The next leap came when I finished my military service and decided to leave home to try life in the northeastern Cuban province of Holguin. My hope was that being in a province far from the capital, the competition in the art world would be less, and that perhaps I could develop my skills as a writer.
Read MoreWe experienced the incomparable pain of losing a mother, the infinite happiness of the birth of a brother, the uncertainty of the first sexual relationship, fear before the immensity of discovering homosexuality, and the exquisite certainty of unconditional support.
Read MoreA female friend, tired of fighting with her family to make them understand and accept her sexual orientation, decided to marry. The chosen groom was my boyfriend. At the time he wasn’t comfortable with his life at home since he hardly had any privacy.
Read MoreThe balustrades are part of the new constructions undertaken on their own initiative by many Cubans. The chief materials are cement and at times plaster, the form is kitsch, and the aim is to reclaim a concept of beauty, and at the same time serve as a status symbol.
Read MoreParticipating as a worker at the Cuba International Book Fair has given me a different view of the event than as a visitor. Before, I came every year just like the public, buying books that interested me, always the ones that were in regular Cuban pesos.
Read MoreYou have to be careful, and that means that you can’t just simply say whatever you want. We are writing from inside Cuba, not from an ideal neutral location, and that brings with it a certain responsibility and commitment to what is right and also a certain personal danger that cannot be avoided.
Read MoreFirst, they asked for the per capita income of my family and second, they made perfectly clear two commitments I had to make: I must return to my place of origin upon finishing my studies to serve those in most need and I must not in any way interfere in the political affairs of Cuba.
Read MoreFortunately the woman was mistaken. A large group of mostly young people packed the place which resounded with the strings of the Concerto Grosso by Handel, the musician to whom this year’s festival was dedicated.
Read MoreSix weeks ago I went to the beach with four American friends and there met three Cuban men who play for one of Cuba’s national sports teams. Since then we have gone out with them several times, and on several occasions we have been stopped by the police while with them.
Read MoreThe government sells each Cuban citizen one bread roll a day for 5 cents of a Cuban peso, but the cost of production is really 7 or 8 cents. As an alternative to cut losses while pleasing the population, the accountant proposed to sell bread for 10 cents, and allow people to acquire two rolls.
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