Diaries Archives - Page 294 of 648

Combat At Rio Ciego

On the morning of November 3, 1958, after saying goodbye to our fallen comrade we began to move away from the road and search for a place to set up camp again, as we would not be returning to our previous campsite.

The Dead Daisies in Havana

On the night of February 25, The Dead Daisies played at Havana’s rock-and-roll venue the Maxim Rock. The much-awaited performance began at 9:30 pm. and the band was welcomed with euphoric screaming and thunderous applause.

Paulo Freire Remembered in Alamar, Havana

Paulo Freire is one of most influential theorists of education of the 20th century. The gathering was an extension of the talk held at the Felix Varela stand in Havana’s La Cabaña fortress (the fair’s main venue), sponsored by the Brazilian embassy in Cuba.

Cuba: The Poetry that Saves Us

It is said that Jose Marti once declared that “poetry is more important than industry, for it can prop up or take down souls.” Being exposed to Cuban poet Francis Sanchez’ exhibition Cicatrices (“Scars”) made me understand two things…

On Cuba’s Missions Abroad

For years, the Cuban State has been preaching that so-called “internationalist missions” are a means of offering other nations “selfless aid.” Many of us know, however, that something else hides behind this philanthropist spiel…

Cuba: The Crisis of Values and Prejudices

One cannot help but wonder, even at the risk of coming across as naive, what social behavior the Cuban government would consider appropriate – what use of culture it would consider virtuous, revolutionary and socialist.

Francois Truffaut in the Works of Cuban Painter Antonio Nuñez

At the beginning of the year, while studying the work of Cuban artist Antonio Nuñez (1971), I came across a series produced in 2009, in which different scenes from films by Buñuel, Godard, Truffaut and others are rendered on canvas.

Havana’s Gay Meeting Places

In 1987, I went to a gay meeting place in Havana for the first time. I’d been too afraid to go to such places before. Single men would go to these places to meet other men, in search of a relationship or one-night stands.

Lucy and the Adolescence of Civilization

Lucy, a young US citizen studying in Taiwan, is kidnapped by local mafiosos, cruel and bloodthirsty types. The bad guys are looking for mules to transport a potent drug that was recently discovered.

Wrestling with Cuba’s Wrestling Coaches

As I’ve written before, my son practices Greco-Roman wrestling. I’ve shared the difficulties mothers face to acquire the needed sport implements. Today, I want to talk about wrestling coaches.