When I got on the bus, I saw that the driver had his hand over the fare-box. Everyone who got on was paying him a peso. “Driver, I don’t have any change,” said a woman who had just boarded the bus, wrestling past a crowd of people.
Read MoreThe Cuban State appears to know no limits when it comes to strategies for milking the last penny out of those who visit the island. Even Havana’s sprawling Necropolis de Colon cemetery is used as a tourist trap. I became aware of this while trying to show it to a Latin American friend, a lover of Cuba and its revolution.
Read MoreSome time ago, when I was interviewed by the Havana Times, I spoke of my disability and shared some of my experiences and aspirations. Today, like back then, the most pressing problem I face is my housing situation and the repercussions this has on my health and quality of life.
Read MoreCuba’s largest artisans fair, FIART, opens Monday to the public in its new location at the fortress overlooking the Havana harbor entrance. It will run through December 22. [The fair was scheduled to open Sunday but was put off a day for the national mourning declared for the death of Nelson Mandela.] (21 photos)
Read MoreMany tribal religions celebrate a birth with mourning and death with song. They believe that human beings are born to struggle and find it sad. When they die, they believe that their souls rest and rise to another dimension, so they celebrate.
Read MoreAs the Venezuelan government recently “realized” that product prices at many stores are sky-high and announced a battle against speculators, and shoppers go wild looking for bargains, preparations are in place for the Sunday December 8 municipal elections throughout the country.
Read MoreA new local film titled “Fatima, or Fraternity Park” is about to be released in Cuban theaters, a new addition to the shy list of Cuban films dealing with gay issues. Renowned actor and director Jorge Perugorria (who played a homosexual intellectual in “Strawberry and Chocolate”) is the director.
Read MoreWhen I was a teenager, I read Curzio Malaparte’s book Coup d’etat: On the Technique of Revolution. In it, this energetic and multifaceted Italian author advised all who aspired to stage a coup to make use of scientific breakthroughs and to involve experts practically in all strategies.
Read MoreNot long ago, a friend of mine went to pick her kid up at his primary school and I tagged along. In the hallway, I saw the collages that are always hung on the hallways or at the back of the classrooms in these schools. Only one of them was more or less acceptable, the rest displayed tasteless information and decorations.
Read MoreBeing a mother has been the greatest, most beautiful experience of my life. I feel proud of the sacrifices – both joyful and sad – that I’ve had to make over these past 12 years, trying to give my Carlos Adriel the best, shield him from the worst and give him a childhood happier than the one I had.
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