Posts Tagged ‘Cuba’
Ike’s Unwated Visit to Caribbean
10:01 am By Maegan La Mala · Cuba|Dominican Republic|Haiti|Weather · 1 Comment
8 Sep 2008
Hurricane Ike plows it’s way through the Caribbean today, with Havana, the capital of Cuba in it’s path.
Ike already went through Haiti and the Dominican Republic as a category 3 hurricane, killing at least 58 people in Haiti alone and one reported death in the Dominican Republic. Ike has since been downgraded to a category 2 storm, with 105 mile-per-hour winds.
Haiti has been hit particularly hard, with a death toll of at least 319 people from an unrelenting four storms in a row.
”With the others we lost houses, we lost animals and we lost plantations. Never bodies,” said Lisemene Ferry Raphael, 46, standing across from her dead 12-year-old god daughter.
There are bodies on almost every other corner inside the town, where two rivers and the torrential rain of Ike swallowed houses and swept children and old women downstream, according to The Miami Herald, which has the only international reporter at the town along Route 1 on the road to the city Gonaives.
Franzt Samedi’s 5-year-old adopted daughter, Tamesha Jean, was among the dead.
”I’m the one who she calls Papa. I’m the one who is responsible for her. If she were with me she would not have died,” Samedi said.
Via / Citizen Orange
Cuba Celebrates its Most Celebrated Song
8:08 am By Maegan La Mala · Cuba|Culture|history|Music · Comments Off
4 Sep 2008In karaoke bars from Lima to Beijing, at street festivals from San Antonio to Madrid, and in the heart of La Habana, one song can be heard: Guantanamera. Perhaps no other song illustrates the Cuban identity as much as this one, which has been covered by artists all over the world. Because of its popularity, its author is often noted as “Canción Popular” — as in, it doesn’t have an author — but that isn’t the case. One Joseíto Fernández was the creator of the singular tune, and Cuba celebrated his 100th birthday yesterday.
The city of La Habana is commemorating Joseíto’s life all this week with roundtables, singing contests and other events, even a serenade of the song at the late artist’s residence, joined by his now elderly children.
Aside from the international appeal the song has enjoyed, perhaps the most fascinating thing about the Guantanamera phenomenon is its mutation, which continues today. Venezuela’s El Universal reports that the song was written in its original form by Joseíto, but through its constant performance has benefitted from improvisation in the lyrics, with artists adapting the words to suit a certain situation, ranging from political strife to personal problems. The most popular version, the one we hear the most today, includes the words of Cuban hero José Martí, intregated into the music — ironically — by American folk singer Pete Seeger.
Guantanamera the song was composed when Joseíto was just 20, and itself turns 80 years old this year.
Via / El Universal
EU to Open Up Dialogue with Cuba
11:36 am By Maegan La Mala · Cuba|Politics|World · Comments Off
20 Jun 2008
Big diplomacy news out of Brussels, which will hopefully resonate in the U.S.’s diplomatic relations (or lack thereof) with Cuba. The European Union has decided to officially lift any sanctions against the island nation and resume regular diplomatic activities, which deteriorated in 2003 after the “Group of 75″ dissidents were jailed:
“We have decided unanimously to lift the 2003 measures and initiate a phase of dialogue that is not conditioned or limited by any measures,” Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said in a press conference after the meeting.Cuba has been calling on the EU to completely abolish the sanctions before Havana could engage in a dialogue with the grouping.
Spain wanted the sanctions on Cuba to be lifted officially after Fidel stepped down in February handing over power to his younger brother Raul.
As you might expect, the U.S. isn’t happy with this (at least not for now…let’s see what an Obama administration would say about the issue), and the head of the State Department called the move “will give legitimacy to a dictatorial regime”.
Via / Hindustan Times
John McCain Targets Cuban Exile Vote
3:27 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Cuba|US Presidential Race 2008 · Comments Off
11 Jun 2008Seeing that he’s trailing in Latino votes compared to Barack Obama, John McCain is going after the Cuban exile vote by bringing up the big bad wolves of Castro and the fact that Obama has said that he would consider meeting with whatever Castro happens to be in power.
Wouldn’t be interesting if John McCain made an ad aimed at an issue that all Latinos cared about, like um education or the economy maybe? Is this the best way to target the Latino vote?
