Dariela Aquique’s Diary

Conflict Yes, But Also Respect

Here online, there is no irksome and inquisitive editorial advice from those who always want to rework your piece. Instead, it’s the readers, through their comments, who even end up telling the writer that he or she is mistaken in their focus or their outlook.

A Matter of Interpretation

There is another type of totalitarianism that is exercised by political rulers, and its foundation is social. These rulers impose not only a system but an ideology, where it doesn’t matter if it’s erred or if it’s what the population wants to believe. It’s the one that’s established!

Santiago de Cuba on Foot

Guide: Hey, looks like it’s going to rain…
Chorus: All the way to Santiago on foot…
Guide: Getting carried along, you’re going to make it…
Chorus: All the way to Santiago on foot…
The guide: Oh baby, you’re so fine…!
Chorus: All the way to Santiago on foot…

Cuba Needs a Happy Medium

An entire movement of opinions around diversity has been stirred up as a result of the May celebration in Santiago de Cuba of national activities focused on the “Campaign against Homophobia.”

Cuba Without Kings or Magicians

My grandparents used to hear a certain legend when they were children. It was told to them by their parents, who lived in low-wage poverty back in the early years of US-controlled Cuba.

Cuba-US Rift: Fairytale Consequences

Ever since I was a little girl, on isolated occasions I used to hear — in a depressed tone — family members talk about an aunt of mine. For some strange reason that I wasn’t able to understand, she lived outside of Cuba.

In Cuba the Absurd Prevails Over Logic

The things that take place in this country can be a ludicrous as a comedian all tied up in knots. On more than one occasion I’ve found myself recounting events that have left me astonished for being so preposterous.

The Weight of Sugar in Cuba

Today, among the many errors committed that have weighed down our economic base, the neglect of the sugar industry — which had been the main production line in the country — has been the worst.

Remembering Cuba’s Neighborhood Cinemas

I used to get impatient on Sundays waiting to go with my brother and the neighbors to see the matinée adventure movies that were shown at the “Capitolio,” the cinema in the Santiago de Cuba neighborhood where I lived as a child.

They Live Very Happily

In Cuba: We’re a literate people, but not educated. The statistics on educational advancement in the country give the impression that the great majority of the population has a considerable level of learning. But this doesn’t go beyond appearances…