Opinion Archives - Page 382 of 501

The Cuban State Keeps Complaints at the Bottom

To directly confront the government official that holds the solution to your specific problem is not a very good idea.

Isidro Benitez: A Cuban Sensation in South America

The work of the late Cuban-born musician, conductor and composer Isidro Benitez is better known in South America than in Cuba, whence the artist was forced to emigrate, in 1926, owing to the widespread and deeply-rooted racism of the time. As a black man, Benitez was denied the possibility of performing in venues that should have welcomed an artist of his stature.

Harmful Recycling: On Cuba’s Inept Officials

Since my arrival in Cuba some two decades ago, I’ve been hearing people say that their leaders, after being dismissed for incompetence and the like, tend to fall, not from grace, but “to new heights”: it doesn’t matter how useless a “cadre” turns out to be, there will always be another management position open to them.

Walled in New Apartments for Cuba’s Military

According to official discourse, we are a poor, blockaded country with few resources, and are unable to build all of the houses the people need. That said, our country is also just: we refuse to have a society where a few have a lot and the majority has nothing. A good part of this is a lie and I am going to prove it.

I Still Prefer Cuban Television

A while ago, I watched some television at the home of a friend who has a satellite dish. Though I already had some sense of what American television was like, I was surprised by the dizzying and irrational pace of the programming. In the middle of a TV series, I was bombarded with three commercials.

“Cuba Says” But No One Answers

Cuba dice (“Cuba Says”) is a segment of Cuba’s national news broadcast that has been on the air for some time now. The segment consists of journalistic reports that cover problems or difficulties Cubans face on a daily basis, from the purchase or acquisition of building materials to public transportation and other issues.

Rise in Havana Bus Fares in the Wind

The formal price of a ticket on the urban buses is 40 cents (of a peso), in the so-called national currency. Given the equivalent in US money – about 2 cents – this price may seem infinitesimally small, until you also look at the dollar value of what a Cuban worker receives as a salary: about 20 dollars monthly.

Cuban Reality According to a Miami Reality Show

I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure the reality show most watched and enjoyed in Cuba is Caso Cerrado (“Case Closed”), a Miami domestic court program hosted by Judge Ana Maria Polo. Many watch the show at home, thanks to illegal satellite dishes. Others, like me, buy or rent weekly packages on discs that include the week’s cases.

Cuba: The Repercussions of the Carcasses Affair

As we might have expected from an incident as talked-about as asking for political changes in Cuba during a massive official function, musician Roberto Carcasses has become a kind of test case for political militancy on the island.

An Elderly Cuban: Workaholic or Needy?

At five thirty in the morning, the shrill, loud noise of an obsolete lawn-mower wakes me up. At first, I am irritated, annoyed. It’s Saturday and I should be able to get a bit more sleep. On weekdays, I have to get up early to get my kid ready for school (he’s in junior high).