Saw a news report about Yoani Sanchez, a Cuban blogger who has been critical of her country's Communist system. She has received the Maria Moors Cabot Prize - a top journalism award from Columbia University. She was hoping to travel to New York City this week to accept the award in person but the Cuban immigration officials have prohibited her from leaving the country. She had received an additional award back in May from an organization in Madrid and was denied permission to travel then as well.
Curiosity got the better of me and I found her blog Generation Y . Today's blog is about selling bricks from a dismantled building on the black market for three pesos. Kids stand watch for the police.
This entry breaks my heart. Pandemic and Detergent. Looking for a bottle of detergent to wash her dishes to help protect her family from H1N1.
I wonder if visitors to Cuba actually see how the common person lives. I wonder if Cuba is like going to some of the Bahamian islands where they bus you to the casinos and never let you venture off the beaten path.
Apparently she dresses as a tourist and slips into internet cafes in tourist hotels to use the internet to get out her message. Read about Yoani in this article from the Havana Journal here.
We really should stop taking our freedoms for granted.
3 comments:
I agree. Freedom is a gift that you have to keep earning.
Always afraid to post controversial stuff. Thanks for the comment.
I absolutely agree. If we don't guard our freedom jealously, we will soon find ourselves living as the Cubans live.
Thanks for the post.
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