Chronicle on Cuba - March 2007

Domestic Affairs

March 1: Cuba will convert to summer time on March 11, the island´s Basic Industry Ministry reported. For that reason, Cubans must put the clocks forward an hour, to end the current time in force since October 2006. (Prensa Latina, 1/3/07)

March 1: Actress Daisy Granados, director Fernando Perez and editor Nelson Rodriguez shared the 2007 National Cinema Awards. The jury presided by director Manuel Perez awarded Granados for her performances in numerous classics of Cuban cinema; Fernando Perez for emblematic titles like “Clandestinos”, “Hello Hemingway”, “La vida es silbar” and “Suite Habana”; and Rodriguez for his extensive and intense contribution to Cuban films over four decades. The awards ceremony will take place on March 24 on the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC). (Granma, 1/3/07)

March 2: Cuba's Fidel Castro is recovering well from a stomach illness and could return to lead his country, Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said. "He is recovering noticeably," Perez Roque told reporters during a visit to Panama. "We are optimistic he will return to work at the appropriate moment." When asked if that meant Castro would take up presidential duties again, Perez Roque replied, "Yes," but said he was unable to give a time frame for any return to office. (Reuters, 2/3/07)

March 2: Fewer drug traffickers are using Cuba as a corridor to the United States thanks to tough enforcement and cooperation with other countries, the ruling Communist Party newspaper Granma said. Cuba intercepted 1.7 tonnes of marijuana and cocaine in 2006, the lowest level of seizures in 11 years, it said. Smugglers fly shipments of narcotics up from Jamaica and Colombia and drop bales into the sea between thousands of uninhabited islands off Cuba's north coast for pick up in speedboats that ship the drugs to the US market. Severe prison sentences and the exchange of information with police forces of neighboring countries -- though not the United States -- have helped crack down on the illegal trade, Granma said. "The shipments decrease. The routes of international drug traffickers are moving away from our coasts," the paper said. (Reuters, 2/3/07)

March 3: Elsa Morejon, the wife of prominent pro-life activist and political prisoner Oscar Elias Biscet, issued an urgent appeal for medical treatment for her husband and for his transfer out of the harsh conditions of the prison cell where has been held for refusing to collaborate with the Castro regime and renounce his principles. LiberPress published the open letter from Morejon, in which she describes the grave prison conditions Biscet must endure as part of a 25-year sentence for his non-violent struggle for civil rights and for his opposition to abortion and the death penalty, which are both legal in Cuba. Morejon revealed that her husband is allowed family visits once every three months and spousal visits once every four months. In addition he is being held in a cell with no bed, lights, ventilation or chair and he is “taken out for fresh air” once a month. She said he depends greatly on the antibiotics and medicines that his family members are able to bring to him during their periodic visits. Amnesty International has classified Biscet as a prisoner of conscience since 1999. He was released after three years in prison, but he was arrested again one month later while he was preparing to meet with human rights activist in the city of Matanzas. In 2003 Biscet was condemned to 25 years in prison for his efforts to achieve freedom, democracy and respect for civil rights. (Indian Catholic, 3/3/07)

March 5: A full-page article by Manuel Yepe, an academic and former Cuban official, published by the official newspaper Granma, compares the current situation on the island to that of other communist States - especially China. “We must learn from the lessons of others to avoid needless mistakes, but pre-established models should never be imposed like straitjackets,” Yepe said. (AP, 5/3/07)

March 6: A project aimed at the integrated socio-economic and environmental management of the southern coast of the province of Havana is now in progress along a 142 kilometer coastal strip, the majority of which is susceptible to flooding. The project seeks to improve the quality of life in this area that is the most vulnerable to tropical hurricanes and flooding in Cuba. It also aims at fostering development in balance with the environment, said Farah Carrera, coordinator of the South Coast Project and head of the Department of Territorial Planning. Carrera told the press that 25,000 people, spread in 33 small towns, live in the project area. Several of these settlements, such as Rosario, Cajio and Mayabeque, are beach towns that were devastated by recent hurricanes. Project research began in 1998 and was developed by the Physical Planning Board of the Province of Havana (DPPF). The current initiative is funded by UNESCO. (CAN, 6/3/07)

