A couple weeks ago, a news item appeared in the press that may have been of interest to a considerable number of Cubans. The headline in the October 9 edition of the Granma newspaper announced, “Chavez Receives New Advance Team of Cuban Doctors.”
Read MoreYesterday I visited my aunt Mamita; it was her birthday. Before knocking on their door, I imagined she’d be in a festival mood, celebrating with friends and relatives.
Read MoreMy intention is not to get into a superficial debate about why this figure -so popular with reggaeton fans (of whom there are many)- has so drastically “veered” in his ideological outlook, as has been announced by certain media sources.
Read MoreThese 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.
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