Osmel Ramirez

Wealth seems to be the enemy of our economic system, not poverty. And, poverty and migration seem to be the only two things that are sustainable.

Public transport in the city of Mayari, the second most populated in the Holguin province, is mostly made up of horse-drawn carts. There is a public urban bus transport system, however it doesn’t work at all. It doesn’t provide a regular service because it often doesn’t have the basic resources it needs to run, such as spare tires and fuel. Thus, the horse-drawn carts are the transport option that residents can rely on.

With it recently being International Women’s Day (March 8th) and the Federation of Cuban Women holding their 10th Congress, it’s worth asking ourselves what this body actually does.It’s just that I live here in Cuba and I haven’t picked up on the FMC’s activism in decades.

Let’s assume that the results disclosed by the National Election Commission are trustworthy; ignoring how suspicious it was that it took almost a whole day to announce the results to the public. Even with so many doubts and suspicions, it would be interesting for us to analyze what we have gained and lost with Cuba’s constitutional referendum process and its final results.

There are two competing rivals in the referendum set for February 24th: YES and NO, and abstention is another way of voting NO. There are strong campaigns online for all three alternatives, the Internet and social networks having become a heated battleground.

There’s nothing better than everyday details to give you a better idea of the scope and repercussions of the crisis that is getting worse as the days pass by here in Cuba. For example, my cooking oil is about to run out and I have no idea where the next liter is going to come from. What we get with the rations’ booklet is just enough for the first week…

As is tradition already, Cuban Communists held an event on January 28th, which involves marching with torches to see in Marti’s birthday. It’s a post-revolutionary simulation of the parade that Fidel Castro and young people (known as the Centennial Generation) took part in in 1953, when it was the 100th anniversary of our Apostle, Jose Marti’s birth.

This severe crisis falls on top of a permanent crisis that is endemic to the Cuban system, of sporadic shortages. Which are becoming more and more dragged out. Add to that the new tax on farmers’ personal incomes, the negative impact of drought on agricultural production, reduced imports because of a lack of funds…

Emigrating seems to be on everyone’s lips nowadays in Mayari, Holguin. It is the most recurring topic of discussion in homes, on the street, between passengers in a shared taxi, at work or at school. Almost everyone wants to leave and many of them are preparing their departure to follow in the footsteps of groups who have already embarked on this journey…

The country is experiencing a special moment. The “Revolution’s” system has failed, but our leaders aren’t accepting this. They continue to brandish the same slogans they did before, turning to a democratic facade and limiting the private sector, out of fear that it becomes too empowered…