lunes, 23 de mayo de 2011

Ration Book Contradicts Distribution Principles in Socialism.

Photos by Amauris Betancourt.
Raul Castro Ruz, President of the Council of State and the Council of Minister of the Cuban Republic and First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) stated, in the Central Report to the 6th Congress of the Cuban Communist Party:

“Undoubtedly, the ration book and its removal spurred most of the contributions of the participants in the debates, and it is only natural. Two generations of Cubans have spent their lives under this rationing system that, despite its harmful egalitarian quality, has for four decades ensured every citizen access to basic food at highly subsidized derisory prices.”

“This distribution mechanism introduced in times of shortages during the 1960s, in the interest of providing equal protection to our people from those involved in speculation and hoarding with a lucrative spirit, has become in the course of the years an intolerable burden to the economy and discouraged work, in addition to eliciting various types of transgressions.”

The leaflet including the Guidelines of the Economic and Social Policy of the Party and the Revolution passed last April 18th, states in the chapter on Social Policy:

174. The implementation of a slowly and gradual elimination of the Ration Card as a way of equal and controlled distribution at highly subsidized prices.”

Ration book store in the municipality of Rafael Freyre.

 Ration book store in the municipality of Holguín.








jueves, 19 de mayo de 2011

2011 May Pilgrimage in Holguín

By Heidi Calderon. (Taken form her blog)

The 18th Holguín's May Pilgrimage came to an end as a token of triumphant hard work. The miracle could be achieved thanks to that hard work to improve the festival where all kinds of art come together.


The call has always been made. The  eastern lying city of Holguín holds yearly, from May 2 to 8, a May Pilgrimage challenging economic budgets. Lead vehemently by Alexis Triana, president of the organizing committee, it has been made possible people speak not only of pilgrins but also of world artistic youths.

Capacity to bring back old traditions and forge new rites grants part of the success. The rest goes, maybe, on the will to turn action into a flag as the best speech.


The May Pilgrimage goes on gathering, under the same concept, every spring, the will to dream ann the invitation for men to come down their ivory towers.