English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Mario Penton and Luz Escobar, Miami and Havana, 14 July 2017 — Ileana Sánchez is anxiously rummaging through her tattered wallet, looking for some bills to buy a toy slate for her seven-year-old granddaughter who dreams of becoming a teacher. She has had to save for months to get the 20 CUC (Cuban convertible pesos, … Continue reading “Average Wages Rise but Nobody in Cuba Lives on Their Salary”
14ymedio, Marcelo Hernandez, Havana, 7 July 2017 — He dries his sweat and takes a drink of water from a bottle he carries in his backpack. “In my time the young people spent the holidays in front of the television,” says Ignacio, the father of two teenagers. As he moves along crowded Avenida 10 de Octubre, in … Continue reading “Drugs Play Increasing Role in the Battle for Cuban Teenagers’ Leisure Time”
14ymedio, Mario Penton, Miami, 7 July 2017 – On Friday, Panama’s deputy minister of security, Jonathan del Rosario, offered Cubans stranded at the Gualaca camp $1,650, plus a ticket back to Havana and a multiple-entry visa for Panama, at a meeting to which 14ymedio had access. The proposal, which the migrants will have until July … Continue reading “Panama Offers $1,650 and Return Ticket to Cuba for Migrants Stranded In Gualaca”
14ymedio, Generation Y, Havana, 3 July 2017 — For decades Cubans were bombarded by official propaganda filled with materials about Fidel Castro’s supposed genius. In these vindications he was not only a father, but also a strategist, visionary, pedagogue, farmer and cattle rancher, among other lofty characteristics and pursuits. However, that prototype of patriarch, scientist … Continue reading “Fidel Castro In Humor And Oblivion”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escober, Havana, 15 May 2017 — On 11 May a new law went into effect in Cuba that imposes a determined price on the buying and selling of housing. The simple announcement, a month earlier, set off a frenzy in the notary offices to complete the paperwork for pending sales before the new … Continue reading “Cuba Raises Taxes on Real Estate Transactions”
Ivan Garcia, 11 April 2017 — Right now the most closely guarded secret in Cuba is the protocols for succession of the nation’s president, army general Raul Castro, after his retirement in February 2018. I will tell you what is rumored among some officials close to the tight-lipped team of advisers and influential relatives in the … Continue reading “Is Raul Castro in Hibernation Mode? / Iván García”
Juan Juan Almeida, 4 March 2017 — Another crazy initiative…a bit picturesque, perhaps interesting, but totally absurd. Representatives of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) arrive at the José Martí Airport in Havana with the express intention of combatting animal abuse and creating vegetarian habits on the Island. The idea of watching young activists dressed … Continue reading “Eight Truths About Cuba That the Bikini-Clad Girls Don’t Know / Juan Juan Almeida”
Cubanet, Luis Cino Alvarez, 15 March 2017 – At the beginning of the last decade, when Fidel Castro would call a “march of the fighting people” for any reason whatsoever and the multitudes who seemed to have arrived from Pyongyang would chant slogans and wave little paper flags, prominent for his impetuous verbiage was a … Continue reading “The Taliban Has Returned / Cubanet, Luis Cino Alvarez”
Ivan Garcia, 27 February 2017 — After working twelve hours driving a vintage 1957 Chevrolet for a collective taxi company on the Cotorro-Central Park route, twenty-nine year old Osdiel sits down to have a beer at a dark bar in the south end of Havana, where he unleashes his frustration over new measures Cuban authorities have … Continue reading “Havana Taxi Drivers Up In Arms / Iván García”
Luz Escobar, Havana, 1 March 2017 — After a two month free trial, the fees for government-run home internet service, known as “Nauta Hogar,” were announced on Wednesday. The Telecommunications Company of Cuba (ETECSA) will charge between 15 and 115 Cuban convertible pesos (CUC) for packages of 30 hours, depending on the connection speed, which … Continue reading “Cuba Announces Exorbitant Rates for Limited Home Internet / 14ymedio, Luz Escobar”
14ymedio, Havana, 9 February 2017 — Private taxi drivers in Havana woke up this Thursday with the news of the imposition of price caps on the six most important routes served by their vehicles. The government has taken the measure so as “not to allow an increase over the maximum set prices,” according to an official … Continue reading “New Price Caps For Cuba’s Private Taxi Drivers / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Miami, 12 January 2017 –The Obama administration today put an end to the “wet foot/dry foot” policy, which allowed Cubans to obtain permanent residence one year after arriving in the United States, even if they arrive illegally, as long as they manage to touch land in the country. According to an official of the … Continue reading “Obama Eliminates Wet Foot-Dry Foot Policy For Cuban Immigrants”
14ymedio, Havana, 30 December 2016 – Cuban Faces of 2016: His death propelled ex-President Fidel Castro into the headlines of the international press, which had forgotten him since, in July 2006, diverticulitis forced him to leave power. Following the death of the nonagenarian leader, the government of his brother Raul Castro declared nine days of mourning, … Continue reading “Cuban Faces of 2016: Fidel Castro, Former President of Cuba (Birán, 1926-2016) / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Zunilda Mata, 31 December 2016 — Before Silvio Lázaro moved to Havana from Guantánamo he had the tradition of burning a doll made out of straw and old clothes every December 31. However, in the capital he has replaced that custom with throwing out a bucket of water at midnight. Today, different rituals will accompany the … Continue reading “Burned Dolls, Buckets Of Water And Suitcases: End Of Year Rituals / 14ymedio, Zunilda Mata”
14ymedio, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 28 December 2016 — On December 27th, at the Havana Convention Center, the Eighth Session of the Eighth Legislature of the Cuban Parliament opened, with a balance sheet on the socio-economic results of the year ending and the proposed draft of the National Budget Law for 2017. This time, there is … Continue reading “Cuban Parliament Sessions Predict Somber Times / 14ymedio, Miriam Celaya”
