I made it to the farmer’s market…well, to where there was supposed to have been a market. There was nothing, or — better said — there was in fact a lot of people drinking and laughing. The celebrations had already begun there.
Read More“It looks like you want to get yourself into trouble, friend,” a Cuban official warned me when he learned about the article I’m working on for the beginning of next year. The truth is that he left me reflecting on that philosophy of life that is so widespread.
“Not getting into trouble” is a goal that’s much more difficult than it seems. For this to happen it’s not enough to sell your soul to the devil, you also have to sell it to God and end up becoming a kind of spiritual merchant.
Read MoreThe public understands perfectly well the need for many of the economic measures that will be implemented but “People remain skeptical because while they’ve heard a lot of speeches, they don’t have complete confidence in the government’s ability to solve the problems.”
Read MoreYesterday they notified all the residents on the block that we would meet that evening with two or three directors from the area to select a new president of our neighborhood Committee for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR).
Read MoreA very serious issue that should not be ignored because of the negative impact it exerts on thousands of elderly and low income Cuban-Americans, who are denied the opportunity to visit their country, because of the onerous processing fee for their Cuban Passport and Visa and for having to purchase one the most expensive airline tickets in the world.
Read MoreTwo different generations of Cubans confront the same social phenomenon though neither have a voice or a vote. The revolution is seen through the lens of those who helped to make it and another of those who were born within it.
Read MoreWhat an honor it was for us when Jonathan Farrar (the highest US diplomatic representative in Cuba) supported the analysis of BBC Mundo concerning dissidents. This served to confirm our assessment, because he is extremely qualified on that issue.
Read MoreSince I began writing for Havana Times I’ve spoken with Guantanamo residents from all walks of life. Almost all of them gladly agreed to give me their opinion on some specific issue, but always under the condition that neither their name nor their photo be published.
Read MoreWhenever I see old people in the street selling peanuts, plastic bags or any little incidental items , I think back to the old woman in the movie Suite Havana, by Fernando Perez.
She appeared along with other flesh and blood Cubans, who were not actors, as they struggled with the weighty challenge of survival in an endless “Special Period” crisis.
Read MorePepe began by looking for all available information in order to decide what type of self-employed work he could do. The choices included selling prepared food, selling animals for “religious matters” or selling farm products.
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