Many dramatic scenes are played out on Cuban buses. A space one if forced to inhabit for a relatively brief period of time, it tends to create a false and circumstantial sense of intimacy among strangers. There, we breathe the same air, become privy to the conversations of others (sometimes even their thoughts), rub bodies, share smells and emotions.
Read MoreUnassuming, aimed at a broad public and drawing from the tradition of the urban bards without relying on vulgarity and superficial formulas, the album is as good as Bueno’s last name.
Read MoreThat individuals holding bureaucratic, non-productive positions should earn the highest wages at State companies is not uncommon. Such are the historical distortions of Cuba’s labor system which, in this particular regard, is no different than any private enterprise system around the world.
Read MoreThe tenth edition of Sculptures in the Sand took place on July 27th, in an effort to recover the Fiestas by the Sea that took place in the early years of the revolution during the last week of July.
Read MoreThe opinions of those who believe they are capable of governing Cuba, who give us lesson after lesson about how to solve the country’s problems overnight, would be worthy of pity were they not so outrageous.
Read MoreThis year, Havana’s renowned cultural institution Casa de las Americas will celebrate the work of Latin American and Caribbean photographers through numerous exhibitions, workshops and conferences.
Read MoreSurrealist Cuban writer Juan Brea’s collection of essays “La verdad contemporanea” (Contemporary Truth) ends with a series of reflections we could describe as intuitive or extravagant. “Man is the only animal capable of dying because of drunkenness or a kind gesture. This is what makes him different, not virtuous.”
Read MoreAnyone who rides a JAWA-brand motorcycle here in Havana should exercise caution these days, for there are reports of a band of thieves who have been stealing their electrical systems (and the police have not yet been able to capture them).
Read MoreJoys that burst right in front of your face, like soap bubbles, to leave you with a feeling of emptiness, of frustration, but joys nevertheless, fulfilling their mission of oxygenating the blood, of cleansing a bloodstream contaminated by the sloth, intolerance, stagnation, ignorance, opportunism, close-mindedness, fence-sitting…and a horrifyingly long list of other ills that surround us.
Read MoreI used to be suspicious of people who carry handkerchiefs in their pockets. When I say “used to”, I mean when I was still living in Cuba. I can’t explain what I had against handkerchiefs exactly. I suppose I felt I was surrounded by things that called for something other than a handkerchief…
Read More