Contrary to some speculation, the island continues to see a large number of entrepreneurs operating outside the umbrella of the state, the authors write. The recent rollout of long-awaited measures from the Biden administration to support Cuba’s private sector has reignited debates about the role of the island’s non-state actors. First announced in 2022 but […]

The “change in mentality” touted by Cuban leaders since 2011 does not seem to have occurred yet. The state enterprise sector will continue to bear the principal responsibility for what we will produce and eat. By 2024, Cuba’s economic situation could be considered, at the very least, very complex.[1] During the last three years,[2] various agencies […]

Over the past six decades, both Cuba and the United States have made mistakes in their attempts to assert control over bilateral relations and create instability at the expense of each other. However, it is evident that bilateral dominance is not the solution. Rather, the mutual objective should be elevating of the quality of life […]

A man without a leg, a woman over 80 years old, a couple with a nine-month-old child, a young man with a motor disability—they are all among the Cubans who, in recent months, have arrived at the southern border of the United States of America. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Department […]

Whoever wants to can figure it out. Someone who can atomize the many times we went from a supposed social rearmament as a nation, to a global dialectic, convalescing and supine. Someone? Is there anyone left in this country? Could someone, perhaps, sing me their version of the events? I was happy barefoot between the […]

“The main thing about a troubadour, and I don’t want to be absolute,But it’s about the female affair, going after the girl.The guitar is a pretext (…)”Fernando Bécquer, in an interview with Oni Acosta (2017) In October 2017, the New York Times published numerous reports and complaints from actresses against the film producer and executive […]

“No, you do not appear in the video. Relax. Don’t take the bait, and don’t open the link. Close the chat, change your password, and report the problem. For weeks, Cuban Facebook users have denounced mysterious messages arriving through Messenger. “Is that you in the video?”, they read, followed by a few emojis showing amazement, […]

Cuba, a country with a rapidly aging demography, is experiencing a growing migratory wave, that started before the Covid-19 pandemic, due to its overlapping social, economic, and political crises. Most of those who emigrate form part of the country’s economically active sectors. Among their motivations for migrating is to help support their families on the […]

In June of 2020, the Cuba Study Group launched Nuevos Espacios as a platform for essential voices and trends transforming Cuban society. Over the past two years, we published blog posts authored by Cuban authors, professionals, and journalists like Carlos Manuel Alvarez, Ricardo Torres, Manuel Cuesta Morúa, Carlos Lechuga, Miriam Leiva, Glenda Boza, Maria Lucia […]

I Since the end of 2019, humanity has been devastated by a terrible pandemic. Among its consequences, a collapse of the most solid health care systems, seemingly entrenched governments fallen like houses of cards, and countries famous for their stability experienced social upheavals. Cuba was no exception. The pandemic proved a severe test for the […]

Cubans who live on the island frequently come across messages like the one that titles this article. For many, it is not a problem, having already resigned themselves to living with endless restrictions, including virtual ones. But, what happens when entrepreneurs in Cuba need “unavailable applications”? There are numerous mobile and web applications (or “apps”) […]

The last six years have seen a rise in Cuban initiatives on online platforms. The phenomenon has gained momentum after the expansion of the Internet’s infrastructure with the use of mobile data networks. In the midst of this context, several projects have been developed domestically through the use of crowdfunding, which has become a gateway […]

Cuba’s difficult financial situation is no secret to anyone, especially in these last five years. But it is also the result of structural issues that have weighed on the economy since a fairly long time ago. Multiple factors affect the Cuban economy, from the tightening of U.S. sanctions to internal problems such as non-compliance with […]

When we talk about online sales in Cuba, some sites that have operated for decades come to mind: Revolico, Bachecubano, Porlalivre, Cubísima, Promociones, among others. These are known as classified ad portals where Cubans publish their products and connect with potential customers by phone or email. Likewise, thousands of announcements can be found daily in […]

