On Thursday, a movie about the Cuban war in Angola was released across the island. Outside the movie theaters couples chose to change course and head to someplace dark because the Cuban campaign in Africa holds little interest for them. The film suffers from a couple decades delay and tackles a story, parts of which… Continue reading The longest war

El Guajiro Azul [the Blue Peasant] sent me a text where he tells of his motivations for, and headaches in, writing his blog “Retazos” [Fragments].  The title of his message is delightful: “The old man, the Internet and me.”  Reading it, I feel the strong pull of the hook, but this time the old fisherman… Continue reading Post to the sea!

The lack of means of transportation doesn’t reduce us to immobility, but it does take more time and creativity to get ourselves underway.  Hence Havana is filled with jerry-rigged cars that could not pass a thorough technical inspection, and in the provinces animal traction has returned as a more widespread form of transport. In my… Continue reading Defending the “spider”

To Gandhi on the 139th anniversary of his birth He prepared. He polished his explanations. All the proposals he had been accumulating over years of looking at his reality and wanting to change things, he honed for a verbal contest. He had calculated that his debate opponent would remind him of the benefits and would… Continue reading Arguments versus screams

With a muffled struggle, the animal spoke, mouth foaming and eye terrible, “Brother Francis, don’t come too close…” Rubén Darío* The interviews given by Eliécer Ávila, a UCI [University of Information Sciences] student, to Cubaencuentro and Kaos en la Red [Chaos on the Web] were sent to me by email.  Reading both of them, I… Continue reading Eliécer’s motives

On Saturday, we took advantage of a friend heading for Pinar del Rio and traveled in his car with some donations for the victims.   Clothes and food given by people who have little, but with a desire to help those who have less.  That solidarity between citizens that, although it may seem insignificant compared to… Continue reading A billboard for shelter

The most important news in the Cuban press does not come with titles that give away its contents.  Under the titles “Informing the population,” “Letter from the Ministry of the Interior,” or “Declaration of the State Council,” we learned of the most significant events.  This Monday it was the newspaper Granma which trumpeted in huge… Continue reading The ghost of Pravda

I recover from a cold humming a tune by the Habanero singer-songwriter Erick Sánchez that he dedicated to me at his last concert and that today I want to share with you.  It’s a catchy tune about those who only know how to wait, with their arms crossed, white others do something.  The song has… Continue reading Wait

The accounting of the disaster is over and our news programs seem to have entered a rosy period where there is only room for reports of recovery and optimism. Neither regret nor doubt have a place among so many calls to confidence.  The opinions and faces shown on TV are carefully selected; they only show… Continue reading Back to normal

There are those who have a wall full of diplomas, or a shirt straining under the weight of medals.  Heroes who accumulate scars, and we citizens who stockpile frustrations.  Not to be left behind in this widespread mania for collecting, I attempt to have my own collection of something.  I collect denials of travel, slips… Continue reading I collect “denials”