Author Alvaro Santana-Acuña talks to us about his new book Ascent to Glory, and Gabriel García Márquez’s ties to Cuba and self-imposed quarantine. Photo courtesy of Harry Ransom Center

“In these times, when it seems that we’re all living in a global Macondo, many readers are turning to One Hundred Years of Solitude as if it were a prophetic book to understand the world we’re living in, and above all the post-pandemic world we’ll inhabit,” wrote Álvaro Santana-Acuña in a recent Op-Ed. And so the timing is excellent for the release of Santana-Acuña’s new book, Ascent to Glory: How One Hundred Years of Solitude Was Written and Became a Global Classic (Columbia University Press, August 2020). 

One Hundred Years of Solitude, by the Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez, spans a century in the lives of the Buendía family, whose patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía, founded the fictional village of Macondo. It seems that nearly every high school world literature curriculum includes the novel, considered a masterpiece of Latin American literature —it’s the second most-read literary work written in the Spanish language, after Don Quixote— and has sold an estimated 50 million copies and been translated into 49 languages. 

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Alvaro Santana-Acuña talks about Ascent to Glory.

The ability of the classic to lodge itself in the reader’s imaginary is part of its success. Throughout Ascent to Glory, Santana-Acuña clues us in to other factors that help transform a literary work into a classic.

Ascent to Glory is a continuation of Santana-Acuña’s doctoral research, which he hopes will appeal to both scholars and fans of García Márquez’s work and to people interested in the literary and market factors that helped catalyze the novel into a global bestseller and a classic. The release of Ascent to Glory coincides with a major exhibition of Gabriel García Márquez’s personal archive acquired by the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin, including various versions of manuscripts of major works, the author’s correspondence and photos with well-known personalities, and one of his typewriters and computers.

“In these times, when it seems that we’re all living in a global Macondo, many readers are turning to One Hundred Years of Solitude as if it were a prophetic book to understand the world we’re living in, and above all the post-pandemic world we’ll inhabit.”

Álvaro Santana-Acuña, author of Ascent to Glory: How One Hundred Years of Solitude Was Written and Became a Global Classic

Now on the faculty at Whitman College, the idea to write about One Hundred Years came to Santana-Acuña a decade earlier, when he was a student at Harvard University. It was pouring as he ran across Harvard Yard, and suddenly he thought to himself that it was raining “like in Macondo.” He was in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and had never been to Latin America (Santana-Acuña is from the Canary Islands in Spain). And yet, the idea that Macondo had become a universally relatable place stuck in his mind. 

It was pouring as Santana-Acuña ran across Harvard Yard, and he thought to himself that it was raining “like in Macondo.” He was in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and had never been to Latin America.

Most people associate Nobel-prize winner Gabriel García Márquez with creating the genre of magical realism, but that is among the myths debunked in Ascent to Glory. Different forms of magical realism actually were in print decades before One Hundred Years was published. 

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Although the idea for the Buendía family story occurred to García Márquez in 1950, it wasn’t until 1965 that he finally sat down to finish the novel. Driving along the highway from Mexico City to Acapulco with his wife and two children, a cow crossed in front of the car, causing it to stop abruptly. At that moment the first sentence of One Hundred Years came to his mind: “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.” Without a minute to lose, he turned his car around and drove back to Mexico City. He quit his job and locked himself in a self-imposed quarantine for a year and a half to finish the novel, impoverishing himself and his family in the process. When he went to the post office to send it to a potential publisher, he only had enough money to send half the manuscript.

The advent and solidification of a truly Latin American literature “boom” —as opposed to the limited national-level circulation of books in limited print runs in the early 20th century— allowed the book to be distributed and read on a regional and global level.

In the 1950s and 60s, a new Latin American literature had emerged. Many writers and intellectuals kept up close correspondence, and their work was published in short form and widely distributed. As with so many things that go “viral” these days, in the intervening years from when García Márquez first dreamt up the idea for the novel until its publication in 1967, many cultural “brokers” helped both lay the foundations for the enthusiastic reception of a novel of its kind. If he had written and published the novel at the time when he first imagined it in his early twenties, it would likely not have had the same dissemination or success. 

In the years leading up to García Márquez finishing the manuscript, he was able to make use of the popular practice of publishing chapters from the work in progress in various periodicals, thus garnering publicity and feedback for his novel. Chapters of the novel premiered in six countries, including in France, before the full novel was published. 

The advent and solidification of a truly Latin American literature “boom” —as opposed to the limited national-level circulation of books in limited print runs in the early 20th century— allowed the book to be distributed and read on a regional and global level, and remain relevant and in the forefront of readers’ minds today. 

Fidel Castro and Gabriel García Márquez. Photo courtesy of the Harry Ransom Center.

A self-imposed quarantine was central to García Márquez’s writing of the novel, and epidemics are often central themes of his fiction: plagues, droughts, fantastical features. In an April 2020 letter to his father on the sixth anniversary of his death, and in during his own confinement due to COVID-19, García Márquez’s son, filmmaker Rodrigo García, wrote: “You said once that what haunts us about epidemics is that they remind us of personal fate. Despite precautions, medical care, age or wealth, anyone can draw the unlucky number. Fate and death, many a writer’s favorite subjects.”

Alejo Carpentier, born in France and raised in Havana, was one of the first writers to use the style called “lo real maravilloso,” highlighting the fantastical qualities of Latin American history and culture —and even its geography and meteorological conditions— and applying them to fiction and chronicles, as in his 1949 novel El reino de este mundo (The Kingdom of This World). Another Cuban writer, Guillermo Cabrera Infante, employed some of the qualities of magical realism, including in his seminal Tres Tristes Tigres (Three Trapped Tigers) also published in 1967. García Márquez knew both of these authors, and had met renowned Cuban writer Nicolás Guillén in Paris in 1955, sparking his interest in Cuba both for its literary personalities and in the promises of the Cuban revolution.