It’s difficult to succinctly encompass the complexity of the past few years. The economic crisis, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has had devastating effects on the global economy. Given this international situation, third world countries have been particularly affected. In Cuba’s case, the combination of external factors, an exhausted economic growth model, and the structural […]

Since Cuba’s private sector began to emerge in 2010, entrepreneurs have had to face obstacles related to legal guarantees, distortions in the national market, purchasing resources, importing and exporting products, and accessing financing through legal avenues. More recently, they have had to overcome the inflationary consequences of the “Tarea Ordenamiento,” the Cuban government’s currency “reordering” […]

Cuban society is struggling today with complexities in its governance. The country is going through multiple crises that have heightened tensions to maximum levels—some of these crises are due to the pandemic, and others are the result of misguided economic policies that have been adopted from the so-called “Tarea Ordenamiento.” The situation is aggravated by […]

Despite the crisis that Cuba has been experiencing for years, it seems to be a good moment for entrepreneurship on the island. Contradictory? Not at all. Changes and opportunities are usually born in turbulent times, although they later require a calm environment to develop and stabilize. Trump-era sanctions and COVID-19 have exacerbated problems afflicting the […]

The prolonged emergence of Cuba’s private sector is making headlines once again. On August 20th, 2021, after being postponed several times, long-awaited legal regulations were issued that recognize the private sector as an organic part of the Cuban economic system.[1] Among the most relevant parts of these regulations is the possibility to create small private […]

Ten months have passed since news broke that the image of a Havana cityscape, with its colorful balconies, had become the first NFT (non-fungible token) photograph to be auctioned by an artist residing in Cuba. With the work “Hotel Habana 3/10” by Cuban photographer Gabriel Guerra Bianchini, the island joined the growing global market for […]

In Cuba, the fields of computer science and programming have seen a significant boom after the liberation and expansion of the internet in recent years. From a professional point of view, Cuban universities have graduated thousands of computer scientists, programmers, and specialists from areas related to computer science. The University of Computer Science (UCI) has […]

As noted in the introduction written by the Council on International Relations to Charles A. Kupchan’s book How Enemies Become Friends: The Sources of Stable Peace, in his 2008 inaugural address,Barack Obama promised nations “on the wrong side of history” that the U.S. would “extend a hand if they were willing to open their fists.” […]

The arrival of Guillermo Corzo to the men’s handball team in 2018 initiated a reunification process of the national sports movement in Cuba. Since then, around 70 athletes have been reintegrated into national teams under the purview of the National Institute for Sports, Physical Education, and Recreation (INDER). This fact is part of a regulated […]

…They believed he was a dissident and was no morehow natural… Silvio Rodríguez – Juego que me regalo un 6 de enero – Since Sunday, July 11 (11J), I have been asking myself the same question: If I had still been an officer at the Ministry of the Interior, how would I have reacted had […]

We await the necessary modifications for the Cuban non-state sector to be adequately promoted as a destination for foreign direct investment. After long years of waiting, countless analyses by economists, lawyers, and specialists from different sectors, and the continued push for action by the emerging entrepreneurial sector, the regulations on micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises […]

Over the last two years, Cuba has introduced new opportunities for accessing the Internet. And with these new opportunities, interest in cryptocurrencies and their means of exchange has arrived—and is here to stay. The Cuban entrepreneurship sector has taken advantage of emerging popularity by including these virtual currencies in the everyday life of their businesses. […]

Cuban Americans have long relied on U.S. rules authorizing family remittances to provide support to their relatives in Cuba. While the need for such support during the ongoing global pandemic and economic crisis in Cuba has never been greater, new sanctions imposed during the final weeks of the Trump presidency resulted in the de facto […]

One of the many existing theories about the origin of the name “Cuba” refers to a word from the natives of the island that meant “cultivated land.” Although we are not sure that this is correct, we do know that the immense possibilities for agriculture, together with an excellent climate and a good geographical position, […]

