President Obama’s speech had a profound impact on the Cuban people. It was a powerful act of demystification. We had spent decades seeing US presidents only as part of bad news and suddenly seeing one, in the flesh, here in Cuba, telling us he was our friend, was an unforgettable experience.
Read MoreI’m desperate for the Rolling Stones concert in Cuba to begin and to end. I have nothing against rock’n’roll, quite the contrary, it is one of the few rhythms that I can dance with a minimum of expertise.
Read MoreThe US government isn’t looking to bring about a regime change in Cuba. It wants to get ahead of developments to avoid problems for both ends, an economic crisis on the island that could spiral into chaos…
Read MoreObama definitively does away with that omnipresent enemy that every authoritarian power needs to maintain collective paralysis and to justify its actions. The government can no longer turn to the image of a besieged fortress as a means of doing politics.
Read MoreThe US president didn’t arrive in Cuba with convincing arguments but to aim straight at the hearts of Cubans. Without a doubt, his aim was good. He was capable of earning widespread sympathy among the population, even before setting foot on the island.
Read MoreCuba is opening up to the United States and the world, but it is still afraid of opening up to Cubans. No foreigner who makes a profit in Cuba can demand additional rights, but Cubans ought to be able to. That is what the government fears, any kind of empowerment of emerging social sectors.
Read MoreThese days you don’t need to walk far in the island’s capital to overhear a curious (and often amusing) comment about President Obama’s much-awaited visit. In the traditional Cuban fashion, humor and irony mix with banter and gossip as the whole of Havana buzzes with expectation.
Read MoreRegarding Cuba’s stance on the subject, I think that it should respond with equal legislation meant to shatter our domestic embargo, which is more suffocating for the Cubans who remain here.
Read MoreNot all of the opposition forces in Cuba are happy about the visit starting Sunday of US president Obama to the island. The same divide exists in the Cuban-American community in the exile stronghold of Miami.
Read More“Get inside, don’t give us any trouble. I warned you, you won’t get away with it this time, that’s what the police officer said to me on March 1st. Incidentally, days before people were saying that Obama’s coming and we have to clean up the streets.”
Read More