Via / The Trail
Cubans Now Free to Stay in Hotels (Though Not for Free)
11:27 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Cuba|Politics · Comments Off
1 Apr 2008
In another small move meant to exemplify growing liberties in Raul Castro’s Cuba, the government has lifted a ban against citizens staying at island hotels. Staying at a Cuban hotel was a freedom previously afforded only Cuban newlyweds and “distinguished workers and students”. But there is a catch, today’s edict allows ordinary Cubans access to those hotels only if they pay in hard currency.
Cuba Meet Your New (Old) President! Raul Castro.
8:22 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Cuba|Politics · Comments Off
25 Feb 2008
Yesterday, in a not so surprising move, the Cuban National Assembly named Fidel Castro’s brother, Raúl, president. The unanimous decision has been interpreted by many as a continuation of brother Fidel Castro’s policies and in fact in his acceptance speech, Raul promised to finish big bro’s work. Any hopes of new leaders were squashed when 77-year-old revolutionary leader, Jose Ramon Machado, was named Vice-President.
Via / NYT, Washington Post
Fidel Castro Officially Resigns
7:33 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Cuba|Politics · 1 Comment
19 Feb 2008
He ain’t dead yet- so the Miami fiestas may be subdued, but there will be fiestas none the less I’m sure as ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro finally admitted what most already knew, that he will not return to lead the country as president or commander-in-chief. This ends a 49 year run as leader of the Caribbean island nation, a position he took in a historic and controversial armed revolution.
To my dear compatriots, who gave me the immense honor in recent days of electing me a member of parliament … I communicate to you that I will not aspire to or accept — I repeat not aspire to or accept — the positions of President of Council of State and Commander in Chief,” Castro said in the statement published on the Web site of the Communist Party’s Granma newspaper.
Video Shows Cuban Youth Discontent or Freedom of Speech?
3:05 pm By Maegan La Mala · Controversia|Cuba|Media|Politics|society · Comments Off
18 Feb 2008This news is admittedly over a week old, but I couldn’t let this slip by without drawing you attention to it. An anonymous source sent the BBC a tape of an encounter between Cuban IT students and the head of the country’s parliament, Ricardo Alarcon and what is seen might be shocking for some. Students ask some very tough questions. The video is in Spanish, but if you don’t speak it, I’ll try to summarize after the jump.
Are Cubanos Real Estate Mavens?
3:12 pm By Maegan La Mala · business|Cuba|Money|society · Comments Off
28 Jan 2008
Capitalism might be the enemy of Castro’s Cuba, but according to an article in the International Herald Tribune, that hasn’t stopped Cubans from doing their own form of real estate wheeling and dealing. Apparently it’s all going on under the table, but it’s a secreto a voces:
And although there is no Century 21 here, there is a bustling underground market in homes and apartments, which has given rise to agents (illegal ones), speculators (they are illegal, too) and scams (which range from praising a dive as a dream house to backing out of a deal at the closing and pocketing the cash).The whole enterprise is quintessentially Cuban, socialist on its face but really a black market involving equal parts drama and dinero, sometimes as much as $50,000 or more. These days, insiders say, prices are on the rise as people try to get their hands on historic homes in anticipation of a time when private property may return to Cuba.
Officially, buying or selling property is forbidden. But the island has a dire housing shortage, despite government-sponsored new construction. And that has led many Cubans to subdivide their often decaying dwellings or to upgrade their surroundings through a decades-old bartering scheme known in Cuban slang as “permuta.”
Cuba May Legalize Same-Sex Unions
12:32 pm By Maegan La Mala · Cuba|GLBT|Justice|Politics|society · 1 Comment
21 Jan 2008
As hinted at last month, the Cuban government has announced — via Raul Castro’s daughter — that it’s looking into the possibility of legalizing same-sex unions in the island nation.
“The topic of homosexuality has to be touched on the Family Code, a civil law. There is a modification project for many things that are important to Cuban families, and this is one of them: giving rights to gay and transsexual people,” explained the psychologist.In 2006, Cenesex [the National Center for Sex Education] presented a proposal to recognize the rights of homosexuals and transsexuals which included a reform to the Family Code — included in the code since 1975 — which will be analyzed by the Parliament before being submitted to other institutions for review.
[Castro] states that she can’t say exactly when it will be submitted for approval to the Parliament, though she is working to “try to convince that it be done as soon as possible.”
Cuba still has many other issues (some would say that is a gross understatement) but this at least sounds like a step in the right direction. I wonder if it’s a result of a lot of LGBT Cubans leaving because of persecution?
Via / 20 Minutos
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