I have always respected the opinion of those who honestly express their dissatisfaction or disagreement with the socialist system and who prefer capitalism, even with all its evils and inequality. Some of my friends have left Cuba for capitalist countries (in search of a dubious prosperity) and have not ceased being my friends because of this.
Read MoreThis Saturday I was summoned to the Police Station 23 and C , in Vedado, where an agent of the Ministry of Interior (MININT) threatened to retaliate against me and my fellow Critical Observatory Network members, if we hold public debates on the Cuban Labor Code bill.
Read MoreThe authors of this metaphorical road flick, Guillermo Ramirez Malberti and Ernesto Domecq Menendez, are visual artists belonging to different generations who had never before shared a gallery space. (6 photos)
Read MoreI have just seen a documentary that should be shown on Cuban television during prime time. It would be a good indication that we are trying to “change everything that should be changed.” Produced by Matraka Producciones, “Al final del camino” (At the End of the Road), addresses the delicate issue of old age in Cuba.
Read MoreIt’s been nearly a week since the congress of Cuba’s Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) ended, but Fidel Castro continues to stare at us from the red and green banners designed for the occasion. Cuban flags still hang, forsaken, from clotheslines and balconies, washed by the rains of the season.
Read MoreI recently read an article by a fellow Havana Times blogger which mentions how the renowned Cuban actress Ana Luisa Rubio was beaten up as part of a government reprisal. When I first read her name, I had the impression I didn’t know the actress. After doing a Google search and seeing her photos, I immediately recognized her and felt profound pain.
Read MoreAll Cuban news reports about demonstrations, strikes, rallies and other types of civil protests in different countries always make a point of emphasizing the police or military repression that these movements invariably encounter. I’ve always asked myself: how would Cuban authorities react to such protests?
Read MoreFrom the moment they arrived to the time they left, the Yubonas controlled absolutely everything that took place at the ceremony. In Cuba, Yubonas are the women responsible for all aspects of the ritual whereby a practitioner of Santeria is initiated into the religion.
Read MoreDetractors of the Cuban revolution love to repeat that socialism has failed, that the economy is a disaster and innumerable other lies to try and justify the frank betrayal. When East European socialism collapsed the enemies of socialism began shouting that the system was a failure from the rooftops.
Read MoreSome days ago, I had what I consider to be one of the most important experiences of my life. I heard an album by the band Quidam Pilgrim for the first time. In the pieces, luminous English lyrics rush through a Celtic soundscape resonating with angels and wandering souls. The songwriters and performers, however, are Cuban!
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