The white, red and blue cigarette package is up front. The poster ad shows a group of cheerful young people holding each other arm in arm. In the middle are words that clearly show the advertiser’s approach to selling: “Cigarettes mean company.”
Read More“Another one’s gone nuts” was how an e-mail began that was sent to a friend of mine a few days ago. With such an inflammatory heading, those of us who received the forwarded letter read in it anticipation, anxious to find out who this crazy person was.
Read MoreI’ve spent the last several days itinerantly following the development of debates and actions around two recent events in Cuba’s public sphere: the “Último Jueves” (“Last Thursday of the Month”) forum on the Internet, sponsored by “Temas” magazine, and the March for Nonviolence held on November 6.
Read MoreThey give them all a uniform: dark pants, light shirt and sometimes a cute necktie that neither the police nor the military use, nor anyone else within the realm of those who wear uniforms. It’s as if they wanted to give this civil army made up of those commonly known as Watchmen, that tragicomic touch possessed by clowns.
Read MoreViolence is a reality present in almost all social settings: the family, gender relationships, childhood and education, sports, wars, the State and international politics, ecology… It would be simpler but more difficult to specify situations where there is not violence. Regrettably, Cuba is not an exception to this logic.
Read MoreLocated apparently on the left wing of the political songbird -which is not very agile, and on most days feeds like birds of prey- were the recent concerts in Havana by Juanes and Manu Chao. One of the artists dedicated his concert to peace and the other to Che.
Read MoreOn my birthday I went to the Cuban Radio Human Resources Department. I had to wait for the woman who was supposed to assist me to finish laughing at me, along with the station’s trainer, as I -full of apprehension and a bad premonition- sat in front of her desk.
Read MoreAt the moment, for example, I am transforming into a housewife with two children, a kitchen to attend to and a lot of clothes that need washing, but who, despite all that, has found an opportunity to read a good romance, detective or terror novel that was recommended by her best friend, who does have time to go to book exhibitions and presentations.
Read MoreAs I jot down this diary entry, through the window that opens onto my father’s house is floating in the savory aroma of succulent roast pork. It seems we’ll be eating better for a while, because that platter will last for several days, with a little help from rice, beans and avocados.
Read MoreMy grandparents recounted to my parents that for centuries, after the Spanish arrived in Cuba, peddling and hawking goods in town squares was considered something quite common.
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