March 6: Cuba's New Latin American Film Foundation is exhibiting a cycle of films based on Gabriel Garcia Marquez's works to pay homage to the outstanding Colombian writer on his 80th birthday.  In 1986, Garcia Marquez, along with Fernado Birri and Julio Garcia Espinosa, founded Cuba's International Film School in San Antonio de los Baños. He has since then contributed to the artistic education of the students in the field of screenplay writing. (CAN, 6/3/07)

March 7: A total of 18 political and other prisoners decided to join a hunger strike at Kilo 8 prison, in Camaguey province. The group demands the unconditional release of all political prisoners confined in Cuban jails. They are also protesting the inhumane conditions they are subjected to; and are trying to get attention on political prisoners whose health is extremely deteriorated, as in the case of Normando Hernández, Nelson Aguiar, Alfredo Pulido and Juan Carlos Herrera. At the same time, the group requests the ending of repressive actions against the peaceful opposition.  The group is comprised of political prisoners Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta, Lamberto Hernández Plana, Nelson Vázquez Lima, Leoncio Rodríguez Ponce and José Daniel Ferrer García, plus 12 common prisoners who joined their protest. (Payo Libre, 7/3/07)

March 8: A group of members of the illegal Democratic Party “November 30 Frank Pais” remain outside a police station in Havana demanding explanations for the arrest of some of their colleagues. Shortly after the search and arrest that took place on March 6 at the headquarters of the Democratic Party, the vice president of the organization left for the police station accompanied by another fellow party member to demand the release of Reinel Sanchez Calvo, member of the Party’s Executive Board. "We showed up at police station #11 of San Miguel del Padron, Havana, to demand that Reinel be released”, Anaika Paneca told the independent press.  But instead, Anaika and her colleague were detained for several hours. Since then, Sanchez Calvo has remained in jail under the alleged crime of “possession of enemy propaganda”, and the two women remain under parole until the day of the trial. Party activists have maintained a protest outside the police station. (Puente Informativo, 8/3/07)

March 8: Political prisoner Rafael Corrales Alonso was released from prison after 10 months in jail. Corrales was sentenced to 5 years in prison in 2002, for the crimes of “disrespecting the Commander in Chief, resisting arrest and public disorder.” In 2005, he had been on parole before being sent back to prison in 2006. During his years in prison, he lost most of his hearing in both ears. (Cubanet, 9/3/07)

March 8: On March 2nd, independent journalist Guillermo Fariñas and dissidents Miriam Fernández Armas and Oscar Madruga González were beaten by members of the State Security and of the Association of Combatants of the Revolution (ACR), the independent press reported. After a brief exchange of political views, a mob led by a lieutenant of the political police, another officer and four civilian members of the ACR, slapped and kicked the director of the Cubanacán Press news agency. Fernández Armas and Madruga González were pushed to the ground. (EER, 8/3/07)

March 9: Cuba has seen no improvement in the four years since the March 2003 crackdown that resulted in the incarceration of 75 dissidents, said Miriam Leyva, co-founder of Ladies in White, a group comprising relatives of political prisoners. "Having arrived at the fourth anniversary of the extraordinary repression of the days March 18th, 19th, 20th of 2003, nothing has changed in Cuba with respect to human rights and progress toward democracy," said Leyva, wife of economist Oscar Espinosa, a member of the "Group of 75" who was released in November 2004 for health reasons. "The delegating of provisional power by Fidel Castro to his brother, Raul Castro, has not brought about any substantial modification in eight months, just the permanent low-intensity repression instead of noisy, repudiation rallies," she said in a letter released in Havana. "We have the feeling that preparations (are being made) for new waves of repression. Maybe they're not going to unleash them yet. That will depend on the interests of the regime," Leyva said. She added that "the opposition in Cuba is growing, but what is more important is that people (are being) subjected to ever-worsening hardships; they're exasperated and are constantly expressing (their displeasure)." "Instead of carrying out substantial modifications to spur the economy and the country in general, the government could decide to launch a new campaign to discredit the opposition and new imprisonments," she said. (EFE, 9/3/07) 

