Diaries Archives - Page 147 of 648

Spirituality vs. Religion

A few days ago, I read online that the World Health Organization (WHO) was on the verge of adding religious fanaticism to its list of mental illnesses. I stand by this decision 100%…

The Poems of My Colleague Irina Pino

There are books that always stay in the same place when you bring them home. However, there are other books which are always in different spots, as if they move by themselves. De los escalones para abajo, Irina Pino’s book of poems, is one of these books.

Being a Woman and Mother in Cuba Means Sacrifice

In Cuba, the first game girls play is “happy homes” which involves filling toy pots and pans with rice and beans so we can play at cooking them while we look after dolls as if they were our own children. If we have brothers, then we protect and pamper them, as if they were our own children, washing their clothes and even making their meals.

The Cuban Revolution and Time

I recently read a headline in which General Ulises Rosales del Toro complained: “When we owned the news.” While many people were laughing, this phrase scared me out of my wits. Saying this meant he was publicly accepting his guilt. Confessing, but without this leading to anything either.

Another Dianelis Breaks Free in Cuba

Several days ago Irina Echarry wrote a post related to gender violence, specifically about the denunciation made by Dianelis Alfonso -known as La Diosa de Cuba-, and the way in which that case had impacted on Cuban society, which, as Irina rightly says, is a country accustomed to defending and justifying the abuser and offending the victim.

Cuba’s Abundant Land and Food Shortages

Cuba is an underdeveloped or developing country, whatever one wants to call it. It is not a country that has large industries, it depends on revenue from tourism, tobacco, rum and sugar. And that it is not enough to cover our needs and resolve our problems.

Two Conflicting Ways of Looking at Cuban Reality

I have just read a Facebook comment by a young woman who says she is Cuban and left Cuba for Ecuador, before finally arriving in the US. She dedicated the rest of her comment to criticizing Cuba’s political system.

Making the Most of Vacation Time in Cuba

The months of July and August coincide with the vacations of a significant part of Cubans. It is the longest school break of the year, which is between one academic year and another, and many workers and non-essential workplaces plan their vacations to coincide with their children.

Just the Way Cubans Are

It’s said that solitude doesn’t make good company, but I don’t agree with this saying as I manage to write the few articles I do here on Havana Times in those moments of solitude, and it’s also when I get ideas for other projects, for a dessert, sewing…

The Price of Simple Dreams in Cuba

Havana’s residents are suffering high temperatures. There aren’t enough portals in the capital. People going about their daily business find themselves jumping from one sidewalk to the next trying to find shelter from the sun.