English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Cubanet, María Matienzo, Havana, 23 November 2017 — According to Claudio Fuentes, photographer and human rights activist, he’s started doing something like ten interviews and they haven’t published any of them. Maybe it has to do with that mania he has to be always behind the camera, pointing the lens at the Ladies in White, other activists … Continue reading “Claudio Fuentes: "I Do Not Want to be an Opponent One More Day"”
Dimas Castellano, 20 November 2017 — On November 1, 2017, Cuba presented to the UN General Assembly the project entitled “Need to end the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the US against Cuba.” In his speech, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez criticized the policy contained in the Presidential National Security Memorandum on the strengthening of the … Continue reading “Three Points to Solve the Embargo / Dimas Castellano”
Cubanet, Miriam Celaya, 29 November 2017, Cuba – This past Sunday, 27 November 2017, the “maximum exercise of Cuban democracy” took place, namely, voting to select, among the candidates proposed by the masses in each constituency of the country, the ones who would be picked to process the frustrations of their respective “electors” during the … Continue reading “Not So Revolutionary Nor So Fidelista / Miriam Celaya”
Ivan Garcia, 13 November 2017 — In the studio there are three light reflectors that give off an unbearable heat. In the background there is a wall of mirrors and two white umbrellas hanging from the ceiling. Joan, a professional photographer, considers himself a freelancer. He also sells audiovisual packages to foreign press agencies based in Havana, planning … Continue reading “Fifteenth Birthday Parties, Also for Boys / Iván García”
14ymedio, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 22 November 2017 — A huge metal cap measuring five feet long and 20 inches high, weighing 66 pounds, is the latest fetish born of the yearning of a certain regional leftist sector to honor Fidel Castro, the favorite demiurge of vernacular socialism, on the first anniversary of his death. The … Continue reading “In Search of a Tropical William Tell”
14ymedio, Havana, 27 November 2017 — The last municipal elections before the departure of Raúl Castro in February passed without surprises, exit polls or political differences between the candidates. During the day, several activists denounced irregularities in exercising their right to vote or access the counts and the rains forced some delays in poll closing times. … Continue reading “Election Day In Cuba Passes With No Surprises”
14ymedio, Havana, 26 November 2017 — Cuban politician Armando Hart Dávalos died on Sunday afternoon in Havana at 87 years of age due to respiratory failure, according to the official press. The news was announced in the midst of the commemoration of the first anniversary of the death of Fidel Castro. Born on 13 June 1930, … Continue reading “Armando Hart Dávalos Dies, Most Loyal of All Fidelistas”
14ymedio, Havana, 24 November 2017 – Cuban State Security managed to limit attendance to just two people to last night’s premiere play The Enemies of the People. The police cordon set up around the El Círculo gallery in Havana’s Vedado neighborhood, where the play was going to be performed, worked as a method of pressure to intimidate would-be audience … Continue reading “Cuban State Security Blockades a Play in El Círculo Gallery (Updated)”
Laritza Diversent, 25 November 2017 — Paragraph 9 of Resolution 60/251 establishes that, in order to be able to occupy the position of Member of the Human Rights Council, countries will have to apply stricter rules for the advancement and protection of human rights. Cuba claimed in its candidacy that it signs up to 46 … Continue reading “Stricter Rules For The Advancement And Protection Of Human Rights / Laritza Diversent”
14ymedio, Mario Penton, Miami, 23 November 2017 — Under a parasol printed with a reproduction of the Tropical Gypsy, María Elena has left behind her profession as a doctor to dedicate herself to selling handicraft products that she makes for tourists in Matanzas. She graduated in 1993 but has not practiced for more than 10 years. “They … Continue reading “Official Data Confirm Degradation Of Cuba’s Health System”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 24 November 2017 — Throughout my adolescence I had a recurring dream related to Mr. Fidel Castro. It used to repeat itself on the nights he delivered those endless speeches in front of hundreds of thousands of people. My fingers would perceive with amazing clarity the texture of the upper edge of … Continue reading “I No Longer Dream Of Fidel Castro”
14ymedio, 25 November 2017 — The Mexican illustrator Joan X. Vázquez has created a series of comics produced by the human rights organization Amnesty International entitled Cubans’ Lives whose pages tell the lives of Cubans and the continuous restrictions to which they are subjected in their day-to-day lives. The first issue is dedicated to Graciela, a … Continue reading “A Life Truncated For Criticizing The Cuban Government”
14ymedio, Generation Y, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 23 November 2017 — When Ignacio Ramonet’s interview with Fidel Castro was published in 2006, many citizens did not miss the opportunity to mock the title. “Why should we read One Hundred Hours With Fidel if we have spent our whole lives with him?” people were saying on the streets, but the … Continue reading “Hemiplegia, The Sad Case Of Ignacio Ramonet”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 20 November 2017 — Several impounded trucks and numerous drivers demanding respect for the law have been the results of the stiffening of police controls, in recent weeks, on the transport of agricultural products in the municipality of Alquízar, located in Artemisa province. Around a dozen truck owners complained to 14ymedio … Continue reading “Alquízar’s Truckers Challenge the Police, Showing Them the Wording of the Law”
14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 19 November 2017 – She came to Trinidad and Tobago more than a year ago with “one pair of pants and two blouses.” Kenya Montes de Oca traveled from Placetas, in Villa Clara, with the idea of becoming a mule and living off the import business, but life pushed her towards seeking … Continue reading “Cubans in Trinidad And Tobago, Caught Between Illegality and Hope”