March 10: An anthology of former Cuban filmmaker Santiago Alvarez was presented during the Eighth International Documentary Festival, organized by the Cuban Film Institute. The Vice President of the Film Institute, Luis A. Gonzalez Nieto, presented the first of three DVDs that will be part of a compiling sample dedicated to preserve Alvarez’ film memory. Documentaries like Now, Hanoi, Martes 13 (Tuesday 13), Mi Hermano Fidel (My brother Fidel), are included in this first record. The other two volumes will include films dedicated to Latin America and to Southeast Asia, deeply tackled in his work. (Prensa Latina, 10/3/07)

March 10: Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez presented Cuban singer Pablo Milanes with a medal from the Casa de las Americas for his contributions to Latin American culture. The Nobel laureate in literature, who turned 80, joked that it was the first time he had bestowed a medal on a younger person, the official National Information Agency known as AIN reported. Based in Cuba, Casa de las Americas represents music, literature and other fine arts throughout Latin America. Writers, musicians and artists from countries across the region often are called upon to present colleagues with the Haydee Santamaria Medal from Casa de las Americas. Milanes, an internationally acclaimed folk singer, said he was especially moved to have a medal named after his late mentor Santamaria, a rebel fighter also known for her contributions to Cuban culture after the 1959 revolution. (AP, 10/3/07)

March 11: The 16th International Book Fair, one of Cuba´s most important cultural events, concluded in Santiago de Cuba with a cultural gala marking the 485 years of the city’s foundation. The fair, opened at San Carlos de La Cabana Fortress in Havana, was attended by over one hundred international personalities, and had Argentina as guest country. (Prensa Latina, 11/3/07)

March 11: Cuban dissident Oswaldo J. Payá Sardiñas, leader of the Christian Liberation Movement (MCL), denounced the “intensification of persecution” of members of his illegal group that promotes the Varela Project. He also condemned “the threats to annihilate the group and its leaders,” and warned that “a new repressive wave is taking shape.” [Comunicado desde La Habana] (ABC, 11/3/07)   

March 12: Fidel Castro's health "is visibly improving," Cuba's foreign minister said in Paris, adding that government officials increasingly consult him on the country's most important issues. Castro has gained weight and is doing physical exercise, Felipe Perez Roque told a press conference. The Cuban official said that "we are optimistic" about the president's recovery, who last July 31 delegated his political duties to his brother Raul after undergoing an operation for an intestinal hemorrhage. To illustrate Castro's progress, Perez Roque said that "more and more" he and other government officials keep him up to date on events in the country and consult him by telephone on leading issues. (EFE, 12/3/07)  

March 12: Cuban First Vice President Raul Castro visited the Pinar del Rio Ophthalmology Center, the newest facility in the province to treat eye ailments. Raul Castro praised the people of Pinar del Rio for their hard work in making the program a success in the province. In the visitor’s book Raul wrote his congratulations "in the name of Fidel, who has been the chief promoter of the Miracle Mission." The Pinar del Rio center is located within the Abel Santamaria Cuadrado Hospital and began functioning on January 17. Some 200 patients are served daily. The center provides general services as well as specialized care for glaucoma, cataracts, retina and cornea problems, refractory surgery, oculoplastic surgery and neuro-ophthalmology. Dr. Osmany Correa Rojas, director of the center and coordinator of the Miracle Mission in the province, said that the new facility is equipped with the latest diagnosis and surgical equipment. Thanks to new investments, Pinar del Rio has also extended its eye care network. There are operating rooms in the Leon Cuervo Rubio Hospital, also in the provincial capital, as well as the Hospital in San Cristobal and the polyclinics in the municipalities of La Palma and Sandino. (Granma, 13/3/07)

