English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
This Monday, my daughter and I went to her school at 9:15 in the morning. The neckerchief ceremony had already ended. The teacher did not ask me why we were late this Monday, but she didn’t want to know why my daughter had not come on Friday. I waited until the children had moved away: … Continue reading “Out of the Game / Lilianne Ruiz”
We’re already used to perceiving the interrogation tactic of “good cop, bad cop,” so it’s only natural that those of us who are usually on the other side of the questioning think of duplicating the method. On October 4 at around 5:30 in the afternoon an impressive police operation stopped us at the entrance to … Continue reading “The Good Prisoner / Reinaldo Escobar”
On September 19, the Cuba Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) announced, in the voice of its deputy Roberto Gonzalez, that this coming December it will present a report on the results of the transformations that have been introduced in the Island’s healthcare system in search of “more competition” on the part of the staff working … Continue reading “The Invisible Reforms… and The Visible Dissidence / Miriam Celaya”
Sometimes the Cuban democratization process seems easier as I see it almost every day. LaySpace and the Felix Varela Center, under the supervision of the Church; Temas and last public Thursday, the magazine Criteria and other academic spaces seem to have, if not the magic bullet, at least an idea of how. In these environments … Continue reading “Lessons / Regina Coyula”
The dancer dances surrounded by cords. He is lonely. Amid ropes, some chairs also take up the insufficient space. In front of the man, the spectators watch. Mozart’s music sounds different inside the show. The dancer wears white; he moves, suffers each gesture he makes. Desperate he raises a woman’s hand in the auditorium and … Continue reading “Spaceman Solo / Dora Leonor Mesa”
Today Sunday, Sept. 2, at 5 pm in SATS Literature in Liberty: With Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo and Cuban New Thought contest winners (e-Maro, Frank Correa, Orlando Freire Santana, Dimas Castellanos) Ave 1ra %46 y 60 #4606. Miramar, Playa. La Habana. This meeting is rescheduled as we could not hold it yesterday, Saturday, September 1st … Continue reading “Sunday, September 2, at 5 pm in SATS: Literature of Liberty: With Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo and the winners of the Cuban New Thought Contest / Estado de Sats, For Another Cuba”
Saturday September 1st at 7:00 pm SATS Literature in Liberty: With Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo and Cuban New Thought contest winners (e-Maro, Frank Correa, Orlando Freire Santana, Dimas Castellanos) Ave 1ra %46 y 60 #4606. Miramar, Playa. La Habana. Saturday September 1, 12:02 PM Detained @OLPL and Silvia Corbelle for Event at Estado de Sats: … Continue reading “Literature in Liberty: With Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo and Cuban New Thought Contest Winners / Estado de Sats, For Another Cuba”
This past Friday, September 7th, I returned to that joyful encounter among friends. I attended the presentation of the 16th edition of the Cuban Voices Magazine, dedicated this time as a tribute to Oswaldo Paya Sardinas. With a forward by Orlando Luis Pardo, the dossier is filled with signatures of essayists like Rafael Rojas, Manuel … Continue reading “Cuban Voices Magazine, The Voice / Luis Felipe Rojas”
Eighteen of the 21 articles that make up the contents of the 16th edition of the digital magazine Cuban Voices, presented on Friday, September 7, at the site of the Cuban Blogger Academy, evoke the loss of Oswaldo Paya Sardinas, leader and founder of the Christian Liberation Movement, an emblematic figure of the peaceful opposition … Continue reading “Cuban Voices Offers Tribute to Oswaldo Paya / Miguel Iturría Savón”
Some people in Cuba are already placing bets. Everyone knows that within five to ten years power could change hands. The unknowns are whether the successor will have the last name of Castro, and if the inefficient political and economic system will be preserved. Raúl Castro crafted a law limiting time in political office to … Continue reading “On the Day After, Who Could Replace the Castros? / Ivan Garcia”
For some weeks Havana has had its Biennial and as almost always in my little forgotten village life goes on between the tedium and mediocrity. Behind these airs of expositions and performances I can’t help but remember what happened in these parts a little after this particular cultural event in 2009. Reinaldo Escobar and Yoani … Continue reading “Taguayabón, Far From the Biennial / Mario Barroso”
When the funeral cortege left the chapel in Cerro with the body of the political leader Oswaldo Payá, having barely advanced a few yards, it was stopped for some twenty minutes. Something happened at the beginning of the caravan. Several people got out of the car to find out what; we feared the worse although … Continue reading “Detention of Antonio Rodiles: Guilty of the Free "Estado de Sats" / Ángel Santiesteban”
I’ve been reading the whole imbroglio generated by Cuban State security agent Percy Alvarado with his article about Obama’s imperialist interference in Cuba. First he accuses everyone in sight of being pro-Yankee puppets, and later apologizes for having shoveling shit with such energy over those he wasn’t authorized to. None of which is new to … Continue reading “The Costly Frivolities of Percy Alvarado / Haroldo Dilla Alfonso”
It stands to reason that to beat the information monopoly prevailing in Cuba, it is imperative to overthrow the monopolists, which does not seem easy, and in fact it is not, but above all we must believe strongly that it is possible to overturn the giant with feet of clay. Only in the recently concluded … Continue reading “With Regards to the Recently Held CLICK Festival / Yoaxis Marcheco Suárez”
Citizen Demand for Another Cuba As Cubans, legitimate children of this land and an essential part of our nation, we feel a deep sorrow at the prolonged crisis that we are experiencing and the demonstrated inability of the current government to make fundamental changes. This obliges us, from civil society, to seek and demand our … Continue reading “Citizen Demand for Another Cuba – 536 Signatures and Counting”