A key institution in the consolidation of a Latin American literature was the Casa de las Américas, established in Havana after the Cuban revolution, which soon became a mecca of sorts for the Latin American literati. The cultural activities of the Casa —including conferences that convened writers from across the region, and prestigious prizes— strengthened the region’s cultural autonomy, and in turn the commercial success of what would become the New Latin American Novel. 

A key institution in the consolidation of a Latin American literature was the Casa de las Américas, established in Havana after the Cuban revolution, which soon became a mecca of sorts for the Latin American literati, including García Márquez.

At the start of the Cold War, the region —including Cuba— became fair game for a parallel cultural battle between the US and the Soviet Union. As the USSR and China moved to translate more and more literature into Spanish, and Latin American literature into Russian and Chinese, the US also began to publish more English-language translations of work from Latin America.

It’s well-known that García Márquez and Fidel Castro were life-long friends, despite controversy over Castro’s handling of the Padilla Affair in 1971, which divided the intellectual community and led to many prominent writers disassociating with Cuba. Among the many cities where García Márquez lived with his wife Mercedes, the couple spent time in Havana in a house gifted to them by Castro himself. It’s said that ever since Castro once mentioned to García Márquez that he had found a technical inaccuracy about a boat detail in one of his books, the author also relied on Castro to proofread his manuscripts. 

Photo courtesy of the Harry Ransom Center.

Rather than the two men’s friendship being divisive for the author’s readership, Edith Grossman, translator of several of the books into English, said that “his political loyalties and support of Fidel Castro aren’t crucial to his books.”

“If there was one person that wasn’t afraid to criticize Castro, it was García Márquez.”

Stéphanie Panichelli-Batalla, author of Fidel and Gabo: A portrait of the legendary friendship between Fidel Castro and Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Peruvian Nobel Prize-winning writer Mario Vargas Llosa, himself a close friend of Garcia Marquez at that time, called the author “Castro’s lackey.” However, the authors of the 2014 book Fidel and Gabo: A portrait of the legendary friendship between Fidel Castro and Gabriel Garcia Marquez noted that in their many interviews conducted as research for the book, everyone concurred: if there was one person that wasn’t afraid to criticize Castro, it was García Márquez. 

Ascent to Glory author Álvaro Santana-Acuña

Despite García Márquez’s wish that his literary works never be adapted for the small screen, his sons Rodrigo and Gonzalo are collaborating on a new Netflix series of One Hundred Years of Solitude, which will surely expand the reach of the novel, perpetuating its status as a universal classic. 

In 1967, when he completed the novel, García Márquez was not a universally-known author. The fantastical style of writing in the novel, and its setting in a remote Caribbean village, as well as the small publishing house that first released the novel, were hardly the usual ingredients for success in the literary marketplace. Yet today it ranks among the best-selling books of all time.

Startup Cuba is a media platform existing to create world-class, digestible content that builds bridges. We got our name from our initial nine-episode documentary series on Facebook about Cuba’s cuentapropistas (entrepreneurs) which drove over 7 million video views in its first twenty-four months. Today, Startup Cuba continues to grow, creating a broader lifestyle content mix in the space between Cuba and the United States as well as Puerto Rico and Latinx segments throughout the country. 

Topics of interest are personality-driven and include pop culture and music, featured current events, climate and the environment, and travel and tastemakers. Working with our network of content creators, writers, and social media influencers throughout the US and Cuba we leverage our skill sets to inform, entertain and show that at the end of the day our differences are what bring us together.

We’re 100% independent. As a business, we work with top brands to drive authentic, grassroots activations that resonate and drive connection with our audience and theirs. For more information on partnership, advertising, or content creation opportunities, please contact us. We welcome a discussion and send besos (t-shirts) to all—a habit we can’t break.

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Here are 10 famous people you may not have known were Cuban-American but you’ll want to. Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon is Madonna’s daughter.

A few weeks ago, I got in the back of a  Lyft on my way to the airport and with just a few words –  JetBlue terminal, right?” – I knew I was in the presence of a fellow Cuban-American. So I confirmed by asking, “Eres Cubano?” and the driver replied with a sly look in the rear view mirror, “Si!”  The rest of the ride was chatter-filled delight despite the crazy rush hour traffic.

One of my life’s sweet joys is discovering a fellow Cuban and feeling like I’m home, regardless of where I am. The immediacy of connection, the familiarity, the plunging into the mother tongue and then, the flurry of questions that follows , got me thinking about Cuban-Americans walking among us or dearly remembered. 

During this National Hispanic month, here are 10 people you may not have known were Cuban-American but you’ll want to!

The Mandalorian actor and musician hails from good stock! The son of Cuban-American and Italian actor Bobby Cannavale and actress and screenwriter Jenny Lumet, he counts Sidney Lumet and Lena Horne among the branches in his family tree. Clearly taking on the family business ,this young talent has appeared on Broadway in the comedy Fish in the Dark by Larry David and on television in and Disney’s hit show.

This actress, producer and voice-over talent has a well known resume that includes Rent and several roles in comic book adaptations.  She hails from Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican ancestry and is also known as being Senator Cory Booker’s boo. Beyond her film career, her star shines bright in the philanthropic and advocacy world. She supports causes for women, voting rights and access to film-making for underrepresented communities.

Known as “Lola” to her friends and the self-proclaimed “Latin from Manhattan”, she’s the smoldering gorgeous daughter of Madonna and personal trainer-turned-actor, Carlos Leon. Lourdes has been hiding in plain sight and is now having her moment. She is the new face of designer Marc Jacobs’ advertising campaign and features in a viral campaign for Stella McCartney. According to a recent Vanity Fair article, during her first trip to Cuba she discovered, “I look like my grandmother, and my family members were all freaking out, grabbing my face.” “That diaspora engine yanks you back.”

