Osmel Almaguer’s Diary

Osmel Almaguer

Street Interviews in Cuba

A little over a year after I began working with En Caliente Prensa Libre and having been involved in the production of nearly 50 videos, the early days, when my hand would shake on picking up the microphone or I’d think twice about asking someone out on the street for an interview, seem distant.

My Take on Migratory Crises

While thousands of Cubans cross third countries to reach the United States and thousands others emigrate legally or use work-related trips afforded by the government to “desert,” the island’s official media cover the migratory crisis affecting countries in the Middle East and Europe.

Cuba’s Sleeping Workers

Of all the kinds of beggars I’ve seen in Havana, the “sleeping beggar” is doubtless the most peculiar. I saw the man on Reina street in Centro Habana, lying across the entrance to a building, with a sign that read: “I have a heart murmur. Please help me with anything you have.

My Father’s Home Repair Subsidy

In December of last year, my father applied for a construction subsidy from the Head Municipal Housing Office in Habana del Este. Zuleidys, the secretary who saw him, told him not to have over realistic expectations, that they had granted very few such subsidies recently.

A Good Alternative for Cuban Mail

Recently, one of my Facebook friends was complaining on-line about the inconveniences that a US postal service had caused him. The addressee was a person this agency had already made deliveries to and claimed not to be able to find them this last time around.