It felt as though Cuba was aiming to secure a first place at the Olympic Games or a seat in the UN Security Council – but they were merely the 2014 Veracruz Central American and Caribbean Games. The tension felt during the competition could be felt both on the island and the host country.
Read MoreThe new seven wonder cities of the world were announced in Dubai some days ago. To my surprise, Havana was one of the seven urban pearls chosen.
Read MoreSome of my friends make fun of the fact Havana was named one of the 7 wonder cities of the world. They write about the large heaps of garbage on the streets, the ruined buildings, the geysers of sewage and how the pot-holes resemble war trenches.
Read More“To be effective, any reform effort should be consistently democratic and peaceful, seeking to overcome divisions and to establish exchange and cooperation, as well as eliminate the aggressive and threatening rhetoric of international economic and political pressures” – Pedro Campos
Read MoreThe root cause of the economic problems that overwhelm our economy, as my colleague Erasmo Calzadilla has correctly pointed out, is the energy shortage. Historically, Cuba has stated that it lacks large fossil fuel reserves…
Read MoreOn February 3, 1961, Kennedy signed an “embargo on all trade with Cuba.” At the time, there was yet no special migratory legislation for Cubans and the Guantanamo Naval Base had been in operation on the island for 58 years that month, on the basis of bilateral agreements that had never been revoked.
Read MoreThe paranoia of the State Security agents who apprehended me in the town of Mariel surpassed all limits. Since when does one need to ask for permission and notify the Public Administration Council to take pictures of a public area? Apparently you do…
Read MoreWhen I was a kid, in the neighborhood in Uruguay where I grew up, we’d call anyone who didn’t show enough courage to climb a tree, make someone trip during a soccer match or trade blows with any adversary a “faggot.”
Read MoreOne of the questions that most people ask me when they learn of my interest in Caribbean issues is the main cause behind Haiti’s economic backwardness. Our neighbor has become one of the world’s poorest countries, despite the well-known devotion, industriousness and zeal of its inhabitants.
Read MoreRecently, I read an article about the nostalgia that canned Russian meat awakens in many Cubans living in Florida. If we recall the long decades when Russian canned meats were a part of our daily diet in Cuba – when having such meat in one’s pantry was like storing a treasure – this paradoxical nostalgia begins to make sense.
Read More
