Stories about Cuba from December, 2008
Cuba: Remembering José Silvestre White
AfriClassical profles José Silvestre White, an Afro-Cuban violinist who became a composer and professor after graduating from the Paris Conservatory.
Cuba: Letter to Castro
Cuban diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense links to an open letter [ES] to Fidel Castro, written by a political prisoner.
Cuba: Subsidies
As “Raúl Castro reaffirmed the idea of ending subsidies”, Generation Y observes: “Between the symbolic price of a pound of rationed rice, and the enormous ‘slice’ of our salaries taken by those who govern us, we are more the givers than the receivers of subsidies.”
Cuba: Wishing for Freedom
Cuban blogger Retazos [ES] shares some of her wishes for 2009.
Cuba: Waiting for Cable
The submarine cable linking Cuba and Venezuela has “a vague completion date” of 2011, but Generation Y is clear about “what this projected umbilical cord should bring us.”
Trinidad & Tobago, Cuba: City of Contradictions
Trinidadian blogger Tattoo spends Christmas in Havana and comes away with the impression that “the revolution has not achieved a new equilibrium. Instead, it has re-appropriated the inequalities inherent in any capitalist society and ensured that those in power are the haves as opposed to the have nots. And this...
Cuba, U.S.A.: Lifting Limits?
Uncommon Sense links to an article which suggests that US President-Elect Barack Obama seems prepared to lift limits “on how often Cuban Americans can visit family members on the island and on how much money they can send them”, a move which the blogger says would end “one of the...
Paraguay: Literacy Programs To Arrive
After Paraguay president Fernando Lugo attended a celebration in Bolivia, in which it was declared that the country was free of illiteracy, he stated that the Venezuelan and Cuban teachers would soon arrive in Paraguay to do the same. Edgar Ruiz Diaz of Las Preguntas de Venerando [es] believes that...
Cuba: Be Part of the Solution
Generation Y‘s Yoani Sanchez has the solution to Cuba's problems: “Let everyone speak, no matter whether in complaint or in support of a proposal designed to address the problems…only freedom of opinion will allow those who can advance remedies to dare to do so.”
Caribbean: 2008 in Review
From natural disasters to lightning bolts of the athletic kind, 2008 was a busy one for the Caribbean blogosphere. Here are some of the highlights...
A Caribbean Christmas
'Tis the season - and nowhere celebrates Christmas quite like the Caribbean! Here's a glimpse into what bloggers are doing to get into the spirit of the festivities...
Bahamas: Cuba & the USA
“A constellation of events will shape the pace of the rapprochement between our geographically closest neighbours”: Simon at Bahama Pundit blogs about relations between Cuba and the US.
Cuba: Best Books of 2008
Penúltimos Días [es] provides a list of the best Cuban books of 2008.
Cuba, U.S.A.: Lat Am & Caribbean Leaders Meet
“You could call it the independence summit”: The Cuban Triangle takes a look at the meeting of Latin American and Caribbean leaders in Brazil, adding that it “seems to have been about independence from Washington and a big way of expressing that independence was opposition to U.S. policy toward Cuba.”
Cuba: The Crowing Rooster
In response to Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez's question, Mariela Castro calls her the equivalent of a “cocky hen”, prompting Sanchez to ask: “Does she believe that I do the work of a man because I demand rights and claim respect for political preferences? If to be a very delicate hen...
Western Sahara: Cubarawis
Many saharaui children, thanks to international cooperation with Cuba, travel each year to study until they graduate from university. Then, they return to work for their Western Sahara. The Caribbean is completely different from the desert, not only because of geography, but also because of the nature of the people themselves. Cubans have rhythm in their veins and are dancing all the time. Beduins are sober, quiet and reflective. However, in the end, the exchange is worthy in both ways, as Renata Avila explains.
Cuba: Oppressing the Press
Uncommon Sense refers to a survey by the Committee to Protect Journalists to make the point that “Cuba takes the gold medal as the world's worst oppressor of a free press.”
Trinidad & Tobago, Cuba: National Shame
“The Prime Minister's gone to Cuba to get a tumor removed. He surveyed the length and breadth of our islands and decided there was neither a well equipped hospital nor one single suitably trained Trinbagonian surgeon in our entire country that could perform the procedure”: Trin calls the move “a...
Guadeloupe: The Outstanding Gwada Boys
Shakazulu in Gwakafwika reports [Creole] that the Guadeloupean soccer team won third place (along with $50,000) in the Caribbean Cup when they beat Cuba in a match this past weekend.
Jamaica, Cuba, U.S.A.: A Shoe in Hand…
Blogging from Jamaica, Annie Paul declares Muntadar al-Zaidi (the Bush shoe-pelter) her “Man of the Year”, calling his action “the most inspired (and inspiring) act of the last few years”, while noting: “Bush must also be congratulated for his restrained response…” Review of Cuban-American Blogs and Yohandry's Weblog (ES) also...
Cuba: We Shall Overcome
Cuban bloggers all link to video of what they say is Generation Y‘s “call to action to all bloggers, a plea for solidarity with the ‘embryonic’ Cuban blogosphere.”