I once saw ethnologist Miguel Barnet, Chair of the Association of Cuban Writers and Artists (UNEAC), in a bout of ill-intentioned perplexity. He was giving the opening speech for a social sciences symposium that addressed the issue of illegal settlements in the capital.
Read MoreWhat people look for in the “package” is variety: people choose what they want to watch. There may be a lot of trite stuff in it, but one can also find interesting documentaries, the occasional film with artistic merit, etc.
Read MoreNow that relations with the United States have been re-established, I’m going to hop on over there the first chance I get. I feel a mixture of hatred and love for that country. Let me tell you explain.
Read More“We have to wait and see how things develop,” some people are saying down here. This is very true, because the mental and economic infrastructures developed in the course of more than fifty years cannot be changed overnight.
Read MoreIf President Maduro is hoping to make people lose all confidence in his government, it is one of the things he is doing quickly and successfully. He has postponed his Annual Report for 2014 a second time. Now it is reset for this afternoon.
Read MoreMexico City smells of tortillas. Havana smells of newspapers moistened with urine and dried in the sun. Different cities. I arrived in Mexico on the 26th of July last year. I left the “homeland” on its “Day of National Rebelliousness”.
Read MoreHere’s some good news for United States citizens wanting to travel legally to Cuba. Even though US based airlines still have not hashed out their plan of operations on the island don’t let that stop you from going as soon as you feel fit. There are many ways to do so.
Read MoreOn January 14, I went to the Bertolt Brecht theater in Havana, where the Cuban band Interactivo performs every Wednesday near midnight. I felt it was the best concert of my life, and I’ve been to quite a number of these.
Read MoreMy parents got married in 1967. A short time later, they already had two kids and steady jobs. The only thing they didn’t have was a roof over their heads. Living in cheap hotels made for a hectic life. The worst part of it was the anxiety of it all…
Read MoreThe economic crisis of the 1990s led Cubans to produce a broad variety of alcoholic beverages through traditional and innovative methods. But why don’t Cubans have a tradition of making beer through traditional means?
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