These are not the usual kind of parties, but spiritual gatherings, part of the Santería religion. Santería is an offshoot of the religions that the black slaves from Nigeria brought to Cuba with them in the 19th century, which later blended with the Catholic religion.
Read MoreAmarilys Ribot’s book Hershey has several virtues. Written in an unconventional style for a research study -the book at times reads more like a poem or a story than a scientific text-, the essay tells the story of the multifaceted social vitality of the town under the patronage of Mr. Hershey.
Read MoreWhen I was a child I imagined myself as the world’s savior, a sort of Captain Planet stamping out evil. In my fantasies, I could save a princess, prince or even myself, if I were in danger.
Read MoreMaria del Carmen has worked for almost 20 years in a warehouse of the Ministry of Education. Over this time she’s had to grapple with weight beyond her true capacity, producing serious spinal problems: a herniated disk and a spina bifida. In addition to causing horrible back pain, this has also forced her walk with a stoop, making her look older than she is.
Read MoreWe Cubans have renounced our freedom – that ample concept as broad and deep as the sea – in order to submerge ourselves in an artificial lake of small liberties. We delight in its name, and very few of us notice the injustice that we commit.
Read MoreThe teaching of values is a wonderful endeavor. I appreciate it as an attempt to educate human beings in a more comprehensive manner, and not to reduce it to the transmission of techno-scientific knowledge to students presumed to be politically neutral.
Read MoreSoon we will mark 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, an event that signaled the global-scale ideological victory of neo-liberalism in politics and daily life. It is quite conceivable that Cuban media coverage-the same press that ignored the events in Eastern Europe until the final and incontrovertible moment-will focus on highlighting the social costs of the transition to capitalism.
Read MoreYesterday, during my Sunday walk, I ran into José Eduardo, one of my childhood friends, in the cafeteria that’s across the street from the Tower. He had put on weight. When he saw me, he looked amazed; he had imagined that I too had left Cojimar.
Read MoreIf your fan happens to break down in this wondrous climate, everything becomes more embroiling; you’re forced to decide between not sleeping and paying the exorbitant price quoted by a self-employed electrician. My fan died a week ago, and since I couldn’t get to sleep for two nights in a row, I decided to get it fixed.
Read MoreHershey is the last “model town” in Cuba. It has a twin town in Pennsylvania also founded and conceived by US businessman Milton S. Hershey. It’s as if they transported a piece of the United States to the Municipality of Santa Cruz del Norte in the Province of La Habana.
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