Diaries Archives - Page 267 of 648

Cuban Police Officers Encourage Pollution

I’ve been witness to how Cuban police officers encourage the contamination of Havana’s northern coast, particularly the area known as the Malecon ocean drive and along the coastline.

The Stealthy Transformation of Cuban Sports

Cuba’s National Sports, Physical Education and Recreation Institute (INDER) is slowly but systematically dismantling its role as a socializer of sports and focusing its energies on the restoration and strengthening of its commercial and industrial infrastructure.

Reflections on the End

No matter where we look, everything seems to end in darkness, death and desolation. Does it really matter whether we die today, tomorrow or in 10 years? Does it, when the end is inevitable?

Funeral Parlors in Havana

Three months ago, at the funeral parlor in La Lisa, Havana, Luis showed me why he is renowned for never missing a wake. He was among the first to arrive. “This is one of the ugliest, lesser known funeral parlors in Havana,” he said when he saw me.

Cuba, Processed Meats and Cancer

At the close of October, a startling piece of news made its way across the globe: the World Health Organization (WHO), on the basis of a report issued by its International Cancer Research Agency, classified processed meats as carcinogens and warned that red meats are probably the same.

What Happened to Cuban Musicals?

While at Havana’s Mella Theater, listening to the marvelous songs from Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair and Mamma Mia during Broadway Rox, a show staged by Entertainment Nederlander Worldwide, the history of Cuban musicals – that priceless legacy of our music-loving culture – came to mind.

Aluan Arguelles Sets Up a “Chart Room” in Havana Gallery

People frequently talk about the garbage left on river banks, coastal areas and lakes, but we seldom look past the first impression this makes on us, to the evidence of human activity it reveals. Nature, of course, is not at all grateful for these kinds of practices, but artists can rummage through any sea of waste to find vestiges of life.

The Questions Children Ask

One day, when he was four, my son showered me with questions: “Why does it rain?” “Why don’t planes fall from the sky?” Then there were others, more difficult to answer: “Why are there wars?” As he grew up, he began to notice contradictions I hadn’t paid attention to…

Cuba Food Prices: A Look at a Journalist’s Predictions

In October of 2014, Cuba’s official newspaper Juventud Rebelde published an article dealing with the state of Cuba’s produce and livestock markets. The author, journalist Rene Tamayo, appeared overjoyed at the deceleration of price trends and predicted a brighter future all around.

Elderly Cuban Women Speak of Their Lives in New Documentary

The film comes from Proyecto Palomas, a production house that focuses on social issues. It uses testimonies offered by elderly women, while a voice-over narration accompanies still images and renowned visual art pieces that complement and/or stress the central thread of the film.