Diaries Archives - Page 343 of 647

The Gazes of Venezuelan Children

These photos are part of one of those projects I never seem to finish – not because I don’t want to, but because I always find a new gaze to capture and refuse to declare my work concluded. (21 photos)

Survivors Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki

I recently had access to horrifying testimonies about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki offered by a group hibakushas (“survivors”). Though I had read dozens of articles and news pieces on these incidents, I had never come across such harrowing accounts.

From Lima to Havana and Back: My Friend Becomes a Mule

“Out on the street with my kids, helpless, I started to yell outside the apartment Roberto and I had bought. The lady in the apartment took pity on us and offered me and the children a room to stay in while I looked for a place to settle,” my friend Lila tells me.

Cuban Frustrations

Cubans can justifiably feel frustrated about many things. This, however, is not what I want to focus on right now. Rather, I want to touch on the way these frustrations are externalized. Specifically, I will comment on a conversation I had the displeasure of overhearing.

Yoani Sanchez, Values and Social Classes

I love reading Yoani Sanchez’ posts. Her writing has the kind of power many of us want for our own. I can see clearly why she wins international competitions, has become famous and has no shortage of enemies.

On John Lennon’s Death

Dying at the age of forty, when the sap of experience leads to a new blossoming in our lives, is too unfair. The death of John Lennon isn’t a trivial or even logical incident. It was a devastating event that has always stayed with me. I recall hearing the news over the radio, late into the night.

Cuba and the Rescue of Lost Values

Cuba’s unpopular Round Table program, hoping to broaden its audience some, has been airing a number of discussions on a weekly basis. Titled Sobre la mesa (“On the Table”), the segment focuses chiefly on social issues.

Alamar, Havana’s Dog Cemetery

Some time ago, I recall having written about my neighborhood’s dog cemetery, a stretch of land at the outskirts of Alamar where residents had, of their own will, begun to bury their dead pets, a place that had been vandalized by insensitive people and institutions.

Japanese Animation in Cuba

Though Japanese animation is officially referred to as “anime”, most people in Cuba call it “manga” (which is actually the Japanese word for “comic strip”). Manga animated films are a huge hit among young Cubans. (8 photos)

The End of Havana’s Historic Cuatro Caminos Market

It is rumored Havana’s popular Cuatro Caminos market has been offered to Chinese capital. After 50 years of mismanagement, the news came as no surprise. Plenty of misguided government projects have ended up in the hands of foreign investors, after all.