CUBAN TRANSITIONS

Today there is an escalating inequality in the United States as higher education becomes more and more reserved for the elite. With an increasing disparity between not only who is being enrolled in the nation’s university system, but a similar issue also rises in the “quality” of the universities themselves. The right name, plenty of […]

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Ideally situated between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Cuba, the largest island in the Caribbean, benefits from very high amounts of direct sunlight and rainfall. Natural sciences tell us that heat and water are key components to life, and the combination of both result in some of the most extensive biodiversity levels found on […]

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I think it’s a shame that the UK-based Bitter Lemon Press decided that Havana Fever should be the title of the English edition of Leonardo Padura’s most recent novel in the Mario Conde series, originally titled La neblina del ayer. The sizzling nightlife of pre-Castro Havana is where we meet the beautiful yet elusive Bolero […]

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In one of her recent posts on the blog Generation Y, Yoani Sanchéz describes Avenida Quinta, or 5th Avenue, in Havana, a street deemed “Avenue of the Americas” on which there is a consistent stream of joggers, pet-walkers, and other leisurely pedestrians. Sanchéz explains a typical scenario of one well-to-do after another passing by and chatting […]

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The recent eruption of women’s health issues on the U.S. political agenda has sparked controversy, to say the least. The latest point of contention manifested during a February 16 hearing on birth control held by House Republicans. The first five panelists to testify were men. “Where are the women?” asked Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader […]

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Under Cuban criminal law it is illegal for Cubans to leave their country or to assist others to leave without government permission and violators are subject to a prison term of one to ten years (Sweig, 2009). However, in defiance of the law, more than 63,000 Cuban citizens have left between 1959 and 1994 thus […]

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Through all the Cuban based readings, movies, and discussions that this class has allowed me to experience, one of the most interesting concepts that I’ve been introduced to has been that of isolation. Perhaps we haven’t read anything explicitly about this notion, most of the feelings of isolation have been through the lens of other […]

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Cuba: THE PARADISE OF SNAILS! Not a title often associated with the colonial island – unless you’re a biologist or conservationist – Cuba is home to some of the most beautiful and biologically diverse species of snails in the world. A teeming bevvy of these tiny, slow moving creatures populates the island and they leave […]

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The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Cuba states, “Socialist state property…is the property of the entire people” (Article 15). It then continues by defining “state property” as all land that does not belong to small farmers or collectives, including all social, cultural, and labor-related spaces. Therefore, the physical fabric of Cuba, particularly its urban […]

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As we considered Hip Hop in Cuba in class, I fell in love with the band Orishas.  Their rhythms were contagious, and soon I was creating entire playlists of their enchanting songs.  The music is distinctly Cuban, as the band members self describe themselves as a mix of traditional Cuban rhythms and hip hop.  The […]

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