No Beating Around the Bush
A short while ago I got together with a friend who’s been working for a state-run housing-construction “micro-brigade” for 12 years, though he’s still far from acquiring an apartment legally through that route.
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Diaries
Musicians from the Hills
When I recently heard the lyrics of Son de la loma (They’re from the Hills), that classic of Cuban son, I begin to think about migration – about how people leave their native homes in search of better opportunities.
Read MoreAnti-Bureaucracy Slogans in Havana Parade
One of the posters displayed a large “@” symbol, alluding to the need for digital connection to articulate the struggles for greater freedom and to communicate the messages of diverse movements committed to addressing the social problems in Cuba and around the planet.
Read MoreLos Aldeanos: The Concert (II)
In this way, he evidenced that they had accepted the conditions of the State so they would be guaranteed a trip that up to now they haven’t received. Could it be that they’ve begun to think about themselves? Then again, what human could resist the temptation that has passed by them so many times? It would be like refusing a lifesaver.
Read MoreCell Phones: Fetish of the People
One news item that has been on the lips of all Cubans over the last few days concerns the rate reductions on cell phone calls. In just two years Cubans went from not being able to access wireless telephones, to these being approved, and to now where calls on them will only cost 0.10 CUCs (about 12 cents USD) a minute after 11:00 p.m.
Read MoreYou and Us
Establishing communication with someone different is one of the challenges that many people set out to accomplish daily in the street, because solidarity is one of our characteristics, though necessity sometimes doesn’t allow all of us to be the good guys we would like to be.
Read MoreAgain, Education… (II)
When we speak about the content and quality of education (basically in the humanities and social sciences, but also in other subjects) this involves a problem that is fairly “globalized,” but one that obviously has its distinctive Cuban facets here.
Read MoreLos Aldeanos (I)
The great majority of those who have heard them in Cuba feel that the lyrics of their songs say what these listeners themselves dare not say openly concerning Cuban society and the political system. The musicians push their polemical aggressiveness to the limit of what the public arena allows.
Read MoreViolence vs. Civility
Regardless of everything, there’s something that doesn’t cease to be contradictory: I find that despite the violence in the streets, I don’t sense violence from the people of Caracas. (8 photos)
Read MoreMy Mom’s Fears
On Election Day last Sunday, I was wrapped up in a family drama. As I didn’t sleep at home the night before, I called my mother early that morning to tell her I wasn’t going to vote. For years I had been mustering the courage to do something like this, but this was the first time I had reached the point of taking action.
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