In 1990, during the closing of the V Congress of the Federation of Cuban Women, then-President Fidel Castro said: “We must be prepared for the worst circumstances (…) The general principle (…) I want you to know is that, at the very least, what we have will be distributed among all.” There was applause in […]

Any Cuban legal person, state or private, could form an international economic association or joint venture with a foreign investor. During the last twenty-five years in Cuba, foreign investment has been almost exclusively directed toward the state sector. In accordance with the provisions of Law 77/1995 on foreign investment, the non-state sector could not be […]

The 8th congress of the Cuban Communist Party took place amid the worst economic crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union. As expected, there were no novel initiatives related to the reform process beyond embracing, in general terms, the changes that were formally launched in 2011. These serve as limits to frame the transformation […]

A new campaign brings together more than 40 traditional Cuban ventures with the purpose of not overlooking “February 14” and supporting each other amidst the outbreak of COVID-19 in Havana. As pasrt of this campaign, they create gifts that they deliver to homes and get paid through the Enzona or Transfermóvil apps, which have been […]

The digitization of society in Cuba has been increasingly spoken about in recent years as part of a broader digitization project at a national level that includes all sectors of the economy. This project has come to revolutionize the technology industry with the expansion of communications services and access to the Internet. The massive installation […]

Introduction The new Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, approved in 2019, modified the political system in its institutional dimension, but left its core hard and untouched: the direction of the State and society is in the hands of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), now consecrated as unique, fidelista, and democratic. The 1976 Constitution […]

Social networks have a large impact on today’s society. They define trends, lifestyles, influence politics and are even capable of changing the course of presidential elections. Cuba arrived late to this phenomenon. It was not until 2013 that Cubans began having private access to the internet with the launch of the first navigation rooms,[1] and […]

I begin by making some general observations: Understanding the transition in which Cuba finds itself today, the political process that characterizes it during this moment, the ongoing debate about current policies and their scope, and the path that will open as of April is anything but obvious to the naked eye, nor can it be […]

In Cuba, only one political party is legally recognized: The Cuban Communist Party (PCC). According to the typology developed by Sartori,[1] one of the great political scientists of the 20th century, single-party systems are considered non-competitive, along with hegemonic parties in multiparty systems, as was the case with the PRI in Mexico during much of […]

In the last five years, Cuba has strengthened its presence in the world of cryptocurrencies. Although we arrived a little late to the party, there is already talk, like any fashionable topic, of electronic currencies, wallets, and exchanges in Cuba. While the country gradually learns to navigate in a digital jungle and Cuban Internet users […]

Alch3mlsT_Cu was the username I chose. Back in 2006, you didn’t see many Cubans in the U.S. West servers of Battle.net. We would connect a 128k modem in a not-so-legal way to a basic high school phone that linked us to hundreds of StarCraft players around the world. This little stunt might have cost us […]

I Ever since Jean Rousseau presented his Theory of the Social Contract, it has become a foundation for modern societies. Its essence was that all citizens, free and equal, could come together to manifest their will toward a common agreement (social contract), expressed in the concept of general will. According to his thinking, the rules […]

Entrepreneurship has always been an option in Cuba. It has always been there, sometimes discreetly. The current state of the country’s economy suggests that it is time for entrepreneurship to become a more important actor. The measures announced over the last few months, in addition to those to come, indicate that it has a major […]

How many businesses closed, and how many will reopen? How many were able to transform themselves to survive? How much did the home delivery industry grow during the pandemic? These factors remain uncertain but are essential to understand the changes experienced by entrepreneurs in Cuba after the announcement of the first cases of coronavirus on […]

The photo was shared on social media by Nelson Jalil Sardiñas: “This is the final photo I took last night at MINCULT. In the back is a group of young people that came running after getting past the police blockade.” Nobody summoned me. I am not an artist. I do not agree with Solis’s statements […]

