In Latin America respect for institutions and the elimination of caudillo-ism are unresolved issues in our politics. Only by tackling these will be able to move from endemic corruption to the true rule of law, where respect for one’s fellow human being is the maxim of the countries of the region.
Read MoreThe prevalence of the rote learning method in Cuba also seems to remain for a certain reason.
Read MoreThis afternoon a rooster was brought into the Latin American Stadium. It wasn’t the first time that the fans came with a bird, but it was the first time —at least the first time that I know of— that they tied one by the legs and sent it sailing like a rock from a sling.
Read MoreAs people circulate around Havana with their umbrellas, I’m surprised to find they almost always hold them perpendicular to their bodies, meaning parallel to the ground.
Read MoreThe position taken by my friends regarding my decision to write for Havana Times has gone through several phases. The first one was the unavoidable stage of warning me that anything could happen to someone in Cuba who collaborates with the non-official press. “Be careful, please, be careful!” they cautioned.
Read MoreWhen we refer to a “change of life,” everyone understands that generally one is talking about a change in the quality of life, a trip, moving, a new partner or something of that nature. However, in the vocabulary of the Paleros, this phrase indicates a much more serious and more complicated action.
Read MoreA short while ago I was reading about the parasites that infect human beings. I felt great peace of mind knowing that the majority have been eradicated in Cuba or are well under control. I also felt sorrow, because in other parts of the world they snuff out millions of lives each year, even though they are curable illnesses.
Read MoreIn recent times, groups like these have proliferated in Cuba. It’s increasingly frequent for them to swoop down on you in street with divinatory phrases like “Christ will save you,” or for you to run into groups of teenagers and youth singing praise to the Lord.
Read MoreIf someone were to ask, “How did The Catcher in the Rye influence your adolescence?” they would certainly receive many varied and dissimilar replies. Some of us Cubans had the good luck to read J. D. Salinger’s novel in the precise moment that we needed it most.
Read MoreThis is the continuation of my last blog entry when I kicked up a stink about the teaching of values here in Cuba. I’ll now repeat my tantrum, but this time basing my argument on several myths often used by those who appeal to Marxist rhetoric. Let’s see how it comes out.
Read More