Diaries

Paternalism and the Seed of Cuban Youth

When they call us “young” — with that paternalistic tone that doesn’t allow the flourishing of the heroic faculty that was recognized in us at the outset — nothing remains but to reverse the unflattering circumstances with a sarcastic reply.

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‘Abakua Ethics’ on Cuban TV

Cuban television has several talk shows, with these ranging in quality. One of them is “Dialogo Abierto” (Open Dialogue), which this week dealt with the evocative theme of “Abakua Ethics.”

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Nor Can I Judge

With great ease, many people inside and outside the island criticize Cubans who they see forced to jinetear (hustle), prostitute, lie and even commit crimes to meet their basic needs.

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I Lost My Voice

If you’ve ever had the experience of finding yourself without a voice, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s a confounding sensation, like involuntary confinement behind bars that are invisible to the eyes of others.

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Cuba’s Olympic Glory Dining

They say that only to participate in an Olympic Games is in itself tremendous of glory for any athlete. Winning a medal, then, must be something like sitting at the table with Olympian gods. However, for Cuban athletes there’s an equivalent privilege that few have ever experienced: the right to the “Olympic Dining Room.”

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As Remote as the Trojan War

From the time of the eclogues of Homer, people have spoken about wars in which people died in foreign lands in the name of “causes” that were as alien to them as the foreign battlefields on which they fell.

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A Modern Goldsmith and Frankenstein

A few days ago while walking down Obispo Street, near the Plaza de Armas, I decided to go in the “Goldsmith Museum.” Its windows had always caught my attention, but I had never stopped for a tour. Of course I know why: I don’t care much for jewelry.

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Water and the Old Vets

The problems with drinking water in this city are nightmarish. The reservoirs are polluted, depressed, and the pipelines leak more than half of what they carry. In the neighborhood where I live, this vital resource is supplied for a only few hours every four days

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Corruption: Enemy No. 1 of Cuba’s Socialism

If we really want to fight corruption, like President Raul Castro said, then we must first expose those who are corrupt – no matter who they are. Secondly, we need to inform our people; they deserve to know every detail of every single case.

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