Although it failed to bring about the hoped-for generational renewal at the highest level of Cuba’s governing Communist Party, the recent party congress may have marked the start of a new stage of socialist development, if the resistance to change among the most conservative sectors is overcome.
Read MoreWhat’s important is not to wait for your rival to score six or seven runs before changing the pitcher, or to get to the ninth inning seven runs down with two outs before calling back the batter who has screwed up during the whole game and finally replace him with a pinch hitter.
Read MoreApparently under attack from a high-ranking Cuban politician, organizers of the Gibara Cine Pobre (Low-Budget) Film Festival published an open letter aimed at rallying support for their lauded project.
Read MoreI admit that it astonishes me to hear that socialism is (still) the sole chance for a more just world. Those who self-define themselves as “left” also are amazed that I don’t identify myself with their line.
Read MoreCuba’s young people today feel they have more freedom to navigate the waters of romantic feelings in an uncomplicated way. Since the 1990s, research has found this population group has adopted new and different values in the field of love and sexuality.
Read MoreHumorous, clever, serious, some more melodious than others, they surprise us in their daily routines. Their products are carried in wheelbarrows and sacks or on bicycles with the vendor walking alongside. Of any age, they roam the streets back and forth hawking in season fruits, pointing out the benefits of lemons, flattering women so they buy the best avocados or improvise verses to sell some garlic.
Read MoreCivil society organizations in Japan have traditionally been on the sidelines in influencing mainstream policy, but the massive Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of Mar. 11 is becoming a catalyst for important change.
Read MoreFor US citizens traveling to any country, except Cuba, entails obtaining a visa if needed for the country to be visited, buying a ticket and hopping on a plane. In the case of Cuba, slightly liberalized regulations recently announced by the Obama administration were published Thursday by the US Treasury Dept. The 51-page document has all the ins-and-outs on obtaining or not being eligible for a license to visit Cuba.
Read MoreWhen I was preparing to travel to the island back in 1990, I left with the presumption that I would be covering extremely critical times for the Cuban Revolution. I even considered the possibility of experiencing a violent internal conflict.
Read MoreIn stark contrast to the political apathy of many of their contemporaries, some sectors of Cuban youth are radically re-writing the standard slogans, opting for active participation and fomenting “new revolutions within the Revolution.”
Read More