The recent international tours of several prominent Cuban dissidents have been meticulously documented by the world’s media. I think this has been very positive. It allowed these individuals to come into contact with an entire sector of Cuban society which does not reside on the island.
Read MoreIt has become tradition for the principal of the school to deliver a speech that underscores the importance the school has as a forger of the country’s future workers, professionals and artists. Usually, this speech has some of the political content we insist on finding in all our daily experiences in Cuba, invariably touching on the US blockade, imperialism and the revolution.
Read MoreA much heralded triumph of the Cuban revolution is the “free health care system”. Cuban propagandists will even favorably compare the Cuban system to US health care delivery. I imagine, few, if any, of these apologists, have ever experienced either one, let alone both systems. I just spent last week experiencing the Cuban health care system. Let me explain…
Read MoreNext month, 118 public Internet access points will open across Cuba. Though any step in the right direction should be applauded, it would be remiss not to gauge the real impact this measure will have on the island.
Read MoreBecoming a mother is one of the greatest challenges a woman can take on. Today, faced with endless financial woes, women have to work miracles to give their children what’s best. In Cuba, nearly all baby products are sold in hard currency stores, at prices that are exorbitant for anyone living on a basic salary of 250 Cuban pesos (the equivalent of 10 CUCs).
Read MoreThe grocer at the bodega on my block, a man well liked in our neighborhood, has put up a sign which reads: “Notice: Anyone making purchases with 50 or 100-peso bills must show me their photo ID. No exceptions.” Asking around, I found out the man had been paid with a fake one-hundred peso note, yet another victim of the invasion of counterfeit money Havana is experiencing.
Read MoreIf we understand the social revolution as conceived by Marx, in other words as a change in production relationships, and not just a change of government, as a political revolution, then we have to accept that social revolution in Cuba, the socialist revolution, has not yet arrived.
Read MoreAll elites cultivate their own distinction on the basis of their history and power. When Cuba’s Sierra Maestra rebels took power, they began to construct theirs. This emerging elite sets itself apart from its predecessor through its luxurious lifestyle.
Read MoreI’ve heard several people say positive things about Cuba’s new First Vice-Minister Miguel Diaz-Canel. They say that, when he was the Party Secretary for the province of Villa Clara, he would ride around town on a bicycle, in humble sports clothes, just another common, unassuming resident of Matanzas.
Read MoreAccording to a popular saying, you can let a lie run for many years, but the truth, once freed, will catch up to it in a day. As remarkable as this book’s contents is the fact that it is the fruit of Cuban authors who live and work in Cuba, and that it is published by a well-known publishing house on the island.
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