This past Friday and Saturday, Havana’s 2nd Libertarian Spring had days of intense work and debate. I am happy and encouraged by the feedback we got at all of the work sessions and by the depth of the opinions and knowledge shared by participants.
I get the feeling this May Day will be different. The loudspeakers at Revolution Square are already being tested and, like every year, Silvio Rodriguez’ songs are starting to be heard. But this time something is a little strange…
Those of us who follow the Cuban press closely often complain about the scant variety of news that characterizes it. A more incisive look at this press, however, reveals a number of unintentional contrasts. Let us focus on two different dates.
The launching of a new classifieds magazine to be managed by the Cuban State through the Cuban Information Agency (AIN) – was announced a few days ago. Our “sharp”, official journalists, however, didn’t care to mention as basic a detail as the price of the service.
Cuba’s wealthy visual artist Alexis Leyva, better known as “Kcho”, is offering access to his broadband Internet connection as part of a socio-cultural project offered by his studio. The connection, however, is extremely bad.
After long conversations with my partner, the two of us decided it would be marvelous to have a cat in the house. Ria, a beautiful, hyperactive, hairy black-and-white cat has been living with us for two weeks now.
Censorship in Cuba’s art world has been retreating in recent years, which is why it’s sudden and merciless reappearance can sometimes take us aback, striking as something both ridiculous and senseless.
Cuban anarchists will soon be holding the second Havana Libertarian Spring. The gathering has just been publicly announced for May 29 through June 7, 2015.
Almost all the accredited international press on the island were present Tuesday afternoon at the historical Revolution Square, waiting for the Cuban artist Tania Bruguera, who had announced a performance at the Esplanade opposite the José Martí monument.
The Cuban State has more than enough qualified personnel, trained at the country’s well-stocked technical and military academies and the University of Information Sciences (UCI), to develop a project as wide-encompassing and complex as the “weekly package.”