Diaries Archives - Page 581 of 639

Selling Us Their Capitalism

For many years Cuba was tied culturally with Russia. A number of generations of Cubans did their university and other types of studies in several of the republics that made up the USSR.

100% Cuban or How the Russians See Us

A friend of mine told me that the Russians who came when the socialist camp still existed were not like this – arrogant and imperialistic. However, the truth is that the memories I maintain, overpowering ones, are unlike that.

Russian Culture and Me

Fortunately, my genes were never that xenophobic and were quite rebellious. Though an absurdly strong rejection of everything Slavic could have developed within me, this didn’t happen. In the same way, the absence of my mom and dad in my early childhood didn’t cause “little Armando” to hate Central America for stealing them away for a libratory cause.

Private Property in Cuba

In the beginning the complex had extreme laws regarding the adornment of one’s apartment. For aesthetic reasons, you couldn’t paint the face of your apartment in a color different from the rest. The areas in front and behind the buildings were communal. Activities were held there like meetings, parties or general clean-ups. We all felt responsible for our environment.

Instilling Us with Values

How is it possible that prestigious and experienced doctors of science have such a pathetic concept of pedagogy? What right do those scientists have to manipulate the minds of people?

The Importance of a Plan B

I will try to keep up a logbook, my binnacle of the Havana International Book Fair. I believe these types of writings begin with the weather: the south wind kept making a mess of my hair; I had brought a coat for nothing, according to the meteorological reports La Cabaña fair site was supposed to be cold, but instead it was hot – very hot.

When You Won’t Talk to Me

This brief piece has its roots in an unpleasant impression that has filled me in recent days, fueled by three refusals to grant interviews for this site, the Havana Times.

House Swapping in Cuba

A few years ago I met a man whose name I can’t recall although the story that he told still astonishes me. He was a man in his forties who was always dressed in shorts, with no shoes. He never cut his hair, and when he smiled, you could see that almost all of his teeth were missing.

Returning Home to Argentina

My re-adaptation to Argentina is slow; much more so when one observes the radical differences that distance this society from Cuba.

Early Lessons in Russian Egocentrism

The fact that the Havana International Book Fair is dedicated to Russia makes my hair stand on end. I fear they’ll again try to establish the same aristocracy here that existed back then in the former Soviet Union, but one with a Russian essence. I’m afraid they’re the ones who will attempt to impose their aesthetics and prices, in both the State market and the black market.