The recent authorization given to different types of cooperatives to sell products directly to the tourism industry is positive. However, in politics, the Cuban government will only concede what’s necessary to assure that its economic model functions on its behalf.
Read MoreThe alarm was triggered by a letter written by the school’s current director, Rafael Rosal, who affirmed that the educational institution was “on the verge of collapse” and urgently needed help “to halt the deterioration of its infrastructure.”
Read MoreThe steps announced to offset the gradual move away from the paternalistic role of the state (decentralization, the autonomy of business enterprises, the relaxation of restrictions on self-employment, moves towards cooperativism, and the elimination of many absurd rules) are being carried one drip at a time and from a state-centric vision.
Read MoreDressing passably has become one of those everyday problems that workers on a median salary can barely resolve, unless we have help from a family member living outside the country, works on an international mission or obtains hard currency at work, as in the tourist sector.
Read MoreHavana Times is now in its fourth year of publishing, and with an ever growing number of original commentaries, reports and photos, both from the capital and eastern Cuba. Likewise, our readership continues on the rise in direct visits, Facebook, search engines and by e-mail — especially in Cuba.
Read MoreMost Tamils in Sri Lanka and in Tamil Nadu, a southern state in India just a few kilometers from Sri Lanka, were admirers of Fidel and Che and had followed the Cuban revolution with enthusiasm.
Read MoreAndres is a lucky man these days. He has the opportunity to buy items at a hard-currency store with a certain amount of money that’s paid to him on his job. He’s fortunate. The vast majority of workers in the country receive their wages only in national currency, and in many cases they get paid less than 500 pesos a month (less than $20 USD).
Read MoreAfter living in my Guantanamo neighborhood for almost 40 years, I shouldn’t have so many questions; rather, I should be able find more answers. I shouldn’t be surprised that Adela left her house again, after her husband Julio got drunk and hit her and their child in front of the entire neighborhood.
Read MoreHere in Cuba there’s not a single store where one can buy a simple board to fix the dinner table or replace a roof beam. This means that the only alternative left to people is the black market. To top it all off, though the authorities have just begun allowing self-employment by carpenters, they don’t sell them any wood.
Read MoreDespite the proclaimed “national pride” that we Cubans show through thick or thin — as well as our obsession with looking at the world as a sphere that rotates around our problems — perhaps no other country in the world has been subsidized for a longer period of time and with so many resources.
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