young and with no thieves of any consequence in the neighborhood. Around 9:00 at night the garbage truck would make its rounds. It was a regular truck, not one of those modern-day versions that look like interplanetary spaceships. It … Continue reading “What the Wind Left Behind* / Cubanet, Rafael Alcides”

They Voted for Everything to Continue the Same / Ana Mercedes Torricella

My neighbor Nelly, when she learned that I did not go vote and I again clarified that I did not want to leave Cuba, told me: “You independent journalists and dissidents are going to be alone with the hard-liners and the snitches! Come on, you have to leave, there is nothing else!” Cubanet.org, Ana Mercedes … Continue reading “They Voted for Everything to Continue the Same / Ana Mercedes Torricella”