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 MoreCuriosity 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 MoreThe 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 MoreThese 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 MoreI 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 MoreMy 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 MoreThe 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 MoreLast 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.
Read MoreThe problem is not simply to produce more, but how to achieve this and for whose benefit. Producing more, regardless of the way this is done, could result in returning land to those who have the money, skills and resources to expand production: US companies and property owners of the past.
Read MoreThe Death of Cuban prisoner Wilman Villar put us reporters in a dilemma that, while not new, is more dramatic: that of finding out where the truth lies in the midst of a web of political statements coming from both sides.
Read More