Osmel Almaguer’s Diary

Before my father gave me his version of the story, for me the 1970 sugarcane harvest was a simple incident that gave people something to laugh at. “I haven’t been to a fiesta since the ‘70 harvest,” you could hear any Cuban say with a smile.

No one is a saint here. While we condemn our players who emigrate, banning them, they’re received on the other side as “victims,” and those who accept these “poor fugitives” are seen as “saviors.”

Today Eduardo has spent almost 20 years cutting people’s hair. The money he earns, around 100 CUCs per month (about $110 USD), is enough to take care of himself and to maintain his sick parents.

Teresita sells peanuts at the bus stop. She and her only grandson depend on her earnings to survive. She’s formally retired but her Social Security check amounts to nothing.

Given the way baseball is now played in the World Cup, our country’s National Baseball Commission seriously trained a team for the first time in a long time. This has raised hopes among our people, who remain dependent on that “circus” to maintain their illusions.

At the House of Poetry, I was listening to verses being recited by a Cuban author of some standing when suddenly I noticed a young woman sitting next to me. A “who-knows-what” diverted my attention from the reading long enough for us to exchange looks.

Nonetheless, this “father of the Cuban cartoons” doesn’t have a monopoly in terms of quality. A new generation is emerging who are somehow heirs of that flower pollinated by Padron with his creations. .

Julio had a promising career in Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) before being relegated to the reserves due to health problems. From very early on he had participated in two internationalist missions: one in Angola and the other in Ethiopia.

“Nocturno” is a radio program that’s been on the air for more than 40 years. When it first began back in the ‘60s, it was well received by the youthful listeners of that time.

Ever since I was little I’ve been witness to the characteristic falsehoods of my country’s media, whose influence we’ve been vulnerable to for more than a half century.