Veronica Vega’s diary

The Price of Optimism

Unofficial news about cases of sexual assault have been circulating around Alamar with vigor these past few days. It is estimated that according to the number of victims, there are at least four rapists are suspected, and that both men and women have been affected.

Cuba and the Scars of Fidelismo

Watching a film whose plot unfolds in Nazi Germany, I noticed how similar all autocracies are, how they are all grounded in a (distorted) sense of the good and, in order to establish themselves and manipulate the common substance of human dreams.

Cuba: The Poetry that Saves Us

It is said that Jose Marti once declared that “poetry is more important than industry, for it can prop up or take down souls.” Being exposed to Cuban poet Francis Sanchez’ exhibition Cicatrices (“Scars”) made me understand two things…

Are There Reasons to be Hopeful in Cuba?

A French journalist who was shooting a documentary here told me he was surprised I could speak of hope when referring to Cuba – not because he doesn’t want to be hopeful, but because the impressions he gathered during his visit to the island.

The Crime of Prosperity in Cuba

Whenever I see a self-employed person suffer the misfortune of Cuba’s legal system, I ask myself what would have become of people like Rockefeller or Carnegie had they been born on this island after 1959.

Cuba: A Great Opportunity Lost

It’s not that we Cubans have lost an opportunity to speak our minds at that improvised grandstand, at that square that was hastily emptied by the authorities. The government has lost a great opportunity to demonstrate to us and the world that it isn’t lying about its intentions.