Afrocubism live in Paris

I recently talked about Afrocubism, the “first Buena Vista Social Club project”. They spent a few days in a French tour and finished it in Bataclan stage, Paris. Here are a few seconds of “La Culebra”, a more Cuban focused (than African) song. Performed by Eliades Ochoa. But the sounds of Africa are never far…

Cuba and Africa reunited in Afrocubism

Afrocubism

Who remembers that the Buena Vista Social Club should have been a Cuban-African project? The British producer Nick Gold and the American guitarist Ry Cooder wanted to organize a meeting betwwen musicians from Mali and Cuba. But the Malians never got their visas and Gold has to change his plans. It became a 100% Cuban project called Buena Vista Social Club. Quite a success… The whole world discovered Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer or Omara Portuondo.

So many questions…

After the announcement that the political prisoners from the “Group of 75” would be released, many questions remain. Claudia Cadelo has very good ones in a post on her blog :

“It bothers me deeply, horribly, to see the sleight of hand that has been shown to the voices of civil society in pursuit of a policy so opportunistic towards those who live in my country today: the release of the innocents. At what point in history was the dialog between the Church and the Cuban government, and with Moratinos left as mediator? When will the prisoners who want to live in Cuba be released?

Political prisoners still die in Cuba

Orlando Zapata Tamayo / AFP PHOTO / Files / Adalberto ROQUE

Political prisoners still die in Cuba All the analysis about a Cuban regime’s detente are falling down. News from the Caribbean island were not optimistic regarding the human rights. Yesterday a political prisoner died after 85 days on hunger strike. The authorities did not make anything to prevent it. According to his family, it is a kind of murder.

Jorge Volpi enlightens debates

Jorge Volpi / DR

Reading Jorge Volpi is always a refined pleasure. The Mexican writer has a very lucid point of view on his contemporary world. How nice to listen to such a balanced intellectual, far from the political fights and so free in his mind. Jorge Volpi was invited by El Pais to chat with the readers of the Spanish newspaper. I translated some of his answers :

Discovering Pedro Juan Gutierrez

Pedro Juan Gutierrez / DR

Walking randomly by the radius “Books in Spanish” of a great Parisian bookstore, I discovered Pedro Juan Gutierrez. “Discovering” is a strange word for a 59-year-old author. But Pedro Juan Gutierrez lives in Havana, where he is censored, and this has probably prevented him from becoming one of the most famous authors of his generation. “Anclada en tierra de nadie” (“Marooned in No Man’s Land”) was his only book I found in that bookstore.

Cuban bloggers threatened again

Reinaldo Escobar / Desdecuba.com

Summary of the previous episode in Havana: Yoani Sanchez, the most known Cuban blogger and one of the most active opponents to Castro’s regime, had been arrested during a few minutes and beaten by State Security agents. This weekend her husband Reinaldo Escobar, who is also a well known blogger, organized an event to protest against this act of violence. He wanted to meet security agents in a “verbal duel” about the incident.

The price of the embargo

One step forward, one step back… The negotiations between the US and Cuba for an opening in some areas have been jumpy since Obama came to power. Because of the inflexibility of Cuban regime and because of internal movements within the US political life.

Bloggers beaten in Cuba

Yoani Sanchez / Flickr, Ceslava.com

In spite of the supposed “reforms” in Cuba, nothing has changed. One proof more this weekend with the aggression three well-known Cuban bloggers have suffered. Yoani Sanchez, Orlando Luis Pardo and Claudia Cadelo were forced into a car and assaulted by three state security agents on their way to go to a march against violence in Havana. Yoani Sanchez and Orlando Luis Pardo were beaten, they said.

Work more, earn more

Some workers are now paid according to their productivity. This is the result of a reform adopted last year. A staff will monitor and measure the work of each employee and will determine their level of pay based on production. In theory, this measure would boost economic development and growth, motivate and involve workers, eliminate corruption…