Nationalism has always been the ace in the hole of Cuban political culture, which is logical: that’s the typical reaction of a small society facing immense external challenges. This has endured since the times of Spanish colonialism to the period of intervention by the United States, whose imperialist vocation for the island has always been a love-hate relationship.
Read MoreAs the popular saying goes, “You only value what you’ve lost.” It’s a sad statement – right? But since I’m trying to be fair, I always add that memories too are created and later recalled through the prism of nostalgia, with plenty of those memories becoming adulterated.
Read MoreIn recent times, it has been common to hear the same kinds of phrases at bus stops or while waiting in whatever type of line; people will say things like: “Hell, seems like I’m going to have to move to Venezuela.” Many people talk half-jokingly about the health care in our country.
Read More“Mao would be broken-hearted. He would probably turn over in his grave if he saw how capitalism was developing in China. However Deng would be ecstatic,” summed up political scientist Zhang Wei Wei.
Read MoreThe victory of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela (and resulting positive changes for his people) was an example followed by other leaders such as Evo Morales in Bolivia, Rafael Correa in Ecuador, Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua and other leftist and nationalist governments that have clearly shown where that path lies.
Read MoreJust a few days ago I thought about the sacrifices required of me as a mother. I thought about what I haven’t learned and done since I gave birth to my two wonderful girls. (6 photos)
Read MoreFernanda is one of my good friends from the university. She’s always saying that she admires me for struggling so hard, but she also criticizes me because she thinks I sacrifice too much.
Read MoreIn a recent interview, the Cuban-American writer Uva de Aragon told me that the emigration of thousands of intelligent young Cubans does not constitute “brain drain,” but their “escape” in search of better opportunities in other countries.
Read MoreWhen he reads this post, my good friend Paul is going to say — once again — that all we Cubans do is complain. He’s from the US. Likewise, my Italian friend Julian is going to repeat “if you spent any time in any other country, you’d have a better opinion of your island.”
Read MoreA legitimate workers’ leader would at least have asked for a salary increase to protect Cuban workers from the uninterrupted rise in the prices of consumer goods. But Valdés Mesa, general secretary of the Confederation of Cuban Workers, did nothing of the sort.
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