A Cuban friend who lives abroad and came to the island on vacation, eager to go out and enjoy Havana’s night scene, made me discover new places (discos, clubs, bars and cabarets) where people – particularly the young – enjoy themselves.
Read MoreThere’s nothing better for a romantic reconciliation than doing something that breaks with routine. An invitation from some friends who had rented out a beach house (at the extremely low price of 30 CUC for an entire weekend) came to us like a gift from heaven.
Read MoreI had never travelled so far from Havana – I had only gone as far east as Villa Clara, where I went two years ago. I had the opportunity to take a trip to Bayamo as part of an exhibition (titled El teatro en imagenes, “The Theater in Images”) I put together with a former classmate, Estela Ferrer.
Read MoreThe years go by but my neighborhood doesn’t change: the sidewalks are still in shambles, the streetlamp continues to cast a dim, ghastly light, the framboyan tree across the street has no new leaves or flowers, the peeling walls of the corner market (previously a ration store) are still stained with humidity, smelling of rust and old age.
Read MoreMuch of the data collected during Cuba’s last Population and Housing Census, conducted in 2012, has now been published. One of the questions in the census was the place of birth of those surveyed. There was a space on the questionnaire where the person’s country of origin could be registered.
Read MoreWhen the decades of the 70s and 80s in Cuba are termed the “innocent years”, I can’t help feeling a passing shadow, remembering the official “repudiation” of those who had the courage to confess that they didn’t feel satisfied with the shared poverty nor with the simulation of freedom.
Read MoreShouldn’t an avowedly communist newspaper suspect that a class confrontation hides behind pressing social problems? When those who write for the paper tackle the issue of education, shouldn’t their point of departure be Marx’s critique of State schooling?
Read More“Look mom, a big ram!” yelled a kid at the top of his lungs, thrilled at seeing the animal through the bus window. He was going to Pinar del Rio’s Viñales valley for a daytrip with his family. His comment made some passengers laugh.
Read MoreThe World Cup just began two days ago and the fans do nothing but talk about who will take the title. In Cuba the love of the game has grown in a surprising way, despite baseball being the most popular sport.
Read MoreEl Mariel is a typical bay on Cuba’s northern coast. Its point of entry is a considerably wide canal that can be crossed by large vessels. Today, the Cuban government has laid its bets on this place and the island looks to it as the hope of a more prosperous future.
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