de Cuba

Knowing how to read between the lines is a prerequisite to understanding Cuban politics. The structure of power on the Island is short on details, such that we must interpret the silences as well as the seemingly inconsequential data. The ascension of Miguel Diaz-Canel, to the vice presidency of the Council of State has followed a well-known script, easily detected by analysts and the curious for months. His growing presence in the national media and his having accompanied Raul Castro to the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Summit, already augured his ascent to the second post of the Cuban elite. Díaz-Canel possesses characteristics that undoubtedly influenced his appointment

Read the full story

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UUHm8ZBYYfcdn74Ni3uQj6KA&feature=player_embedded&v=bYbgwMwJa-0 Il y a quelques années, j’ai eu envie d’adresser certaines questions à Eliécer Ávila. Depuis que je l’ai entendu parler pour la première fois et se présenter en ce mois de janvier 2008, j’avais été tentée d’aller plus loin pour comprendre ce que signifiait être membre de l’Opération Vérité et le rôle joué par un soldat du Web. Mais le temps a passé, les événements se sont accumulés, les difficultés se sont enchaînées et c’est seulement en août dernier que nous avons pu avoir une discussion à ce sujet.

Read the full story

My grandfather chewed tobacco, biting down on it and moistening it with his saliva in an obsessive ritual that continued throughout the day. He also had a pipe, to which he added the coarse-cut tobacco he prepared himself, which he smoked only after meals. He belonged to the generation that grew up watching the most famous Hollywood stars smoking on the big screen and he imitated them from his seat in the movie theater.

Read the full story

“Nobody does anything for free any more,” says a character in a comedy we enjoyed on our movie listings earlier this year. Directed by Daniel Diaz Torres, La Pelcula de Ana (Ana’s Film) was chosen as the best feature film in 2012 by the Cuban Association of Cinema Press. However, beyond the institutional awards and other awards that it will surely receive, for now it has received the invaluable audience award from a public that has welcomed it with abundant smiles and applause. In the title role, Laura de la Uz portrays the life of an actress lurching between one mediocre role and another, between bad adventures for teenagers and worse soap operas for housewives. Spurred on by material problems, and especially by an urge to buy a refrigerator, she decides to pass herself off as a prostitute for a documentary being produced by some Austrians

Read the full story

I had pretty aggressive keratitis in my left eye. It was the result of poor hygiene in the dorm and successive conjunctivitis that was poorly treated. I was prescribed a complex treatment but after a month of drops I was not noticing any improvement. My eyes burned when I looked at white-painted walls and things in bright sunlight. The rows of books blurred and seeing my own nails was impossible

Read the full story