Diaries Archives - Page 595 of 646

The End of Workplace Cafeterias in Cuba

This year is almost over; and people are commenting that during the next one, the Cuban State will make changes having major social and economic repercussions.

The Case of Anya

“My name is Anya and work is the only thing that interests me. My story is like that of many women who have come to feel that the most essential things in life are to be found between the four walls of home. That’s where our husbands and children are. Why ask for more?”

Amulets

Many of us have a charm or amulet that protects us from evil influences or energies. These objects -which can be in the form of a stone from the river or sea, the seed from a robust tree, a magnet or simply a tooth from some animal or a bone from a person- supposedly give us spiritual force.

Pirated Disks: A Ubiquitous Commodity

In Cuba, the origin of pirated movies and music goes back to the 90s, when these first entered the country in a somewhat coordinated manner. VCR players took the place of the old Beta-format recorders, which could be found here since the 1980s.

The Phantom Letter

Once again, I ask myself how I can think about one letter if I don’t know the content of the other. I would like to read it, but I already know that I will have to look for it via other media.

Badge Number 40787

When anyone talks about violence against women in Cuba, it’s important to note that those who live outside of the capital are in the worse situation. There, machismo is stronger (among both sexes), customs change less than in the city, there are fewer job opportunities, and there exist a series of socio-economic and cultural conditions that enable aggressive behavior toward females.

Copenhagen: A Fatal Summit

We lack the necessary “international safeguards” capable of protecting and assisting countries at risk of being destroyed by climate change or confronting emergency situations in cases of disaster. At the summit we witnessed only rhetoric, an absence of vision and flimsy commitments to the future.

The 31st Havana Film Festival

One of the most impressive events organized every year in Havana is the Festival of New Latin American Cinema (aka-Havana Film Festival) – and this year was no different. To walk Havana’s streets during the Festival is quite different from the rest of the year. Instead of tired faces, I saw excited ones. It was as if most people had rid themselves of the complexities of daily life.

If They Shoot You, You Bleed

I grew up in a neighborhood of Havana far from downtown. It was one of the neighborhoods made up of dozens of simple and uninspired apartment buildings constructed to deal with the housing needs of thousands of poor people back in the 1970s.

Between Pain & Shame: A Dignified Death

My grandmother’s illness took the whole family by surprise. After we got the news, it was only a question of days. Her cancer had already spread far along, so much so that it was impossible to eliminate it.