Kamil Kenders Archives - Havana Times

Abuse and Violence in Today’s Cuba

We are living in an era of war, where, evidently, those with the most power squeeze the rest without caring at all.

Ordinary Cubans have few options for summer vacations. Tourism still takes center stage, but I can’t say it’s been a bad summer for me…

A friend’s father passed away. He was a young man, 66, but had many illnesses: diabetes, hypertension, and he smoked like a chimney.

Now back in my Havana, and recovered from an exhausting trip, I can detail how difficult it was to return from Bayamo, Granma.

Many Cubans live in inhumane conditions, with their homes on the verge of collapse, while the island continues to fill with tourist hotels.

“Get to know Cuba first and foreign lands later,” a chorus says. However, unfortunately, few Cubans can enjoy the beauty that surrounds us.

The sense of cultural belonging and the sense of decency and good musical taste have been lost in Cuba.

Although we’ve been going backwards for years, I have to recognize that Cubans have always shown solidarity with each other.

Poor Santiago, much like today’s Cubans, went through a bad streak, his lasted 84 days, ours has lasted more than six decades.

It’s 10 am and there is a planned power outage. I was about to start writing, but the imminent power cut prevents me.