Diaries Archives - Page 531 of 639

With the Feminists

For many years I maintained a certain distance from feminists. This was likely due to the fact that my telescope for surveying the women’s struggle was “macho-Leninist”.

Yesterday they notified all the residents on the block that we would meet that evening with two or three directors from the area to select a new president of our neighborhood Committee for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR).

Giving up on a Second Masters

Back then I was still dreaming of becoming a man of science, dedicated to teaching and research. Wouldn’t that be great? For a few months I would concentrate my energy on that, but it didn’t take long for the illusion to vanish.

Getting to Know Viñales, Cuba

This past Friday I had the opportunity to travel to Pinar del Rio province. I went as a journalist to cover a literary initiative that over the recent period has been dealing with the nation’s cultural life. On what would have been her 100th birthday, homage was paid to Dora Alonso, one of the greatest writers of children’s literature.

Following the Footsteps of Giants

There was no way for the kids to resist the temptation to ignore their teachers and run behind the giants who sang the songs the children requested and that the musicians played.

Who Is Cuba’s ‘Marginal’ Minority?

Currently the same “marginal” conditions exist for the great majority of Cubans on the island, but those in power appear to have clearly had another intention.

Footwear Blues in Cuba

Dressing in the latest fashion has ceased to be a problem for me, but I still remember how it tortured me as a teenager when I wasn’t able to at least sport a pair of shoes that were only a few months out of style.

Alfredo Guevara: “Cuban Society Will Break Free from the Prison of the State” (II)

Concerning the exciting statement made by Alfredo Guevara referring to “de-statization,” I think it’s important to specify a key point concerning the new changes that have now started to become a reality in Cuba. There are many diverse ways of being anti-statist, but essentially — in a schematic manner — there are only two: the liberal-capitalist and the socialist-libertarian.

Should We Return to Segregation?

My grandmother used to say that “social segregation” was apparent back in her day. Places where people assembled were defined by their race, status or other distinctions, as people’s attitudes reflected individual and collective cultural norms of that time.

Christmas in Today’s Cuba

It is no longer politically incorrect to celebrate Christmas; and most Cubans — anxious to find a reason to rejoice and celebrate more than compelled by the faith and its solemnity — welcome the new opening enthusiastically.