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.

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.

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…