Stories about Cuba from February, 2009
Cuba: BTTR Four
Cuban diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense wants us to remember “the BTTR Four”.
Cuba: One Year Later
Blog for Cuba says that one year after Cuba signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Personal Rights, “human rights...
Cuba: Women in Jazz
Havana Times focuses on the contribution of women to Cuban jazz.
Guatemala: President Colom Apologizes for the Bay of Pigs
In preparation for the Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961, the government of Guatemala allowed the CIA to train Cuban exiles on their soil for the operation. Even though the invasion failed, the memory still remains. Nearly 50 years later, the current president Álvaro Colom visited Cuba and took the opportunity to “officially ask Cuba for forgiveness." He also presented former Cuban leader Fidel Castro with the Order of the Quetzal, which is the highest honor given by Guatemala.
Cuba: “Boring Home”
The book Boring Home, which was banned at the 2009 Havana International Book Fair, is now available on the Internet. Cuban bloggers talk about it here, here and here.
Cuba: Download Nova Baire
Bloggers Cuba [es] provides the link for those interested in downloading the version of Nova Baire, the open-source operating system in Cuba.
Cuba: Interview with Blogger Reinaldo Escobar
Cuban blogger Reinaldo Escobar is one of the few bloggers that has worked professionally as a journalist with official Cuban media. Now he is an independent journalist and runs the portal Desde Cuba, which is also where his blog Desde Aquí is hosted. He is also very active in the Cuban blogosphere and is part of the team that will launch the project Cuban Voices. In this interview, Claudia Cadelo asks about his start with blogging and his thoughts on a blogosphere that is often polarized.
Cuba: Revolution.com
Generation Y is “more alarmed than comforted” by “hopes for broad access to the internet” in Cuba, but notes: “A true revolution.com takes place parallel and contrary to the rationing...
Cuba: The Release of Nova the Open-Source Operating System
In conjunction with a local university, the government of Cuba released its own version of the open-source Linux operating system called Nova Baire. Citing the difficulty to obtain private software on the island, as well as security concerns, the government hopes to move 50% of their computers to this new system over the next five years
Chile: Bachelet's Visit to Cuba
Chilean president Michelle Bachelet has planned a trip to Cuba to improve relations after 37 years. La Pollera [es] writes about some of the criticism that has headed her way...
Cuba, U.S.A.: True Colours
Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense thinks that the powers that be in Cuba have shown their true colours this week by rejecting international calls for the release of political prisoners.
Cuba: “Cachaito” Passes On
Havana Times reports that one of the founding members of the famous Buena Vista Social Club, Cuban bass player Orlando “Cachaito” Lopez, has died at a Havana hospital after complications...
Cuba: Human Rights
Diaspora blogger Child of the Revolution calls “shameless” the Cuban justice minister's suggestion that all is well when it comes to human rights, while Uncommon Sense links to the trailer...
Cuba: Internet in the Year 2011
Alejandro Perez of Bloggers Cuba [es] responds to an interview given by Boris Moreno, Vice-Minister of Information Technology and Communications and his outlook for the Internet in Cuba in the...
Cuba, U.S.A.: Travel Ban
Circles Robinson is concerned that the lifting of the travel ban on Cuba could be doomed.
Cuba: Two Agendas
“The duality, in which we are caught between the official version and the on-the-street reality, also characterizes the demands emerging from this Island”: Generation Y blogs about Cuba's “two agendas”.
Cuba: Political Prisoners & Human Rights
Uncommon Sense learns that the number of Cuban political prisoners dropped last year, but “there also were more than 1,500 arrests and detentions, albeit temporary, of opponents to the Castro...
Cuba: A Look at Sports Blogs
Sports form a large part of the Cuban identity and many blogs have been emerging on the island to discuss the topic. Even though there is a lack of comments and reader participation, they still serve a purpose especially to provide sporting information about the Cuban provinces. This article by Yudivián Almeida Cruz of Bloggers Cuba takes a look at some of these blogs.
Cuba, U.S.A.: The Cuban Five
As U.S. Supreme Court Justices debate whether to hear the case of The Cuban Five on appeal, Circles Robinson says: “The hypocrisy of such an action became even more evident...
Cuba: Gorki Arrested Again
Uncommon Sense reports on two recent incidents of Cuban punk rocker Gorki being arrested and then released.
Barbados: Cuba to Fund Library Restoration?
Barbados Free Press says: “It boggles the mind that the Barbados Government would be looking to Cuba for possible funding in restoring the Barbados Public Library.”
