In a Democracy Now! exclusive, the only freed member of the Cuban Five, René González, speaks out after a 13-year imprisonment in the United States. The five Cuban intelligence agents were arrested in the United States in 1998 and convicted of espionage. We include the interview with former parliament chair Ricardo Alarcon.
Read MoreMore than a violinist, William Roblejo is a one-man-show. Having given his violin a unique personality, he performs with a distinctive seal that has earned him a place among the top in Cuba’s music scene. “I’ve tried to do something different with my violin,” he told Havana Times.
Read MoreEmpedrado St. in Old Havana is now home to a private business that attests to the inventiveness of Cubans. D’Brujas (“Witchcraft”) is a shop that sells handmade soaps, produced with natural materials and without chemicals. The owner, Sandra Aldama Suarez, one of the makers of the soap, has a degree in special education. (13 photos)
Read MoreThe documentary OFF_LINE would have been released earlier had the filmmaker not had to wait for an interview, which was ultimately never granted. Finally, the crew decided to release the film through the island’s flashnet, as the trafficking of digital materials via USB (flash) drives – in a territory that continues to be mostly offline – is referred to in Cuba.
Read MoreSociologist Aurelio Alonso, perhaps the best Cuban specialist on Church-State relations, answered questions about the thematic lines and the context in which the “Hope Does Not Deceive” document recenlty issued by the Cuban Catholic Church was produced.
Read MoreWhen Mauricio Alonso was a nuclear engineer in the 1980s his future seemed bright as Cuba embarked on building its first nuclear power plant with assistance from the Soviet Union. All that changed in the early 90’s with the dissapearance of the Socialist Camp and Alonso came up with another option to resolve his families needs.
Read MoreOur guest is Geovani del Pino, the director of Yoruba Andabo, one of Cuba’s most internationally renowned rumba bands.
Read MoreWhile still a supporter of the Revolution, William Potts is not happy with the changes taking place in today’s Cuba. “There is a rush towards capitalism. It seems the government has no socialist solution to the problems in their heads. After two generations of sacrifices, of doing more for less, and their great solution now is taxes?”
Read MoreUS citizen William Potts, 56, named Abdul Majeed as a Muslim, has spent half his life in Cuba. In 1984, he hijacked a plane and came here seeking military training. Contrary to what he expected, he was sent to prison for fifteen years. However, he has remained a supporter of the Revolution.
Read MoreWorking in his small native town, wood craftsman Jose Miguel Perez is a self-taught artist who instills his pieces with a charm that evokes the golden age of cabinetmaking. “I knew carpentry would be a trade for life,” he said in his interview with HT.
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