Features

Elaine Diaz takes us to Matanzas province where she gathers the stories of a fisherman, a farmer and a survivor of Hurricane Irma.

The relationship between the Saudi monarchy and the Cuban regime continues to grow. Curiously, many pro-Cuban government detractors of US foreign policy on human rights often use Washington’s lucrative dealings with Saudi Arabia as a sign of hypocrisy.

Rugby, in its different forms, has been played in Cuba for many years, although it still continues to suffer a kind of curse because it doesn’t receive the institutional support it should.

People outside of the capital half-jokingly say that when a hurricane sweeps through Havana or the country’s western provinces, soap opera episodes are rebroadcast. In 2000 and 2004, hurricanes Michelle and Charly, respectively, cut the national energy system into two and TV viewers in Cuba’s Oriente, spent days thinking about the severe damage that both hurricanes caused for their compatriots further to the west. Now things have changed.

In the face of Cuba’s financial deficit and after the economy opened itself up to self-employment in 2016 and several non-agricultural cooperatives being approved in 2012, tourism has been one of the sectors that has promoted Cuba’s economic expansion the most and it has remained one of the top sources of fresh hard currency.

There was a huge commotion. “The Yanks are leaving!” This is what many people were saying who, God knows how, found out when the Mister who isn’t needed at the embassy anymore is going to return to the USA. And with his quick return home comes the diplomat’s concern for his excess baggage, or the things that he doesn’t need around the house, or that getting health documents are going to be too much of a pain to take the dog.