Diaries

Me, I like the “Yumas” (Gringos)

The reaction of many people to the sudden official announcement of a rapprochement between Cuba and the USA brings to mind a line from a popular reggaetón song: “A mí me gustan los yuma.” [“I like the yumas”]

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Rescuing Cuban Dance Traditions

In Cuba, a great many teenagers and young people – and even those who are not so young – prefer to listen and dance to reggaeton music instead of casino, a dance tradition that is part of our identity. For a very long time, casino was Cuba’s popular dance par excellence.

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Still Here in Cuba

As of late, I haven’t been able to sleep all too peacefully, it must be the daily worries that have multiplied since I find myself out of work. The fact of the matter is that my nights are filled with strange dreams, sometimes nightmares, like the one I’m about to recount.

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New Year’s Celebrations in Cuba

New Year’s is nearing and it feels as though the end of the world is upon us. Cubans scramble to buy as much food as their few or abundant savings allow them. Yes: having a warm, tasty, longed-for meal is what makes the end of the year a true festivity.

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An Orthophonic Manifesto for Cuba

About a year ago, I wrote something of an anarchist post mocking the school campaigns developed in Cuba to improve spelling in the country. At the time, I maintained that forcing a person to memorize arbitrary rules was downright stupid.

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The Effects of Bureaucracy in Cuba

In this space I have told a few passages of my life, the difficult life of a disabled woman, but not for people to take pity on me or give away anything. However, kindhearted people have been moved and have given me help, as well as others with a similar situation to mine.

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Cuba: My Childhood Home in Ruins

The house where my father, aunts and many of my cousins were born is falling apart. Located in a small town (Guara) in some distant corner of today’s province of Mayabeque, the small, wooden, tile-roofed house is the definition of neglect.

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