English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
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”
The severe shortness of medications in Cuba, far from getting fixed, threatens to become an “irreversible” malignancy. Cubanet, Miriam Celaya, Havana, 15 November 2017 — The pharmacy, in the middle of Avenida de Carlos III in the Cuban capital, was crowded with people. The line extended outside the premises and formed a human conglomerate in … Continue reading “Cuba: Without Medicines and Without “Kindness””
14ymedio, Mario Penton, Miami, 17 November 2017 – Cuba’s northern keys are a tropical paradise that were forbidden to Cubans for decades. In 2008, in the midst of a severe liquidity crisis, the reforms of Raul Castro’s regime allowed, for the first time since the opening to international tourism in the ’90s, Cubans to stay in … Continue reading “Cubans Are Traveling Abroad More and On The Island Less”
14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 14 November 2017 — “Have you come about the Giant African snails?” the residents of the Santa Amalia neighborhood ask any stranger who walks through their streets and seems to be looking for something. People have become increasingly alarmed after the publication, this Sunday, of a reader’s letter sent to the Juventud … Continue reading “Threat of Giant African Snail Reappears in Cuba’s Official Press”
A year ago, Mugabe attended the funeral of Fidel Castro, his comrade in authoritarianism, perhaps like one who participates in his own funeral. 14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 16 November 2017 – No one who has been in power for four decades is innocent and Robert Mugabe will not be the exception. This week the 93-year-old African … Continue reading “Another Ally Falls: The Siege Against Robert Mugabe”
14ymedio, Havana, 15 November 2017 — Twitter is “our Bay of Pigs of the 21st Century” according to the journalist Enrique Moreno Gimeranez, who presented his book Manual for the Exercise of Digital Journalism on Twitter on Tuesday at Havana’s Capitolio. In the volume, the author criticizes “the malpractice of Cuban journalism on Twitter” which “has inefficiently used … Continue reading “Twitter is No Longer the CIA’s, it is “Our Bay of Pigs of the 21st Century””
14ymedio, Regina Coyula, Havana, 15 November 2017 — A more inclusive air can be breathed in the corridors of Performing Arts of the Ministry of Culture. Or at least I thought that was the case when they told me that an article written by me about Departures, a work by the company El Ciervo Encantado (The Enchanted Deer), … Continue reading “The Fear of ’14ymedio’”
14ymedio, Havana, 14 November 2017 — A scandal is shaking up the National Council of Performing Arts (CNAE) a few days after the end of the 17th edition of the Havana Theater Festival. The publication in the festival catalog of an excerpt from a review of the event that appeared in 14ymedio has caused three employees of the … Continue reading “Three Cuban Cultural Promoters Fired For Publishing a Review From ’14ymedio’ in an Official Catalog”
14ymedio, Luz Escobar, 13 November 2017 – It was a warm night in June and José Enrique Morales Besada was connected to the internet at a Wi-Fi hotspot in Morón, Ciego de Ávila. On returning home, his life took a dramatic turn when he was a victim of a homophobic attack that left him with serious … Continue reading ““My Attackers Act As If Nothing Happened””
14ymedio, Havana, 14 November 2017 — Two fundamental premises have guided the work of 14ymedio since its birth more than three years ago: making journalism of higher quality every day and maintaining editorial independence. To achieve this we have opted for a strict financial autonomy that allows us to pronounce freely on any subject. So far, our financing … Continue reading “‘14ymedio’ Invites Readers to Join”
Raúl Castro has not taken advantage of the steps taken by Barack Obama and has chosen to opt for caution rather than reform 14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 13 November 2017 — It was too quiet to last. The diplomatic thaw between Cuba and the United States has failed and both nations are resetting their watches to … Continue reading “In Cuba, the Cold War Returns”
