Cuba

“This country is one big prison with walls built of ideology”

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Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez was awarded Latin America's most prestigious prize in journalism in July this year. Going to pick it up however, would be impossible. Yoani is forbidden from leaving the country. Just before the awards ceremony was to take place, she went to the immigration centre. Here's what she had to say to the officer...

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Video: Colombian rock star Juanes's outburst against Cuban concert censorship

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The Colombian rock star Juanes gave a much anticipated concert for peace in Havana, the Cuban capital, along with 14 other Hispanic artists on September 20. But the concert was nearly cancelled when the singer realised his every move was being spied on by Cuban authorities. A cell-phone video captured Juanes exploding before the Cuban concert producers hours before the show. Read more and watch the video...

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Jailed for crying out his hunger

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An unemployed drunkard shot to fame last month in Cuba when a video of him storming a TV report to demand food began circulating on the Web. His outburst got him a prison sentence, making him a symbol of Cuban poverty and repression. Read more and watch the video
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Raul Castro: “We no longer see him”

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Saturday marked the Cuban Revolution's 56th birthday and Raul Castro's third time in celebrating the event with a televised speech. One of our Observers there, Yoani Sanchez, watched the speech on her TV at home. Here are her thoughts...

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French student deported from Cuba for befriending political dissidents

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Foreigners are welcome in Cuba, as long as they stick to the beaches and don't meddle with local politics. A young French student learnt this the hard way, when she was forcibly deported from the island after she befriended local political dissidents. Read more...

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Yoani tests Cuban censorship with a hidden camera

Our Observer in Cuba, blogger Yoani Sánchez, has decided to test Cuban Web censorship with a hidden camera. Read more and watch the video…
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Obama gesture leaves Cubans hopeful but wary

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After 50 years of strict sanctions, Barack Obama's gesture towards Cuba on Monday will allow exiled Cubans to travel and send money to their homeland. Fidel Castro however, scoffed at the plans, saying that Obama should lift the "cruel" commercial embargo rather than hand out "charity". What do our Cuban Observers make of the news? Read their reactions...

"Obama should read Granma"

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Gaja Pellegrini is a communications consultant in Belgium. She's been following the situation in Cuba since a visit to the country two years ago, during which she met one of Che Guevara's travelling companions. Read more...

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Yoani sends a thank you note to her spies

Yoani Sanchez, our Observer in Cuba, is under permanent surveillance. She decided to photograph the men who camp outside her house. Unfazed by the affair, she comments: "at least since they've been there, nobody pisses on the steps anymore." Read more...

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