It is a sad song that gets to me. But, even though the lyrics clearly evoke the figure of the former leader of Venezuela, the way he shared his country’s riches with sister nations and his struggle for Latin America, it is not Chavez that this song brings to mind when I hear it.
Read MoreToday, I remembered how Uruguayan poet Mario Benedetti would walk down the streets of Alamar, a proletarian neighborhood in Havana conceived to harbor the socialist New Man, with his mustachioed face, his short temper and his immense dignity.
Read MoreMy dear Comandante, allow me to steal a few minutes of the precious time you are devoting to Cuba’s reforms, reforms which, according to you, will be implemented “surely but not hastily”, to tell you a few things about the history of a celebration of which, apparently, you know next to nothing.
Read MoreThe censors shot themselves in the foot, because the young bloggers decided to fight for their rights without foreign aid, using their own resources and securing the help of a number of Cuban bloggers, among whom they found a space to continue divulging their opinions.
Read MoreOne of the distinctive characteristics of contemporary Cuban music is the plurality of its sounds and styles. Of the artists who have recently emerged to produce works that are unique for audiences at home and abroad, I believe that X Alfonso is one of the most outstanding, having had the courage to experiment and merge musical genres from different traditions.
Read MoreWho is responsible for the fact that the issue of color isn’t mentioned in Cuban schools, that race isn’t a subject of study or research in any University syllabus, or that these questions aren’t sufficiently addressed by the media? Without a doubt, the Ministry of Education, Cuban television and the official press are responsible.
Read MoreCuba has changed a lot over these past two decades. Since the release of Strawberry and Chocolate, the only Cuban film ever to be nominated as Best Foreign Film at the Oscars, the country and its people have experienced many changes… but they haven’t been enough.
Read MoreIn the course of over 14 years, I have often asked myself why so much secrecy has surrounded the case of the five Cubans who were detained in Miami in 1998.
Read MoreI am even more bemused by those who affirm that legalizing same-sex marriages and accepting homosexuality as “normal” sets a bad example for young generations. I wonder if they are just as worried by the violence in the movies these young generations are watching. (34 photos)
Read MoreToday, on the eve of Mother’s Day, I want to refer to a number of comments I received a few months ago, in response to the post “The Height of Forgetfulness”, which I had published on this site. I believe those who accused me of being irresponsible were right. In fact, that is precisely what I felt…
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