Diaries - Havana Times

The Northern Mockingbird

I’ve been trying to record the song of the Northern Mockingbird, who has chosen the highest branches of my avocado tree as its stage.

When you least imagine it, when people were trying to be as careful as they could, the Coronavirus finally reached our area.

In Latin America, political support for liberal democracy has been declining systematically over the last decade.

Mandy was (is) a man with light eyes and attractive features. He was about 20 years old back then, and he had a life mission: Leave Cuba.

Talking about modern day self-employment jobs, line standers and resellers have emerged, very much in line with the current situation.

Months passed like this: working from home, trying to survive a little, looking after my family as best I could, prioritizing the essential.

Feeling out the abyss between official statistics of deaths and infections and the reality of the spreading virus, has been a great feat.

We’ve been looking after ourselves a lot, our hygiene measures were extreme, but the virus got in somehow and we’re all sick.

This new law criminalizes the spread of fake news, and the publication of offensive messages or slander that attacks “national prestige”.

The Cuban government has repressed civic action, just like the Iranian, Nicaraguan or Belarusian regimes did in the face of popular protests.