Q&A: Prompting Cubans to Think and Talk

"I talk to deal with problems. In Cuba, there is too much formal, repetitive discourse and not enough directed at people, with their anxieties and joys," said Manuel Calviño, the host and writer of a television programme that tries not to add to that deficit.

CUBA: Sexual Diversity in a Sexist City

Known as the cradle of the revolution and of the conga, but also as one of the most machista places in Cuba, the city of Santiago in the east of the island was the scene of two days of activities demanding respect and freedom for different sexual orientations and gender identities.

Homophobia in the Caribbean Varies Widely

While homosexuality is punishable by law in nine Caribbean island nations, gay activism is increasingly taking root in countries like Cuba.

A Sugar Boost for the Cuban Economy

Cuba hopes to revive its sugar industry as part of the recently announced economic changes and take advantage of good international prices for what was once the Caribbean island’s main export.

Cuban Gov’t Refutes Claims About Dissident’s Death

The Cuban government refuted reports by dissident groups that claimed that Juan Wilfredo Soto died as a result of a beating by police. The authorities stated that he died from "acute pancreatitis."

CUBA: Changes in Property, Travel Rules Announced

The new economic development guidelines to be put in effect over the next five years in Cuba, published Monday by the Communist Party, include reforms allowing the sale of real estate and cars and a possible loosening of restrictions on travel abroad by Cubans.

CUBA: Professionals Awaiting their Chance

Cuba’s opening to private enterprise still leaves out many professionals who have yet to find a way to use their skills and potential in non-state industries, although they have not lost hope that the rules of the game will change.

CUBA: Changes Lie Ahead, on Obstacle Course

Although it failed to bring about the hoped-for generational renewal at the highest level of Cuba's governing Communist Party, the recent party congress may have marked the start of a new stage of socialist development, if the resistance to change among the most conservative sectors is overcome.

CUBA: Youth, Love and Sex – Fewer Constraints

Cuba's young people today feel they have more freedom to navigate the waters of romantic feelings in an uncomplicated way.

CUBA: The “Other” Revolutions

YES to sexual diversity! NO to transgenics! LONG LIVE @! In stark contrast to the political apathy of many of their contemporaries, some sectors of Cuban youth are radically re-writing the standard slogans, opting for active participation and fomenting "new revolutions within the Revolution."

CUBA: Raul Castro Proposes Change from Within Socialist System

Accompanied unexpectedly by Fidel Castro, his brother Raúl brought the sixth congress of Cuba's Communist Party (PCC) to a close Tuesday with a call to "change everything that should be changed," but without abandoning the socialist path taken on Apr. 16, 1961.

CUBA: Young People Look Abroad

While for their parents, leaving Cuba was a traumatic event because of the impossibility of returning, for younger generations, "moving abroad" is becoming more and more of a normal decision, just another alternative for the future.

Cuba’s Communist Party to Adopt Reforms

Cuba's governing Communist Party (PCC) will meet over the weekend to decide on the direction and scope of far-reaching reforms aimed at modernising the country's socialist economy over the next few years.

Young Cubans Unsure Where to Turn for Decent Jobs

In the throes of Cuba's economic "reorganisation," young people are walking a tightrope towards an uncertain employment future. They are finding it increasingly difficult to find jobs that meet both their professional aspirations and their salary expectations.

CUBA: Balancing Bane and Blessing of Oil

Cuba is sticking to its plans to begin oil exploration this year in its territorial waters in the Gulf of Mexico, and has assured neighbouring countries that "every reasonable" safety and environmental protection measure will be taken, in an area still haunted by the disastrous effects of the crude oil spill in 2010.

CUBA: Forum Calls for Decentralisation, to Boost Participation

The annual Critical Observatory Social Forum discussed the need for new spaces of dialogue, debate and participation in Cuba, including the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and decentralisation to empower local communities.

CUBA-US: Carter Visit Puts Problems on the Table

During former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's three-day visit to Cuba, which ended Wednesday, the main problems to be resolved in order to reduce tension and move towards an eventual improvement in relations between the two countries were put on the table.

CUBA-US: Alan Gross and the “Cyberwar”

The 15-year jail sentence handed down over the weekend to U.S. citizen Alan Gross, who was found guilty in Cuba of "acts against the independence and territorial integrity of the state," is part of a new chapter in the conflict between Havana and Washington, which is now playing out in cyberspace.

Public Debate on the Shape of Socialism in Cuba

The absence of more open social policies and real citizen participation are some of the concerns being debated in the run-up to the Sixth Congress of the ruling Cuban Communist Party (PCC) in April.

“Yes I Can” Say Illiterate Adults in Guatemala

Concepción González, 42, never went to school. She remembers with frustration having to stamp her fingerprint because she couldn't sign official documents, and having to respond "I don't know" to her children's homework questions.

CUBA-US: Half-Century of Conflict Backdrop to Alan Gross Trial

More than 50 years of conflict between Cuba and the United States, and in particular Washington's consistent support for dissidents in this Caribbean island nation, will leave their mark on the trial of U.S. citizen Alan Gross that began this Friday.