March 12: Cuban economist and dissident Oscar Espinosa Chepe does not discard the possibility of a new crackdown against dissidents similar to that of 2003. According to Espinosa, one of “the 75” who were sentenced to up to 28 years in prison, “a new Black Spring cannot be ruled out” and “it would not be a surprise if the government deals another blow to the dissidents in order to scare the population.” (EFE, 12/3/07)

March 12: A woman who makes her home in the drained swimming pool of a derelict hotel and one of the provincial families driven by poverty to settle in Havana without official authorization are among the protagonists in documentaries by young Cuban filmmakers who refuse to shut their eyes to the island's problems. Alina Rodriguez, 22, grew up seeing the difficulties of internal migrants at a settlement in the San Miguel del Padron neighborhood and decided to tell the story in a documentary called "Buscandote Havana." "I wanted to show their problems and help avoid the pejorative view that people have of easterners," Rodriguez said.  The "easterners" (orientales) are people from the island's eastern provinces who, in many cases, have not been able to secure authorization to live in the capital, putting them in the paradoxical situation of being "undocumented" migrants in their own country.   The subjects of "Camas Solas," a documentary about the evacuation of residents from a rickety building near the Capitol due to the approach of Hurricane Ivan in 2004, also shows complaints by the population about the scarcity of housing. For "Model Town," filmmaker Laimir Fano selected a group of retirees in Hershey, located some 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) from Havana and a town born in the shadow of the US chocolate company's old plant. Images of the bustling Hershey of half a century ago contrast with current scenes of the abandoned plant and deteriorated community.  The young filmmakers' work is being screened at the 6th National New Directors Show organized by the National Cinematographic Arts and Industry Institute. For Marilin Solaya, head of the center's audiovisual department, the screening of these documentaries shows that progress has been made, even though "they are not going to be shown on Cuban media. Less sensitive things also are not shown."  (EFE, 12/3/07)

March 13: Cuban dissidents said that the government is tightening its repression of their group for its insistence on peaceful, gradual change toward democracy in the country. "Officials are tightening their repression of the Progressive Arch's work for a gradual, peaceful and calm transition to democracy and respect for human rights, beginning from the promotion of dialogue," said a statement signed by Manuel Cuesta, the leader of the dissident group. Progressive Arch said that on March 19, activist Ana Gamoneda was detained by police as she returned to her house after meeting other dissidents. "They warned her about her activities," the statement said. Eight days earlier, Jesus Diaz was detained for several hours and documents from an opposition network were seized. "The Progressive Arch once again calls on the authorities to come into line with current trends, which value dialogue and respect between adversaries for the resolution of conflicts," the statement said. (AFP, 13/3/07)

March 13: Cuban communist leaders called for the revolutionary ideals of ailing leader Fidel Castro to live on as they marked the 50th anniversary of a failed attempt to assassinate dictator Fulgencio Batista. "This revolution will continue for all time," parliament speaker Ricardo Alarcon told hundreds of students and top government leaders, including acting president Raul Castro, who watched the event from a front row seat but did not address the crowd. Alarcon praised the courage of Jose Antonio Echeverria, the University Student Federation president who was killed by police after the attack a half-century ago, and said that Cubans like him would ensure the socialist revolution would endure. (AP, 14/3/07)

