Dariela Aquique’s Diary

“Mama Ines” is the character in a well-known song that has transcended its time in many voices, but the unsurpassed version is the one by “Bola de Nieve” (literally, “Snowball”), the artist born Ignacio Jacinto Villa.

Recently, when I read the excellent Havana Times interview “Miriam Celaya: A Dissident by Nature” by my colleague Yusimi Rodriguez, it confirmed my thesis that the Cuban blogosphere is fragmented, consisting of fiefdoms and courts like in the Middle Ages. While some share commonalities, others are definitely at opposing ends of the political spectrum.

We Cubans were hopeful, though skeptical. It was believed that because of the wave of “change” taking place in the country, the First National Conference of the Communist Party of Cuba was going to come up with real proposals aimed at reshaping political and social life on our island.

Today marks the 158th anniversary of the birth of Jose Julian Marti Perez, Cuba’s “national hero,” “the apostle” or the “most universal of all Cubans.” These have been the titles given to the “teacher” throughout the course of the island’s history.

Two days ago I received by forwarded e-mail a message that read: “VERY IMPORTANT! Health care professionals recommend that consumers beware of anything that is “Made in China,” especially products containing yellow, red or orange dye.

A certain gentleman commented about one of my recent posts suggesting that I review the statistics relating to high incidence of poverty in the rest of the Third World compared to the low rates experienced here in Cuba.

Yesterday, in the midst of the tumult of trying to get on the bus, a friend who was with me was hemmed in by two pickpockets set on stealing her camera. She managed to fend off the assault by clutching the small apparatus and staring squarely into the eyes of one of them with a menacing stare.

We’re starting the year and the Cuban theater world is in mourning. Only day’s apart, we lost two of its finest exponents: Ramiro Herrero Beaton and Vicente Revuelta Planas.

According to predictions in Cuba’s media, “This new year we’ve just entered will be a prosperous one, raising the quality of life of the Cuban people. It will only be necessary that everyone put their nose to the grindstone and work.”

When I’m out on the street, in the corner store, at the bus stop, standing in the line at the ice cream parlor, at the farmers markets, relaxing in any park, visiting f friends, sitting at a table sipping coffee at a cafe, in any of these places people speak in one voice using one recurrent phase: “This isn’t working anymore.”