Blogs from the island

Yoani Sánchez is a well-known Cuban blogger who posts nearly every other day at http://desdecuba.com/generationy/, circumventing the ever more stringent restrictions on accessing Internet from the island. Although few Cubans have the opportunity to see it (the Cuban government blocks all access to the site), Desde Cuba has readers worldwide. And Sánchez says that her posts circulate within Cuba on memory sticks, CDs and on paper, and that people often recognize her in the street. 

Sánchez has earned international awards for her courageous web journalism, and TIME magazine recently named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Her global fame makes her safer; whereas other dissidents in Cuba are frequently jailed, she enjoys relative freedom to express her views. Still, she is not permitted an exit visa to travel abroad and her domestic travel rights have been restricted by the Cuban regime. “We’re treated like schoolchildren: we need permission to go anywhere,” she laughed in an interview with the UK’s TimesOnline, “I’ve been misbehaving so I’m not allowed.”

Her blog is important because it gives an honest and rare view into what happens on a daily basis in Cuba. For instance: she recently posted a video that testifies to the new restrictions Cuba has placed on Internet use by Cubans. This contributes importantly to global understanding by giving more concrete evidence of facts that could otherwise seem like products of a rumor mill, since they have not been substantiated by any official announcement. The video is shaky (she is trying to be sure that no one sees her camera by keeping it behind an issue of Granma—a humorously ironic move) but worth it.

For the English translation, rest the cursor over the box in the middle of the video screen. English will show on top of the Spanish subtitles.