Long gone but never forgotten, the cultural icon, Brat Packer and multi-threat talent (singer, dancer, musician, comedian) was born in Harlem to an African-American father and an Afro-Cuban mother (a fact he denied because he feared anti-Cuban backlash). He was a man of his time who engaged in the Civil Rights movement and fought for the right to have inter-racial marriages. He also converted to Judaism as he felt a kinship between the struggle of Blacks and Jews. For audiences interested in discovering the person known as “the greatest entertainer of all time”, check out the documentary Sammy Davis Jr: I’ve Gotta Be Me.

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Before becoming an award-winning actor, Oscar Isaac was lead guitarist and vocalist in the band Blinking Underdogs. Born to a Guatemalan mother and a Cuban father, Isaac was born in Guatemala and moved to Miami as a baby. Deeply committed to his craft, Isaac has an impressive list of film credits with two new movies out this year: Scenes from a Marriage and Dune. Isaac will be playing Francis Ford Coppola in the film Francis and The Godfather. And, he has joined the Marvel Universe in the upcoming tv series Moon Knight which is a good thing because we can’t get enough of him.

Before “Fifty Shades of Grey”, there was Anais Nin, a diarist and novelist who wrote short stories and erotica. Born to Cuban parents in France, Nin kept detailed diaries of her life and relationships which included a long and deeply imprinting affair with fellow author Henry Miller. An early feminist, her books (especially Delta of Venus) are considered controversial for their day because they featured women’s pleasure. Perhaps it explains one of her famous quotes: “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” To learn more about this fearless trail-blazer, watch the film Henry and June which captures the intimate story of one woman’s sexual awakening.

Born Maria de la Soledad Teresa O’Brien, this award-winning journalist and producer is also an entrepreneur and chairwoman of Starfish Media Group. Her parents were both immigrants who met in college. O’Brien’s name is a glorious mash of her cultural heritage reflecting her father’s Scottish and Irish descent and her mother’s Afro-Cuban background. Soledad is a long-time advocate for the Latino community. She can be heard on the podcast Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien, offering original reporting from around the globe. As she has been known to say, “when you have a name like mine, you have some explaining to do.”

December 19, 2022

Mall Santa, all I want for Xmas is to interview Ana de Armas. That’s all I need to believe in the miracle of the 1995 shopping mall Santa.

Hailing from Florida, this New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Next Year in Havana, When We Left Cuba, The Last Train to Key West, and The Most Beautiful Girl in the World has created an incredible body of Cuba-centric stories. It’s not surprising given that she grew up surrounded by the stories of her family’s exodus from Cuba. What might surprise you is that in addition to being a bestselling author, she’s got a master’s degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a law degree from the University of South Carolina Law School.

Yoel Romero Palacio is a Cuban-American professional mixed martial artist (MMA) and former freestyle wrestler. He’s a World Champion and an Olympic medalist for Cuba. Born in Pinar del Rio to a family of fighters, Yoel got his practice in wrestling and fighting with his brother Pablo; also a well-known boxer. A self-declared Christian, Yoel is also a vocal advocate for the #SOSCuba movement.

December 1, 2023

Top bartenders and mixologists from around the world pitched up in Cuba’s top beach resort last year to compete in the IBA World Cocktail Championship shining a spotlight on global drinks and craft cocktails.

Cuban-American Yas Gonzalez has created an enviable fashion line with her creations. She is the creative director of House of Yas. It’s a fashion house that specializes in creating pieces that are guaranteed to turn heads; where haute couture meets Caribbean flair. And turn heads it does with a slew of talented celebrities from Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Gente de Zona wearing her creations. Her newest collection “Forever Cuba” is inspired by Cuba’s most nostalgic places. Her fashion has appeared in magazines and fashion shows around the world and it’s not lost on me that Yas sounds very close to “YES!”

Journalist Claire Boobbyer guides us through a bike tour of Havana street art and the city’s most impressive graffiti.

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Meet Cínikos, the young alternative rock group crowdfunding their way to success in Cuba.

Samuel Riera’s Art Brut Cuba opens channels for Outsider Artists to sell their art when they otherwise couldn’t earn a living from their work.

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Some statues are of well-known personalities like John Lennon and Ernest Hemingway. Others are mysterious characters known only to a few.

Mall Santa, all I want for Xmas is to interview Ana de Armas. That’s all I need to believe in the miracle of the 1995 shopping mall Santa.

Cuban art has been known to be expressed through celebration—here are some of the best annual art and music festivals the island has to offer.

In the first of our new series, where we introduce you to nuestros escritores, we’re excited for you to meet Kate Oberdorfer.

It is the best book on Cuba that I’ve ever read – void of political heat, the pick this side or that side adventure narrative.

There are few young people in the artistic community who aren’t familiar with the name Abel Lescay.

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“I believe that the place where you are born and grow up builds you as a person, your character and your spirit.”

Amigo Skate’s Rene Lecour has been bringing skateboards into Cuba for a decade. Next up: he’s planning the first ever cross island trek.

Inspired by the Rolling Stones’ visit to Havana, BandEra Studio was created to support the Cuban rock scene and prop up new musical talent. Where do things stand today?

After almost three years, one would expect that, for many reasons, this year’s Havana World Music Festival would be atypical. It was. But, it was also better.

Samuel Riera’s Art Brut Cuba opens channels for Outsider Artists to sell their art when they otherwise couldn’t earn a living from their work.

Some statues are of well-known personalities like John Lennon and Ernest Hemingway. Others are mysterious characters known only to a few.

