Diaries Archives - Page 265 of 631

Cuba and How Times Change

When, on December 17, Presidents Obama and Castro announced a prisoner exchange and the restoration of relations, millions of Cubans living on both sides of the Strait of Florida began to speculate.

Cuba Anarchist Event Off to Good Start

This past Friday and Saturday, Havana’s 2nd Libertarian Spring had days of intense work and debate. I am happy and encouraged by the feedback we got at all of the work sessions and by the depth of the opinions and knowledge shared by participants.

The Retreat

After the ambush by the Ciego river, still under a heavy fire that ripped the bark off trees, we split up into three groups to break through the enemy fence. The time was late 1958 in the province of Las Villas.

Cuban Actor Albertico Pujol and Mass Nostalgia

It would seem that all Cubans over forty have been left with nothing but their memories. Leaving, surviving and – most importantly – remembering are verbs that seem to apply to nearly all Cuban émigrés.

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.

Never Too Late to Come Out

Back when I was studying at the tourism school in Havana, a classmate and I used to go out with two young men from Cuba’s east. We went to parties, strolled together through Old Havana and practically became inseparable.

Cuba: The Anthropology of Popular Opinion

No one in Cuba today is surprised to hear the various opinions that have traditionally surrounded the claim that “black people have bigger penises than white people,” so I assume no one will be too shocked by my comments on the subject below.

Troubled Hope: On Animal Rights in Cuba

I recall how, back in primary school, we used to shower white herons with rocks while heading back home from school. Poor things, they’ve never been anything but “worthless” to common people in Cuba.

A Note on Cuba’s Education System

If we allowed ourselves to be persuaded by the news going around the Internet, we would conclude Cuba has one of the worst educational systems in the world – and that’s not the case.

The Cuban Communist Party and Ice-Cream Flavors

Here’s the story about the “technical norm,” the one I promised to share in my last post, the one I heard one of my compatriots tell while we were waiting outside the household appliances repair shop.