Cubans Saddled with Refrigerator Payments
Today in Cuba there exist situations that are somewhat complicated. At least for me, knowing that I’m shouldering a debt to the government makes me feel kind of uncomfortable.
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Opinion
A Special Concordat: The Price for Cuba
The Catholic Church is usually conservative, undemocratic, elitist and exclusionary. But ours (here in Cuba) — that’s to say, its leaders — have acted this way in such a blatantly arrogant fashion, and whenever presented with an opportunity to place themselves on the wrong side of history, they’ve always done it.
Read MoreThe Simplest of Freedoms, Like Not Eating
One of the greatest examples of dignity I’ve ever seen in my life was shown to me by a little sparrow, that bird that’s so common in cities, the ones that search for crumbs on sidewalks and streets to the indifference of passersby.
Read MoreCuba Is all about Coffee and Conversation
Curiosity has gotten the better of me and I’ve started to buy treats on the street, especially from vendors who sing what they’re selling. The other day, a friend and I bought something like a granola bar, made of peanuts fused together with honey (mani en grano).
Read MoreFeminicide in Guantanamo, Cuba
The news spread like wildfire through the neighborhood. I was awakened by the phone. It was my cousin Lucia who had interrupted my early morning dreams. “Rosa, get up!” she commanded, like some general giving orders to his troops to march into battle.
Read MoreCuba Officials ‘Wrapped Up in Nonsense’
These stories reflect a short summary of how some people and institutions in Cuba are focusing more on the mundane problems instead of seeking solutions to those that really matter. This is what Cubans call being “estar en la boberia” (wrapped up in nonsense).
Read MoreCuba: A Critical Assessment Book Review
I approach “Cuba Since the Revolution of 1959: A Critical Assessment” with two vital questions: 1) Is this book accessible and helpful to those without an academic background, and 2) can we trust Samuel Farber, the author, to be our guide and teacher in this endeavor to understand Cuba’s past and present?
Read MoreCuba’s Collapsing Capital
My fear is that we are beginning to experience another phase of the history of this city. The “socialist” city (mediocre and boring) is giving way to another city whose “brand” is precisely the metropolitan situation that was denied for five decades – with its glamor, mysteries and nights of sequins and sex.
Read MoreRegaining What Was Lost in Cuba
The battle of big capital to regain what was lost with the triumph of the Cuban Revolution began from the very first day of January 1959.
Read MoreLeaving Cuba on a Mission
Last week, Esther, a friend of mine for years, received news that was the best that any ordinary Cuban can hope to get. She then gave me a big hug, one that was as if we hadn’t seen each other in years. She cried, laughed, and was finally left speechless.
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