Circles Robinson, Author at Havana Times

Castro Questions Cuban Economic Model

In an interview with Atlantic Magazine former Cuban President Fidel Castro recognized that the State had assumed too big a role in the island’s economy.

Democracy Cuban Style

I remember a private party in which trova musician Pedro Luis Ferrer sang some of his more critical songs. One of the Cuban participants told him with delight: “That’s it; we should reconstruct the Cuba we had before that guy came to power.”

No Dialogue in Mapuche Conflict in Chile

The Chilean government is pushing through legal reforms in an attempt to bring to an end a nearly two month hunger strike by 34 Mapuche indigenous prisoners. But it is failing to address two critical aspects of the conflict: the lack of effective dialogue and a failure to recognize it as a political problem.

Our Lady of Charity Day Observed

When the tragedies hit home, when we go to the doctor but can’t find a cure, when a boy or girl begins to suffer strange attacks, when a parent loses a child —or a child a parent—, when a relative finds themselves in jail… in the midst of all such difficult situations, many of us Cubans call upon our Patron Saint for guidance, for the power to endure all pain and to even remedy our misfortunes.

Pieces of Mountains

The best experiences in my life I’ve had on the summits of mountains. However I’ve never been able to bear living permanently among them, without a glimmer of the sea, because this was something I became familiar with very early. There were no mysteries to discover. For me it was enough to experience the sea full of salt and blueness, its intrinsic freedom. (34 photos)

Cuba Weather Forecasters on TS Igor

Tropical Storm Igor is still close to the northwest African coast but Cuba’s weather experts are already tracking its progress as it begins moving west. The storm formed quickly and at noon Wednesday was 155 kilometers southeast of the Cape Verde Islands, reports The Cuban Meteorological Institute.

Biking the Americas, Focus on Kids

Damian Lopez, of Argentina, has been riding his bicycle the length of the Americas for the past three years. His mission? In addition to completing the long journey, he wants to shine the spotlight on children who are at risk due to violence or abandonment.

Being a Teacher in Cuba

Maria could have been a doctor, an engineer or an architect, because since she was little she was intelligent and studious; that’s why her dedication and talent always placed her among the best in her class.

France Seeks Allies on Immigration Policy

Faced with mounting criticism because of its expulsions of Roma, or Gypsies, the French government is trying to gain allies in what it calls the “battle” against undocumented immigration and people-trafficking networks.

Castro Criticizes Iranian President’s anti-Semitism

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro questioned the anti-Semitism of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and urged him to recognize the Jewish Holocaust and Israel’s reasons to fear for its existence, in statements to Jeffrey Goldberg, a journalist with the U.S. magazine The Atlantic, with whom he met for three days in the island’s capital last August. Castro also affirmed that the sanctions against the Persian nation will not dissuade it from wanting to develop nuclear weapons.