Cuban art has been known to be expressed through celebration—here are some of the best annual art and music festivals the island has to offer.

There are few young people in the artistic community who aren’t familiar with the name Abel Lescay.

Inspired by the Rolling Stones’ visit to Havana, BandEra Studio was created to support the Cuban rock scene and prop up new musical talent. Where do things stand today?

After almost three years, one would expect that, for many reasons, this year’s Havana World Music Festival would be atypical. It was. But, it was also better.

The almighty power of a plastic flip-flop being wielded by an abuelita, mamá, or angry tía, was enough to transform us into angels, albeit temporarily.

Plus a bonus that will make the rum drinkers cry every time a new bottle is opened and St. Anthony’s position for love.

Carmen Pelaez’s new romantic political comedy, The Cuban Vote, is partly personal and partly an investigation into the insane world of Miami politics.

Every March, for 19 years, this Cuban festival has brought together national and international percussionists.

There are many reasons why this film is revered by audiences, including its precise, and perfect representation of Latino culture.

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Journalist Mónica Rivero Cabrera spent two weeks at an isolation center upon returning to Cuba. Here she documents how the streets of Havana look in the times of Coronavirus. The author spent two weeks in this isolation center upon arriving home to Cuba. Photo credit: Mónica Rivero Cabrera

COVID-19 in Cuba is in some ways like every other country. In many ways, not at all. Over a month has passed since I returned to Havana, but the Coronavirus pandemic stretches time in such a way that my days at the Cronkite School of Journalism and Communications in Phoenix, Arizona, now seem as distant as if they were from another lifetime.

The country I left behind also seems to be a world away. Two months ago, when, like other international students, I returned to my home country, the US was reporting fewer than 500 deaths from the SARS-CoV-2 virus and approximately 4,000 infections. Now I find it hard to fathom the statistics that I scan every day, watching the numbers skyrocket by the thousands in a matter of hours, overwhelming figures that blur individual faces and stories in the midst of this great collective tragedy.

The Coronavirus pandemic stretches time in such a way that my days in Phoenix, Arizona, now seem as distant as if they were from another lifetime.

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My return to Cuba was not, in a way, direct. The day I arrived, a health surveillance isolation protocol was in effect. Every traveler who entered the country beginning on Tuesday, March 24th, instead of going home with the recommendation to self-isolate, as had been the case previously, was admitted to an institution where their health would be monitored. So, as soon as I touched down at José Martí International Airport, I was taken to this dormitory-style facility where I would spend the next two weeks.

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The objective was to prevent people carrying the virus —whether or not they reported symptoms or had any manifestation of the disease— from coming into contact with family and friends in Cuba.

From the first three confirmed Coronavirus cases on the island, on March 11th, a protocol was put in place that included measures aimed primarily at preventing the spread of this type of contact with foreigners or Cubans from other countries. However, Cuba was not among the first countries in the region to close the borders and schools and other public institutions. Cuban social media users published strong criticism regarding the absence of these two measures, until their application was announced later in March.

Photo credit: Mónica Rivero Cabrera

Every morning, we collectively watch a televised report by the director of Epidemiology at the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Francisco Durán. The daily update focuses on the numbers: announcing the total number of cases of COVID-19 in Cuba reached, patients hospitalized, cases in a critical and serious condition, how many have been discharged, and deaths reported. At the end, Dr. Durán takes questions from the press, often requests for details about geographic areas under special quarantine and the evolution of protocols.

The serious, gray-haired doctor has quickly won over the public with his empathetic style and credibility. Patrick Oppmann, a CNN correspondent in Havana, predicts that Dr. Durán will never have to pay for a cup of coffee for the rest of his life.

The growth of infections from COVID-19 in Cuba remains relatively stable, but gone are the days when they could be counted on one hand. The pace has begun to accelerate.

Medical personnel are going house to house to identify people with respiratory symptoms. And people continue to take to the streets, some out of irresponsibility and others out of necessity. It’s difficult to distinguish one reason from the other because going out and queuing, often for hours at a time in close proximity to others and under the hot sun, is the only way to obtain food and toiletries. 

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Photo credit: Mónica Rivero Cabrera Photo credit: Mónica Rivero Cabrera

The authorities have taken rationing measures so that each family can acquire the essentials. Online shopping services were enabled, but they collapsed within days because the infrastructure couldn’t handle the demand brought on by COVID-19 in Cuba.

We Cubans have lived in precarious conditions for decades. We must have gotten used to not finding everything we need, not even the majority of the things. We’ve survived hurricanes, floods, decades of domestic mismanagement, and economic warfare.

My country has a chronic scarcity problem, a deficiency in the production and distribution of goods and services. And now, there’s an additional confluence of several factors: a lack of supplies; the fact that this unprecedented crisis is worldwide and the support that can be received from abroad will be limited; and lastly, the US government continues to enforce commercial and financial barriers, complicating any attempt by Cubans to procure resources for daily life. This tightening of sanctions on the part of the current US administration is especially punishing in a crisis situation like this one.

Carlos Lazo, a Cuban American teacher living in Seattle who became well-known after bringing his students on an educational trip to Cuba, addressed a letter to President Trump, asking that sanctions be relaxed at least until the pandemic is over.

While in other countries life has moved online —with remote academic training and work, concerts, virtual visits to museums and galleries, movie streaming, conferences and meetings by Zoom— Cuba has returned to “teleclasses,” using a state TV channel to keep students up to date, while remote work options are limited by scarce and expensive internet connection.

Unable to pay for Netflix, Cubans resort to el paquete — primarily AV content that someone stores and distribute, filling external drives with 1 TB of programs, series, and movies available to their clients for $2–3. It works as an unofficial distributor of internet content, disconnected from the web and with a physical home delivery service — a hybrid between the analog and physical world, and the digital and intangible one that alleviates the need for information and entertainment.