He contacts me through WhatsApp, he is not one of those currency sellers that station themselves outside the Exchange Houses (CADECA) and offer their services to passersby. His name is José, and we went to high school together. He talks about cryptocurrencies—Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, etc—terms that are not completely unknown to me, but that between […]

Anyone who uses social networks and digital media will find that in Cuba, the trends of the debate about civil society display some recurring themes: racial discrimination, feminist demands, the struggle for rights of the LGBTI community, oppositional artistic projects, and protections for animals and the environment. Some converge and others march separately; as a […]

Being an entrepreneur in Cuba is like participating in an endurance race inside an obstacle course. Those in the private sector who want to develop value and transform their environment, while also earning a sustainable income, know this well. However, three women are devoting themselves to their businesses despite the crisis resulting from COVID-19, market […]

On July 16th, 2020, Cuban authorities announced a New Economic Strategy planned for the next few years, initiating a new period of reforms promoted by the Cuban government. Taking this into consideration, it is worthwhile to establish a general guide explaining the reform periods that have occurred—including the counter-reforms that preceded them—during the last 30 […]

In 2017, the university student Yanay Aguirre Calerín was involved in an argument with a taxi driver in Havana. After receiving racist comments, she was forced to get out of the vehicle. In Cuba, according to the 2012 Census data based on self-identified skin color, Whites represent 64.3% of the total population, Blacks represent 9.3%, […]

In 2016, I premiered my second film “Santa y Andrés”, a love story between a homosexual artist and a peasant woman who is sent to watch over him, at the Toronto International Film Festival. The work, in addition to containing a message of political protest, was an attempt to bring two people with very different […]

Just as tourism in Cuba is inextricably connected to the concept of sun, beach, mojitos, music and cigars, so are the island’s private ventures tied to the impression that they only operate in the food and hospitality industries. This generalization stems from the fact that, for many years, the only profitable and successful businesses in […]

Economic independence, increased income, the ability to select the right or desired job, and teamwork with colleagues or family, constitute the primary motivations for Cubans who have embraced self-employment (cuentapropismo), whether as contract workers or business owners. However, Cuban women represent only 33.9% of total cuentapropistas. Although their proportion within the total of self-employed workers […]

The first half of an unforgettable year is past us. We have experienced simultaneously, in almost every country of the world, the fear of imminent death and physical pain. We were forced to halt to our daily lives, confine ourselves way from the streets, while the global economy induced itself into a coma, posing serious […]

In April of this year, the latest in long cycle of sporadic meetings between Cuban emigrants and Island officials should have taken place in Havana. COVID-19 made this impossible, but many of us assume that the meeting will not take long to materialize once that the pandemic is controlled. In addition, some of us presume […]

Cuban reality is in constant flux. As occurs in any process of change, there will be events that make a difference and shape the character and direction of social transformations. In the next twelve months, three major events stand to have a sizable impact on Cuba’s future trajectory. Therefore they deserve our highest attention. A […]

The most intense debates taking place in Cuba revolve around economic reforms and possible pathways for development. This justifies any effort to figure out the essence of the challenge posed before the Cuban society. The problems and their solutions are not limited to the economic field. But these issues have such an impact on the […]

Albert Einstein once said, “let’s not pretend that things will change if we keep doing the same things…all crises bring progress…It’s in crisis that inventiveness is born, as well as discoveries made and big strategies.” The words of the German physicist resonate during the health crisis that has engulfed the world, from which Cuba is […]

Cuban independent media has had quite a liftoff this the last decade, moving from a desolate landscape, very much like a desert with only a few cacti at sight, to a varied and complex ecosystem, solid at times, and in many occasions struggling even with itself.  Their different agendas strengthen public debate, and also, each […]

Many changes over the past decade, have transformed Cuba into a more heterogeneous society. Compared to the 1990’s, the new generations that makes up Cuba’s social fabric today still embrace a national identity, but from different perspectives, and with a high diversity of views on the country they call home. We are witnessing a process […]