My friend Celestino was denied a happy childhood. Born in the Cuban countryside, his father had to support the family doing the only thing he knew how: working the land. He had to work someone else’s land, because he didn’t own any – that is to say, he sold his labor to someone who needed it. But jobs in the countryside were few and far between.
Read MoreHe doesn’t look like a former sailor. He is too big, he seems to have lost his gracefulness at sea, along with all of the hopes he had in his youth. Jose Manuel is now forty-two. He lives on Campanario (“Bellfry”) street, in Havana’s neighborhood of Centro Habana. Those bells, however, no longer toll for him. The only thing he thinks about is how to leave the city of his birth, how to escape his country, which he calls “hell”.
Read MoreA great many Cubans express concerns over the rise in misdemeanors, public vulgarity, vandalism and other phenomena associated with people or groups whose conduct suggests social exclusion. The media have also been showing much interest in delving into the causes of the problem and have set a broad campaign in motion to somehow contain this ill, which seems to be growing unchecked.
Read MoreLet us begin to express our viewpoints about how we should debate without offending or excluding those who think differently. In theory, we all agree about the importance of freedom of expression. Some insist socialism guarantees the people’s participation and others claim that Western democracy is the only system that affords people this freedom. Well, let us begin to practice what we preach.
Read MoreTo claim that Cuba is an enemy of the United States would be humorous if the statement didn’t have such tragic and shameful consequences. How could a small country, without offensive weapons of any kind represent a threat to the most powerful empire on the face of the earth today?
Read MoreI returned to China from my visit to Cuba to see my family and, to my surprise and joy, discovered there that there were actually two families waiting for me in Havana: my blood relatives and those from HT.
Read MoreIn a speech in Miami on Friday November 8, 2013, President Barack Obama said “We have to be creative and we have to be thoughtful and we have to continue to update our Cuba policies”. Many have questioned, some were alarmed, while most know very little about the 400 year old history of Afro Cubans with Florida.
Read MoreThis past November 2nd, on an invitation from photographer Sergio Leyva Seiglie, I attended an interesting exhibition titled Reencuentro (“Reunion”) which gathered photographs by this artist and sculptures by Alfredo Duquesne.
Read MoreThere’s a story in Cuba that in recent months has become a long telenovela. It has everything: jealousy, accusations, joys, deceit – and doesn’t seem to run out of energy. The episodes in the saga of Dayron Robles [former Olympic champion in the 110-meter hurdles] and his longstanding dispute with the Cuban Athletics Federation have filled enough printed pages and on-air TV time than necessary.
Read MoreWith the triumphalism that characterizes the Cuban press, the official newspaper Juventud Rebelde recently published the partial results of the census conducted in our country last year. The title of the article and a handful of tables showing statistical averages hope to convince the reader that Cuba is experiencing a marvelous reform process and that citizen wellbeing and prosperity are beginning to flourish.
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