While in other countries life has moved online… Cuba has returned to “teleclasses,” using a state TV channel to keep students up to date, while remote work options are limited by scarce and expensive internet connection.

We can also use mobile data on our cell phones, a service that was enabled just over a year ago in Cuba; but the consumption of just 1GB costs the equivalent of $10, or 25% of the typical monthly salary. Buying the cheapest plan, you get another gigabyte at no cost, but the demand is still so high that data —and cash— are running out almost as quickly as drinking water.

I know this first-hand because I created a Facebook group with the idea that my friends (and friends of friends) share their views from quarantine —what they see around them— and together we create a visual map of our experiences. Keeping up with the group requires time… and data.

For those of us who are able to stay home, unlike millions of people on this planet starting with medical and health personnel, our daily landscapes have changed, but they have not necessarily been reduced. Some have discovered that they co-habitate with spiders, beetles, squirrels, and other creatures that they’ve never paid attention to before. These days pets and plants are essential company for those who were normally surrounded by people, and now are limited to the privacy of their homes, who can go for days without seeing another human being.

Photo credit: Mónica Rivero Cabrera

We are living through a surreal time, when it seems that we’re part of a strange experiment, a sociological, political, economic rehearsal for some future time. Our reaction has been to mitigate loneliness and maintain the connection between us, to keep our compass facing North, now that we have no idea whether it’s Monday or Saturday, or morning or afternoon, when we await daily reports of the fallen in an invisible war that has changed our lives in a way that none of us can even suspect.

This article was translated by Erin Goodman.

Last Updated: April 1st, 2020

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We may allow third parties, including but not limited to our authorized service providers, advertising companies, corporate partners, and ad networks, to display advertisements through the Services. These companies may use tracking technologies, such as cookies, to collect information about users who view or interact with their advertisements. This information may allow them to deliver targeted advertisements and gauge their effectiveness. Some of these third-party advertising companies may be advertising networks that are members of the Network Advertising Initiative, which offers a single location to opt out of ad targeting from member companies (www.networkadvertising.org). Additionally, please see http://www.youradchoices.com to further understand targeted advertising and your choices about it.

When you use our Services or connect through certain third party social networking sites (“SNS”) (including Facebook and Twitter), you allow us to (a) access and/or collect certain information from your profile/account (such as your “real” name, email address and other information you make publicly available via the SNS) or via any cookies placed on your device by such SNS as permitted by the terms of the agreement and your privacy settings with the SNS, and (b) use that information to create your account. We will share such information with the Third Party Platform for their use as permitted by the terms of the agreement and your privacy setting with the Third Party Platform.

We will share some of the information we collect from you upon install and usage of the Services with vendors, research organizations, and other service providers who are engaged by or working with us in connection with the operation of the services we provide to you and/or for analytics purposes or studies, for us or for them, which may require the reproduction and display of such information in an aggregated and anonymized manner such that will not in any way identify you.

When you provide us with personal information, that information may be sent to servers located in the United States and other countries around the world.

Generally, we may use information that we collect about you to:

• facilitate and enhance your use of the Services;
• manage your account and provide you with customer support;
• perform research and analysis about your use of, or interest in, the App, Services, and content provided by us, or products, services and content offered by others;
• communicate with you by e-mail, postal mail, telephone social media and/or mobile devices about products or services that may be of interest to you either from us or other third parties;
• develop and display content and advertising tailored to your interests as reflected by your use of the Services;
• verify your eligibility and deliver prizes in connection with contests and sweepstakes;
• enforce our Terms of Use;
• manage our business; and
• perform functions as otherwise described to you at the time of collection.

We want you to understand when and with whom we may share personal or other information we have collected about Users while using our Services.

Public information. Any information (i) you place in a User profile, such as your username, any photographs you upload, and descriptive information about your or; (ii) or content you post or provide to us via other channels, in any manner whatsoever, including but not limited to written, photographic or video; or (iii) otherwise posted by you to a public portion of the Services, whether posted directly or obtained through a SNS is completely public and could be indexed by Internet search engines. As such, by providing us with that information, you acknowledge that you have no reasonable expectation of privacy in it and that it may be used for any purpose. As noted above, you should exercise due care in revealing information through these public portions of the Services.

Other personal information. We do not share personal information about Users with others except as indicated below or when we inform you and give you an opportunity to opt out of having your personal information shared. We may share personal information with:

Authorized agents and service providers: We may share User personal information, which may include name and contact information (including e-mail address) with our authorized agents and service providers that perform certain services on our behalf. These services may include maintaining our servers, fulfilling subscription requests, providing customer service and marketing assistance, performing business and sales analysis, supporting the functionality of the Services, providing payment fulfillment and reconciliation services, and supporting rewards programs, surveys and other features. These agents and service providers may have access to personal information needed to perform their functions but are not permitted to share or use such information for any other purposes.

Business partners: When you make purchases or engage in promotions offered through the Services, we may share personal information with the businesses, such as Third Party Platforms, with which we partner to offer you those products, services, promotions, or rewards. When you elect to engage in a particular offer or program, you authorize us to provide your e-mail address and other information to the associated merchant, if any. We will always provide you with the opportunity not to share information with these businesses. Other Situations: We also may disclose your information, including personal information: In response to a subpoena or similar investigative demand, a court order, or a request for cooperation from law enforcement or other government agencies; to establish or exercise our legal rights; to defend against legal claims; or as otherwise required by law. In such cases, we may raise or waive any legal objection or right available to us.

