English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Havana, 16 November 2015 – Almost 72 hours after its Nauta email service was interrupted, cellphone customers have not received an explanation from the Cuba’s State-owned Telecommunications Company (ETECSA). Calls to the #118 complaint line are told “it is a technical problem affecting the whole country” and the engineers are working on it. On … Continue reading “Nauta Breakdown Leaves All of Cuba Without Email / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Orlando Palma, 11 November 2015 – The shortage of soy yogurt in the regulated market has worsened in recent weeks, and this product intended for children between 7 and 13* years of age is also characterized by its low quality. The shortage of soy yogurt has worsened in recent weeks in the regulated market where the … Continue reading “Yogurt, Scarce and Bad / 14ymedio, Orlando Palma”
“I traded one cell for a slightly roomier prison, because I continue to think that this island is a prison.” Elisa Tabakman (Blog Editor), 6 November 2015 — Angel Santiesteban-Prats was arrested on November 4, suspiciously, after reporting the previous day that the political prisoner Lamberto Henández Planas died in Combinado del Este Prison as … Continue reading “Angel Santiesteban Explains What Happened During His Arbitrary Detention”
14ymedio, Havana, 5 November 2015 — The writer Angel Santiesteban was released Thursday after appearing before the Provincial Court of Havana. The journalist had been arrested yesterday afternoon, accused by his ex-wife of the supposed crime of “violation of domicile,” the same charge he was convicted of 2012. “We were going to revoke your probation, but … Continue reading “Writer Angel Santiesteban is Released / 14ymedio”
14ymedio, Havana, 4 November 2015 — The writer Angel Santiesteban was arrested on Wednesday afternoon in Havana. A police car drove the activist from Antonio Gonzalez Rodiles’s house, where he was, to a police station, according to Santiesteban himself who spoke to this newspaper at the time of his arrest. After the arrest, the blogger Lia … Continue reading “Writer Angel Santiesteban Arrested Again / 14ymedio”
Those of us who lived through the repressive crackdown that took place in Cuba in 2012 during the visit of Benedict XVI have never received a response from the Vatican, although it was informed of the facts. Jose Conrado—the priest who is a maverick within the Catholic Church in Cuba, like a modern-day Father Bartolome … Continue reading “Quo Vadis* Francis? / Mario Lleonart”
Diario de Cuba, Laritza Diversent, Havana, 31 July 2015 —In Cuba there is a myth that says that there is no racism here because “all the races and cultures melded together forever in a happy synthesis.” Nonetheless, in reality, invisibility is on the rise, and a concept of “racial democracies” is maintained. The invisibility of … Continue reading “Black Woman: Double or Triple Discrimination? / Diario de Cuba, Laritza Diversent”
Juan Juan Almeida, 30 September 2015 — Alejandro Castro Espín’s intrusion into Cuba’s political scene has led to a whirlwind of Homeric fantasies in which his biography emerges as a genuine epic poem. This is quite normal; it is how myths are created. But be careful. To either demonize or idealize someone is to make … Continue reading “What Does Alejandro Castro Espin Do? / Juan Juan Almeida”
Juan Juan Almeida, 3 August 2015 — In redundant speeches, more rhetorical than combative, the Cuban Government has requested — among other things — the return of the territory where the Guantánamo Naval Base is located. But given present circumstances, since Washington and Havana have decided to stop being best enemies to become respectful neighbors, … Continue reading “A New Treaty Between Cuba and the U.S. for the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base / Juan Juan Almeida”
DDC, 27 September 2015 — Groups of Cuban activists will travel to New York on Saturday for a protest in front of the United Nations on Monday, when Raul Castro will deliver a speech to the General Assembly. “The world welcomes a dictator of 57 years who has destroyed the Cuban nation, who has brutally … Continue reading “Activists Are Preparing To Protest In Front Of The United Nations During Raul Castro’s Speech / Diario de Cuba”
Danilo Maldonado Machado, also known as “El Sexto” (The Sixth) is a graffiti artist in Cuba, imprisoned since December 25, 2014 for attempting to perform an artistic action in a public space. Danilo has spent 9 months in the Valle Grande prison, charged with the crime of Contempt, and is waiting for a judicial process, … Continue reading “Distribute and Act on to Save the Live of El Sexto / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”
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”
14ymedio, Marlene Azor Hernandez, Mexico City, 18 September 2015 – The pardon of 3,522 ordinary prisoners in Cuba is excellent news, above all for their relatives. At the beginning of July something similar occurred when the Pope visited Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay. In the first two countries, the governments also took the measure with respect … Continue reading “3,522 Pardoned in order to Cover Up Cuba’s Sad Reality / 14ymedio, Marlene Azor Hernandez”
14ymedio, Havana, 4 September 2015 — “When politics meets art the aesthetic defines its relevance, when art meets politics ethics can not be avoided.” So begins the announcement for Tania Bruguera’s presentation this coming September 15 at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie (New York). Entitled ‘AEST-ethics’: Art with Consequences, it is the first public event featuring the artist outside … Continue reading “‘Art With Consequences’, Tania Bruguera’s First Conference Outside Cuba / 14ymedio”
Photo taken from the internet Open letter to John Kerry: “Isn’t it time for all Cuban voices to be heard?” Published Thursday, August 13, 2015. On Friday August 14, 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Cuba to strengthen the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He is the first U.S. Secretary … Continue reading “Reporters Without Borders to John Kerry: Isn’t it time for all Cuban voices to be heard? / Angel Santiesteban”