March 14: Fidel Castro, recovering from intestinal surgery, told his Venezuelan counterpart and close ally Hugo Chavez that he feels "very well," the official newspaper Granma said. I (feel) very well. I'm doing nearly everything," Castro was quoted as saying by phone to Chavez, as well as Haitian President Rene Preval, when the two leaders were meeting in the Haitian capital to sign cooperation accords that include Cuba. Castro said he had been visited by Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez earlier in the day. "This morning I had a visit from 'Gabo,' said the Cuban leader, 80, who underwent intestinal surgery almost eight months ago. The government said Fidel Castro was now recovering at a faster pace and taking part in daily government affairs, fueling talk he may return to the helm of Cuba's communist government soon. "The pace of his recovery process has picked up. We are all expecting it to be completed shortly," Vice President Jose Ramon Fernandez told reporters. Still, Fernandez said, "it is clear that after a lengthy illness one has to rest and take precautions and factor in the absolutely overwhelming dedication he always gives his work, hours and hours, and days without rest; and we have to protect him from that." (AFP, 14/3/07) 

March 15: The illegal Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN) denounced the increased repression against dissidents over the last few months and the “arbitrary detention” of one of its leaders and a journalist. A note from the CCDHRN “firmly protests the arbitrary detention of Carlos Jesús Menéndez,” a member of its executive, and denounces the arrest of independent journalist Odelín Alfonso, as reported by family sources. (EFE, 15/3/07)

March 15: Fidel Castro will be in "perfect shape" to run for re-election to parliament next spring, the first step toward securing yet another term as Cuba's president, National Assembly head Ricardo Alarcon said. "I would nominate him," said Alarcon, the highest-ranking member of parliament. "I'm sure he will be in perfect shape to continue handling his responsibilities." Mobbed by foreign reporters following a parliamentary session to discuss Cuba's upcoming elections, Alarcon said Castro "is doing fine and is continuing to focus on recovery and rehabilitation." A lengthy process of nominating candidates for municipal elections will begin this summer, leading to several rounds of voting. Then, by March 2008, Cuba should be ready to hold parliamentary elections that are expected to include Castro, Alarcon said. (AP, Prensa Latina, 15/3/07)

March 17: Forty Cuban women took turns standing behind fake prison bars to symbolize their loved ones' arrest during a government crackdown on dissidents four years ago. Gathering at dawn for a 12-hour protest, the women erected metal bars under a staircase and stood in the fake prison cell one at a time in half-hour shifts. On the opposite wall, they hung a Cuban flag scrawled with the names of their jailed loved ones. "We don't have weapons, we are peaceful," protest host Laura Pollan said. Pollan's husband, Hector Maseda, and 74 other government critics were rounded up in a 72-hour crackdown that began March 18, 2003. Communist Party officials and others have visited leading activists in recent days, attempting to dissuade them from holding public acts to mark the anniversary of the crackdown. (AP, 18/3/07)

March 18: A small group of Italian activists joined the wives of Cuban political prisoners during their silent weekly march after Sunday Mass to call for their husbands' release. "We are with you for the liberty of the political prisoners," European Union deputy Marco Cappato said on behalf of his Transnational Radical Party. Cappato was among five Italians who joined about 40 wives and other female relatives of jailed Cuban dissidents marching quietly along Havana's Fifth Avenue. The other activists were Maurizio Turco, member of the Italian Chambre of Deputies, and Elisabetta Zamparutti, Matteo Mecashi and Maria Fida Moro, the daughter of late Italian Prime Minister, Aldo Moro (1916-1978), who was kidnapped and murdered by militants of the Red Brigades.   The Italian activists displayed a banner that read “Liberty and Non Violence for Cuba”, in front of Santa Rita church. They said they had not received government approval to join the women in their weekly low-key protest, but said they did not think they would have a problem because they are pacifists. (AP, 18/3/07)

March 18: Cuban poet Fina Garcia Marruz, said it was a surprise and an honour to receive the Pablo Neruda Ibero-American Poetry Award, which will be delivered by President Michelle Bachelet in Chile, "Juventud Rebelde" newspaper reported. "With an award like this (…) we always think in several writers who also deserve it, and did not receive it. Marti, "the purest man of our race" as Gabriela Mistral called him, only had a little school medal on his chest at the age of nine," Fina stated. The Pablo Neruda Ibero-American Award, conferred to the author of "Visitaciones," was revealed on March 14 in Chile. (Prensa Latina, 18/3/07)