When we believe disclosure is appropriate in connection with efforts to investigate, prevent, or take other action regarding illegal activity, suspected fraud or other wrongdoing; to protect and defend the rights, property or safety of our company, our users, our employees, or others; to comply with applicable law or cooperate with law enforcement; or to enforce the Terms of Use or other agreements or policies. Any third parties to whom we may disclose personal information may have their own privacy policies that describe how they use and disclose personal information. Those policies will govern use, handling and disclosure of your personal information once we have shared it with those third parties as described in this Privacy Policy. If you want to learn more about their privacy practices, we encourage you to visit the websites of those third parties. These entities or their servers may be located either inside or outside the United States.

Aggregated and non-personal information. We may share aggregated and non-personal information we collect under any of the above circumstances. We may also share it with third parties to develop and deliver targeted advertising through the Services and on websites of third parties. We may combine non-personal information we collect with additional non-personal information collected from other sources. We also may share aggregated information with third parties, including advisors, advertisers and investors, for the purpose of conducting general business analysis. For example, we may tell advertisers or investors the number ofdaily active users on the App and the most popular features people have accessed. This information does not contain any personal information and may be used to develop content and services that we hope you and other users will find of interest and to target content and advertising.

In the event that we or any portion of the business represented by the Services, are acquired by or merged with a third party entity, we reserve the right, in any of these or similar circumstances, to transfer or assign any or all of the information we have collected as part of such merger, acquisition, sale, or other change of control.

In the event of our bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, or assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the application of laws or equitable principles affecting creditors’ rights generally, we may not be able to control how your personal information is treated, transferred, or used.

Through the Services, you may be able to click on a link to access other platforms that do not operate under this Privacy Policy. For example, if you click on a link to an external article, you may be taken to a website or platform that we do not control. These third-party websites, apps and platforms may independently solicit and collect information, including personal information, from you and, in some instances, provide us with information about your activities on those websites, apps and platforms. We recommend that you consult the privacy policies of all third-parties you visit by clicking on the “privacy” link typically located at the bottom of their website.

If you are a User, you have the ability to review and update the information you have provided us by logging into your account and adjusting your settings or by contacting us at the e-mail address provided below in the “How to contact us” section of this Privacy Policy.

Closing your account. If you are a User, you may choose to resign and close your account at any time by emailing us at the email address provided below in the “How to contact us” section of this Privacy Policy. After you close your account, you will not be able to sign in to the Services or access any of the information you have provided us. Upon closing your account, your public profile information will no longer be accessible from the Services, but may still be cached by Internet search engines.

Retention of information. If you close your account, we may still retain certain information associated with your account for analytical purposes and record keeping integrity, as well as to prevent fraud, collect any fees owed, enforce our terms and conditions, take actions we deem necessary to protect the integrity of our App or our users, or take other actions otherwise permitted by law. Further, because of the complexities of the technology involved, we cannot guarantee total or irrevocable deletion of your account information, and we cannot provide you with any specific timelines for deletion. In addition, if certain information has already been provided to third parties as described in this Privacy Policy, retention of that information will be subject to those third parties’ policies.

You can choose not to provide us with certain information, but that may result in you being unable to use some features of the Services.

Further, to the extent we send commercial or promotional notifications or e-mails to Users, you will be able to opt-out of receiving those e-mails or notifications, either in your settings, your phone’s settings, or within the body of any such e-mail.

In addition, if we have already provided your information to a third party (such as a service provider) before you have changed your preferences or updated your information, you may have to change your preferences directly with that third party.

We may send you, as a User, other types of transactional and relationship e-mail communications and notifications, such as service announcements, administrative notices, and surveys, without offering you the opportunity to opt-out of receiving them, as our ability to communicate with you in some instances is necessary for your use of the Services as a User.

Please note that changing information in your account, or otherwise opting-out of receipt of certain e-mail communications, will only affect future activities or communications from us.

We take appropriate security measures (including physical, electronic and procedural measures) to help safeguard your personal information from unauthorized access and disclosure. For example, only authorized employees and third parties who have agreed to be bound by confidentiality restrictions, such as consultants, may be permitted to access personal information, and they may do so only for permitted business functions. In addition, we use SSL encryption in the transmission of your sensitive personal information between your system and ours, and we use firewalls to help prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to your personal information.

We want you to feel confident using the Services. However, no system can be completely secure. Therefore, although we take steps to secure your information, we do not promise, and you should not expect, that your personal information, searches, or other communications will always remain secure. Users should also take care with how they handle and disclose their personal information and should avoid sending personal information through insecure e-mail. Please refer to the Federal Trade Commission’s website at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menus/consumer/data.shtm for information about how to protect yourself against identity theft.

Although the Services are meant for a general audience, we restrict their use to individuals age 18 and above. We do not knowingly seek or collect personal information from children under the age of 13.

This Privacy Policy is intended to cover collection of information from residents of the United States. If you are accessing the Services from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located and our central database is operated. The data protection and other laws of the United States and other countries might not be as comprehensive as those in your country. Please be assured that we seek to take reasonable steps to ensure that your privacy is protected. By using the Services, you understand that your information may be transferred to our facilities and those third parties with whom we share it as described in this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy does not create rights enforceable by third parties or require disclosure of any personal information relating to users of the Services.

We will occasionally update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices and in the Services. When we post changes to this Privacy Policy, we will revise the “last updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy. If we make any material changes in the way we collect, use, and/or share your personal information, we will notify you by sending an e-mail to the e-mail address you most recently provided us in your account, profile or registration (unless we do not have such an e-mail address), and/or by prominently posting notice of the changes through the Services. We recommend that you check the Services from time to time to inform yourself of any changes in this Privacy Policy or any of our other policies.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our information-handling practices, or if you would like to request information about our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes, please contact us by e-mail at [email protected] or postal mail as follows:

Privacy Officer 
VERV EXP, LLC
P.O. Box 643


Weston, MA 02493.

