Nearly 20 percent of Cubans are over 60 years old and, in the very near future, a third of the island’s inhabitants will be senior citizens. The last population census has laid one of Cuba’s most complex problems on the table.
Read More“Car prices have brought about what Yoani Sanchez, Guillermo Fariñas, the Ladies in White, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Regan and the Bushes were unable to accomplish,” Cuban journalist Javier Ortiz wrote in his blog. He added that “the price of the Peugeot 508 has led to a unanimous consensus” that could prove useful to those who “seek ways to bring the revolution down.” No doubt, as Ortiz points out, never before had a reform met with so much condemnation.
Read MoreJose Agustin Hernandez, who goes by the name “Adela”, is the first transsexual ever to occupy a government post in all Cuban history. She was elected municipal delegate – a kind of town councilor – by her neighbors.
Read More“Who is the last in line to buy a car?” asks a Cuban in front of the Peugeot dealership and everyone else laughs. Today was the first day of unrestricted new car sales but the joy received a bucket of cold water: a car costs between US $90,000 and a quarter of a million.
Read MoreCubans will remember 2013 as the year that began and ended with the elimination of two long-standing and archaic restrictions: the restriction on travel abroad and on the sale and purchase of automobiles, maintained for fifty years in spite of the fact they were both unpopular and unnecessary.
Read MoreEver since arriving in Cuba, I’ve been hearing Cubans say that the country’s economy cannot function properly without owners who work to protect their interests, that the government ought to let go of the reins once and for all and let the market determine the nation’s socio-economic development.
Read MoreThe Parrandas de Remedios are the oldest and most spontaneous festivities celebrated in Cuba, free of political speeches and bureaucratic cultural activities but full of lights, music, colors and fire.
Read MoreWith the annoucement making possible the “retail sale of new and used motorcycles, cars, vans & minibuses,” for Cubans and foreign residents, the government removes a restriction that remained for half a century. Fernando Ravsberg comments and asks some Cubans their opinion of the decision.
Read MoreThis week, a good friend of mine – I will call her “Doña Flor” – told me she has been away from work for days because, on setting a legal procedure in motion, she discovered she is still married to her first husband, even though she contracted matrimony with another man 6 years ago.
Read MoreOne of the most surprising comments prompted by my previous post came from a Cuban émigré, who warns his compatriots on the island that Cuba’s anti-corruption campaign may be part of an enemy strategy designed to “have us persecute each other and fight amongst ourselves.”
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