Osmel Ramirez Alvarez

It was with great relief that I read the news about (former Uruguayan president) Jose Mujica’s condemning words to embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Mujica acted as a voice of the democratic left in calling Maduro way out of order.

When I was small, many a time I would quit playing with my friends to go be with my grandfather. Every day, he would meet with other old people from around the neighborhood, after lunch, to speak of his experiences. His stories were delightful.

Yesterday, a relative who is fond of me and is familiar with my political views decided to give me some advice under the influence of alcohol. I of course make no secret of the journalistic pieces I write for Havana Times or anything else I do in this connection.

The word “socialism” has become somewhat disfigured in our day. Radical social models left us with such a bitter taste that they ended up distorting the real meaning of the word. Beyond the stigma that clings to the concept, socialism has a very clear and well-defined meaning: it is an ideal of social justice and equity.

This May 1, International Workers Day, will be no different than past ones. Millions of Cubans will parade to squares in the different provinces and municipalities of the island. Will such verify massive support for the government and its policies?

To tell the truth, the Party Congress offers us no mysteries. Nothing in Cuba will ever change if such changes are to depend on the governing elite or their archaic notions about social justice.

The last group of Cubans stranded in Costa Rica – of the original eight thousand – was transported out of the country a few weeks ago. Perhaps some people thought Ecuador’s new visa requirements for Cubans and San Jose’s decision not to offer migrants any more transit documents would put an end to such migratory flows. Nothing proved further from the truth.

I hope readers will excuse me for not writing about what I see around me or politics today and for focusing on a personal story, on my disagreement with the regime and my experiences with Cuban State Security. It could prove interesting for you.

My nephew has already turned 17. It wasn’t long ago that he learned to get over tears and stumbling blocks and, now, he strikes me as a man through and through. He gets good grades at school without trying too hard. Recently, my sister told me that the young man had no interest in going to university.