Tania Díaz Castro (*1939) is co-founder of National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba. For over two decades she was reporter for official magazines. In 1980's she spent 18 months in jail for joining Human Rights Party.
Back in the early 1960s, Cubans were given an opportunity (perhaps by mistake) to watch the latest films directed by Luis Buñuel (1900-1983), which were shown in the cinemas of Havana. Yet, as soon as the authorities of the Castro regime realized the “evil” nature of the scenes and the dialogues, the films were banned […] Read more
Among the books on Cuba which I consider absolutely essential is the monograph entitled Cuba: The Pursuit of Freedom written by Hugh Thomas, English historian specializing in Hispanic history. It was written during the author’s stay in Havana between 1964 and 1971. In the preface, Thomas explains that the idea of writing about Cuba occurred to him […] Read more
The book entitled Cuban Press and the Machado Era written by Edel Lima Sarmiento, a pro-regime Cuban journalist, was published in 2014 by the Ciencias Sociales publishing house in Havana. Yet, taking into account the current situation of freedom of the press on the island, the title of the book should perhaps read Cuban Press and the Castro […] Read more
Founded in 1728 by Dominican friars, the University of Havana was democratic for 231 years. When the university reopened on 11 May 1959, it continued to be democratic, despite the revolution that had taken place; it is something that the history still needs to explain and, quite oddly, the press has never covered the topic. […] Read more
Dictatorships, in particular totalitarian, are very much alike. That of Cuba is not an exception. The State is perceived as an absolute entity that covers and understands everything and makes use not only of children, but even of the dead. There are many examples to support this and the best is perhaps the event that […] Read more
For almost seventy years, the death of Jesús Menéndez Larrondo, famous leader of Cuban sugar workers and member and representative of the Communist Party, has never been properly investigated, not even by the most demanding Cuban historians of the era of the Republic and the Castro dictatorship. Jesús Menéndez was killed on January 22, 1948, […] Read more
