Irina Pino’s Diary

It was easy for my generation to fall in love and have sex. Everything used to flow so naturally, we weren’t after money. That doesn’t mean to say that prostitution and self-interested people didn’t exist…, however, it wasn’t an odyssey to find pleasant company, far from that.

When you are young, you don’t think too much about your appearance, you just have to be a bit charming, as firm skin makes up for a not so beautiful face. And it’s true, once your body begins to age, you begin to worry…

Men don’t like talking about “this” even with their friends. They feel handicapped. They think that they have lost their masculinity and have stopped being men. Then, complexes and feelings of blame appear. Even so, they resist admitting it.

What we are witnessing in our youth here in Cuba today isn’t a lack of ambition, it’s a kind of eternal boredom, a not knowing what to do. Nothing fully satisfies them, they get bored of everything they are doing.

Cuba is a tourist destination. A slogan says so. But nevertheless, it is also a long term business. Therefore, many Cubans in exile are seeking out the way to be “repatriated”. And what does that mean? Well, that there are certain facilities involved, which will then translate into benefits.

On the night of Saturday June 17th, it was one of those Saturdays that I haven’t been scammed by bad movies on TV or sterile experiences. This time I won: I was at a concert of Cuban rock band, Anima Mundi, who were playing at the El ciervo encantado theater.

Fernando Perez makes auteur cinema, his unique vision on life in his country is full of symbols and characters who translate his desires, sadness and joy, and they make up a language (another one) to trace our present reality.

A well-attended concert for the 50th anniversary of the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was held at John Lennon park. Over two hours of joy, enjoyment and happiness, prove that we need rock concerts which maybe represent the rebellious symbol that Lennon was in his time. (8 fotos)

Emigres who are over 50 or 60 years old are exposed to huge changes in their lives. Their lives get turned around by 90 degrees, or maybe more even. That’s why their uprooting is usually like an incurable pain, although the situations vary.

They are called faggots, pussies, chickens, crazies… but these are all derogatory names. Calling a man a “faggot” is the worst insult you can give him. And that’s because homophobia is as deeply-rooted and entrenched as machismo itself.