Here are 10 famous people you may not have known were Cuban-American but you’ll want to.

Meet Cínikos, the young alternative rock group crowdfunding their way to success in Cuba.

CANDELA Book Club co-founder, Leilani Bruce, walks us through Andrea Queeley’s book to learn more about the Anglo-Caribbean influence in Cuba.

Mall Santa, all I want for Xmas is to interview Ana de Armas. That’s all I need to believe in the miracle of the 1995 shopping mall Santa.

In the first of our new series, where we introduce you to nuestros escritores, we’re excited for you to meet Kate Oberdorfer.

It is the best book on Cuba that I’ve ever read – void of political heat, the pick this side or that side adventure narrative.

Being a woman in Cuba these days means reinventing yourself, confronting a machista society and looking for innovative solutions.

“I believe that the place where you are born and grow up builds you as a person, your character and your spirit.”

Amigo Skate’s Rene Lecour has been bringing skateboards into Cuba for a decade. Next up: he’s planning the first ever cross island trek.

With elements of history, magic, and thriller, this is a brilliant new novel that explores magical realism in the modern age and is well worth reading.

Cuban journalist Yariel Valdes Gonzalez started his career in Santa Clara as a reporter for the state-owned newspaper Vanguardia. He came to the United States in 2019.

While most romance novels involve a meet-cute, and a build-up to the relationship, Alexis Daria’s “A Lot Like Adiós” jumps right in.

Dr. Helen Yaffe’s new documentary presents a cautiously hopeful perspective highlighting Cuba’s leadership on the subject.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN’s Havana bureau chief, talks to Startup Cuba about living in Cuba as an American journalist.

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Quiara Alegría Hudes’ My Broken Language is a journey of self-exploration, belonging and personal identiy.

From Argentina to Venezuela, this list of Latin American books from 15 different authors will inspire and connect you.

Puerto Rico Covid restrictions have eased up. Journalist Laura N. Pérez Sánchez writes about her experiences going to the beach for the first time. At Laguna del Condado, a few swimmers cool off from the heat plaguing San Juan in late May, when Puerto Rican students usually start their summer vacations. Photo credit: Laura N. Pérez Sánchez. 

San Juan, PR — I just returned from taking my first dip in the ocean, after the Puerto Rican government began to relax the restrictions that have kept us indoors for the past ten weeks. I walked to the beach closest to my house, and on the half-hour stroll I encountered several walkers with masks on their faces or around their necks, and suspicion in their eyes.

Quarantine time can be measured in stages: first, disbelief at the pandemic itself; then, solidarity as we discovered and gave names to the terrible effects of confinement. Puerto Rico was one of the first countries to impose a near-lockdown on its citizens. Later, the incessant complaints about the Puerto Rican government began to pile up — one day we’d discuss new corruption allegations, and the next, the most recent ineptitude. Each phase leads to the next, like a math class in which you have to master the first skill before advancing to the next level.

And with all these changes and the easing of quarantine in Puerto Rico —as in other parts of the world— we enter a new phase that I call COVID-shaming.

At the end of last week, the governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez, announced the reopening of most sectors of the Puerto Rican economy as of Tuesday, May 26, 72 days after lockdown began. But the curfew that has been in place since the first day of quarantine will not be altered: the government forbids being out between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. 

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The Puerto Rican government ordered citizens to wear face masks when they are outside their homes. Not everyone abides by the guideline, but some do so even while exercising in the Caribbean sun. Photo credit: Laura N. Pérez Sánchez.  Photo credit: Laura N. Pérez Sánchez

Related Post: Puerto Rican Drummer Henry Cole Is a Master of his Craft

It was in anticipation of that opening that Governor Vázquez announced that she would relax the rules that had even prohibited us islanders from dipping our feet in the sea. And with all these changes and the easing of quarantine in Puerto Rico —as in other parts of the world— we enter a new phase that I call COVID-shaming.

Official government figures indicate that, as of this writing, 3,260 cases of Sars-CoV-2 have been identified in Puerto Rico and 129 people have died here from Covid-19. For a nation of around 3.2M residents, these figures look relatively mild compared to most American states; the problem is that our government has failed to properly collect data on the epidemic.

Related Post: COVID-19 in Cuba: On Cuban Time

First, the Puerto Rican government admitted that to obtain the figure of total positive cases, they had simply added up all of the positive tests, regardless of whether more than one corresponded to the same patient. That is, if I took a diagnostic test that confirmed that I was a carrier of the virus and, two weeks later, I repeated it to find out if I could stop isolating, but I still tested positive, the government added both results to its tally of cases in the country.

On Tuesday, May 26, most businesses in Puerto Rico —including those for pet grooming— were able to resume operations, although they must follow protocols to minimize the spread of coronavirus. Photo credit: Laura N. Pérez Sánchez. 

Even though the Puerto Rican Department of Health assured us that it corrected the numbers after recognizing the error, the statistics it offers are not very useful for understanding the contagion curve, since, as other states and the United States Centers for Disease Control have done, it adds up the positive results of both diagnostic tests and tests for antibodies, which don’t measure the same thing.

And so, with that picture of uncertainty and statistical blindness, we boricuas who had been following the strict stay-at-home measures prepared to leave confinement. Some do it voluntarily, while others are forced to get back to a job that must be done face to face or because they have no choice but to take to the streets to make a living.

Craving a dip in the ocean like never before in my life, I decided to go to the beach, knowing full well that if there were crowds, I would have to turn back.

Governor Vázquez reported that although we’re not yet permitted to spend the day lying in the sand at the beach, people could visit them to swim or exercise, without the usual coolers or groups of friends.

