The Cuban government is in a race towards March 26, the scheduled date for the arrival in Cuba of Ratzinger, the current monarch of the Catholic Church. They hope to offer the Pope a well made-up city, so that it looks pretty in the photos.
Read MoreCatholic symbolism is being erected for the visit of the Pope to Santiago de Cuba, with crucifixes and machetes superimposed in such a paradoxical visual context that Christians and revolutionaries seem to have never held any antagonisms.
Read MoreThe first class that I had with my students was focused on me getting to know them and visa versa. I was interested in learning about why they were attending that particular school, and I was especially curious about their plans for the future.
Read MoreThe El Rapido fast food cafeteria on Monte Street is only one piece of evidence that the Cuba that’s peddled abroad is much more complex and painful than it appears.
Read MoreBefore going to the Cuban Immigration Office to request her Exit Permit (the famous “Tarjeta Blanca,” or white card), my friend called one of those consumer information numbers.
Read MoreIt is symptomatic that reggaeton — the “babylonized” son of reggae — has displaced its paternal rhythm in the media. In addition, confusion has been created about the identity of those two different musical styles.
Read MoreJose Marti said that people can be divided into two camps “Those who love and construct, and those who hate and destroy.” Hanging onto prejudices — whatever they may be — automatically separates us from those who are loving and constructive.
Read MoreThe facade of a house also serves to indicate the economic and social status of the people who live inside, though this is not a question of laws or cold calculations.
Read MoreThough I was a member of the Young Communist League, I didn’t stop for one moment to find out what was supposed to be my relationship with the Pope (a figure about whom I’d never thought twice) and a capitalist corporation the size of the NBC.
Read MoreDemonstrations of racism of any kind are sometimes so subtle that it’s hard to imagine it ever re-emerging as a serious social problem. It’s equally difficult to imagine situations where its examples are manifested.
Read More