Diaries Archives - Page 386 of 647

Obama Must Set the Cuban Five Free

In the course of over 14 years, I have often asked myself why so much secrecy has surrounded the case of the five Cubans who were detained in Miami in 1998.

Motorcyles Get Around Venezuela’s Monster Traffic

Though automobile prices are sky-high, Venezuela is still one of the Latin American countries with the most cars per inhabitant. As one might expect, Venezuelan roads become jammed in the morning and afternoon rush hours. This is what has made Venezuela’s moto-cabs, or motorcycles plain and simple, a near-indispensable means of transportation. (24 photos)

Should We Criticize Mandela?

Some days ago, we saw a heated debate about the petition that a number of renowned Cuban dissidents have made to the US government, calling for hardline measures that would bring about the economic collapse of the country and thus definitively remove the Castro brothers from power.

The Traps of Nostalgia

That the pangs of nostalgia can deceive us, painting our memories of the past with bright colors, is a feeling I had for the first time some years ago, while reading a novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. As I’ve grown older I have become slightly more suspicious of any romantic perception of the past.

My Birthday Pants

Finding a skillful tailor or seamstress in Havana is no easy task. In fact, the last time it took me nearly a year of asking around to be able to order a pair of dress pants, pants I had intended to wear on my birthday for the first time.

Cuba: Moving Backwards

We are going backwards in time, journeying back to the bud, as Alejo Carpentier would have put it. This regression is gnawing away more and more of our integrity every day. In Cuba, Darwin’s theory about the evolution of the species is proven wrong again and again.

Cuba: The Business of Charity

Odalys, one of my mother’s neighbors, has a niece who’s made some significant additions to her wardrobe of late. She now has some rather expensive garments, but, no, she doesn’t have a salary that would make such luxury affordable.

Celebrating a Child’s Birthday in Cuba

Over the years, preparing a child’s birthday party in Cuba has become as elaborate and involved a process as those which people living in industrialized and “developed” nations often undertake to fulfill certain fantasies.

Cuba: The Hard Work of Being a Mother

Today, on the eve of Mother’s Day, I want to refer to a number of comments I received a few months ago, in response to the post “The Height of Forgetfulness”, which I had published on this site. I believe those who accused me of being irresponsible were right. In fact, that is precisely what I felt…

When Will the Works of Octavio Paz be Published in Cuba?

Octavio Paz’ interests were not limited to Mexico’s past and present. The writer also explored the works of great personalities, of renowned painters, writers, bards and politicians. Paz felt he was a part of the world and would express his sincere opinions on issues he considered at once political and human.