As soon as this decision was announced, social media in Puerto Rico exploded with a somewhat anticipated tirade. There was no end to the predictions that, throughout the weekend, our shores would be crowded with beachgoers, who would arrive with typical aluminum pots loaded with arroz con pollo (a delicious and hearty lunch for a beach day, commonly used to single out the customs of our poorest families). People anticipated dirty beaches with beer cans and facemasks strewn about.

As we say in my country, he who seeks shall find. And the Covid-shaming killjoys soon hunted down the digital evidence they sought: photos of beaches, who knows where, crowded with people and without the recommended physical distancing; images of a mile-long row of cars on a very popular beach road in Puerto Rico (where not a single person was to be seen).

Craving a dip in the ocean like never before in my life, I decided to go to the beach, knowing full well that if there were crowds, I would have to turn back. With that possibility in my pocket, I made my way under a sun that burned me as if, because of the confinement, it no longer recognized my Caribbean skin.

Public, state-run beach facilities remain closed and it is forbidden to spend the day in the sand, but people can visit the beaches, such as El Escambrón, in San Juan, to take a dip and exercise… without crowding. Photo credit: Laura N. Pérez Sánchez.

I decided to approach the beach from the least accessible area, anticipating that people, as usual, would bunch up near the main entrance. After skirting the ruins of a sports complex that blocks the coastline, I climbed a hill, which, in addition to being a hill, is also a breakwater. It’s the perfect vantage point, since it offers an unobstructed view of the expansive beach, the rock in the middle of the sea where a Puerto Rican flag flies and, at the end of the horizon, the Castillo de San Felipe del Morro. And there, between El Morro, the flag and the sand, and despite the auguries about the crowds, what I found were eight solitary swimmers who, separated by dozens of feet, enjoyed, as I did, a first pandemic dip in the sea.

This article was translated by Erin Goodman.

We’re friends with Yoel and Mari and couldn’t be more excited that his immigrant story is being shared nationally, and beyond.

El Bocadito: We’re leading with the story about Yoel Diaz and Marissa Daniella going viral because it’s a killer story and because we’ve been friends with Mari and Yoel long before they became the latest viral sensation. Yoel is a sweet, thoughtful human being. He’s genuinely filled with gratitude for his experiences in the U.S. I recall driving him and Mari around in Boston, without cameras recording at all. He was in genuine awe as we navigated the city’s crooked streets. It was inspiring and we are excited that his immigrant story is being shared with the country. Oh, and his bald head inspired our CALVO Y GUAPO t-shirt, which (plug coming in 3, 2, 1…) is available this season in our holiday store 🎄🕎🎉.

Next up, in a continuation of “duh… what did you expect” news; Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel went to Russia and unveiled as monument with Vladimir Putin. A monument. A f&$king monument. Then he met with China’s leader, Xi Jinping and mutually shared their support of each other’s nations. Hello. “I just called to say I love you.” Oh and I also just called to remind everyone that in the vacuum of relations with the United States, the bad guys will happily take our spot. Look at history and today. Duh. Duh. And, duh. There’s this and more below. And, duh.

By the way, none of the opinions in any of the stories shared on this page represent ours; we’re just sharing them with you. If you are a journalist or you have seen a story that you’d like us to consider for future weekly news roundups, please send us a note and a link to the story here.

 China’s President Xi Jinping arrives to attend the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC summit, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, in Bangkok, Thailand. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Cuban counterpart pledged mutual support over their fellow communist states’ “core interests” Friday, Nov. 25, 2022 at a meeting further hailing a return to face-to-face diplomacy by Beijing. (Jack Taylor/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Cuban counterpart pledged mutual support over their fellow communist states’ “core interests” Friday at a meeting further hailing a return to face-to-face diplomacy by Beijing. Read more at abcnews.com.

February 10, 2023

Samuel Riera’s Art Brut Cuba opens channels for Outsider Artists to sell their art when they otherwise couldn’t earn a living from their work.

A UPS driver went viral after his wife filmed him opening his first paycheck in the United States. Yoel Diaz told CBS News he was so excited because he could barely fill his refrigerator before immigrating from Cuba. Photo: CBS News.

A UPS driver went viral after his wife filmed him opening his first paycheck in the United States. Yoel Diaz told CBS News he was so excited because he could barely fill his refrigerator before immigrating from Cuba. Read more at cbsnews.com.

September 13, 2023

Havana’s modern “international” architecture has Cuba’s urban planners worried.

Photo: Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel unveiled a monument in a north Moscow square on Tuesday to Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, pledging to deepen their friendship in the face of U.S. sanctions against both countries. Read more at reuters.com.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Earlier this week, United Airlines resumed its commercial passenger flights between the United States and Cuba after more than a two-and-a-half-year hiatus. The US carrier now offers two daily flights to Havana International Airport (HAV), one from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and one from Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). Read more at simpleflying.com

Photo: CNN

The shark turns and swims directly at me. There is only open water between us, no cage to protect against the approaching bull shark, the species considered by many scientists to be the most aggressive in the world. Read more at cnn.com.

Coast Guard officials said once the migrants were aboard the cutter, everyone received food water, shelter and basic medical attention. Photo: U.S. Coast Guard

Coast Guard crews repatriated 65 Cuban migrants back to Cuba on Thursday after multiple interdictions off Florida’s coast. Read more at cbsnews.com.

More than 26,000 candidates are running for 12,427 ward positions in Cuba’s local elections on Sunday, November 27, 2022. Photo: Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters

Cuba’s political opposition has accused the government of blocking or spooking its candidates for local elections this Sunday, and is calling on Cubans to abstain from voting. Municipal elections, held every five years, are one of few opportunities ordinary citizens on the island have to directly participate in the electoral process. Read more at aljazeera.com.