March 19: The home of human rights activist Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leiva has been surrounded by motorcycles and patrol cars of the Cuban State Security and National Police forces since March 16. Leiva, a blind lawyer living in Ciego de Avila, told the independent press that a paramilitary mob, known as Rapid Response Brigades, has prevented him from leaving his home to purchase groceries. “I was prevented from doing so as I was physically intimidated by members of these mobs,” Leiva said. (Netfor Cuba, 20/3/07)

March 19: Eight months after Fidel Castro fell ill and four years after a broad crackdown on dissent, Cuba's organized opposition generally has been much quieter as it waits to see how the island's political situation develops. ''Cuba is a country in waiting,'' said veteran rights activist Elizardo Sanchez. ''What's going to happen with El Comandante? What's going to happen afterward? ''If all of the population is waiting, the dissidents have no reason to be running back and forth,'' added Sanchez, whose Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation issues a list of political prisoners every six months. ''The most optimistic thought they were going to see a series of Chinese-type reforms,'' Sanchez said. ''But what has been seen is an almost feudal-style succession; everything remains the same.'' 'Today, Cuba is living through an especially uncertain moment owing to Fidel Castro's illness,'' Miriam Leiva, one of the prisoner's wives, wrote recently. That uncertainty is accompanied by fear of another crackdown like the roundup of 75 dissidents launched four years ago this week. ''We cannot rule out a new wave of repression,'' Leiva wrote, ''instead of the urgent changes required for the critical political, economic and social situation the people face.'' Although the number of political prisoners has dropped, Sanchez said ''low-profile repression'' against opponents is up. “We don't feel hatred, but we are not going to be paralyzed by the threats and repression,'' Oswaldo Paya, the movement's most prominent leader, wrote a press release. ''The uncertainty, the fear, the overwhelming propaganda and the precariousness of daily life can paralyze the will and submerge many in hopelessness.'' (AP, 19/3/07)

March 19: A group of women supporters of Fidel Castro tried to interrupt a peaceful demonstration of the Ladies in White, relatives of political prisoners who for four years have been demanding from the Cuban authorities the release of their beloved ones. Some 30 Ladies in White marched along main streets in downtown Havana until they arrived at Jose Marti Central Park, as part of the commemoration of the 4th anniversary of the crackdown of dissidents in 2003. Once there, close to the statue of Cuba’s national hero, the Ladies in White released 59 white pigeons --one for each of the prisoners who still remain in Cuban jails— while shouting “Freedom”, “Freedom”. At same time, Castro supporters began to shout, “long live Fidel”, and “long live the Revolution”. The incident lasted a few minutes, and the dissidents continued their peaceful march under heavy surveillance by the authorities. (EFE, 19/3/07)

March 19: The International Trova Festival “Pepe Sanchez” bid farewell to its 45th celebration in Plaza de Marte, Santiago de Cuba, the birthplace of the Cuban “trova”. This 45th celebration was dedicated to the centenary of Francisco Repilado -internationally known as "Compay Segundo", one of the musicians with the world wide famous Buenavista Social Club. Performances in the closing gala included the Madrigalista choir, the Septeto Santiaguero, trova singer Jose Aquiles and the Cohiba duet. Also sharing the stage were the Ballet of Santiago de Cuba and vocal soloists Marilis Gonzalez and Omar Corales. (ACN, 19/3/07)

March 20: Cuban singer and songwriter Pablo Milanés was awarded the 2006 Annual Prize by the Association of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), highlighting his artistic contribution of a lifetime to that fertile field of Cuban culture. After UNEAC president and poet Carlos Martí presented the award to the author of anthological songs, Harold Gramatges, who heads up the association, recalled that on this occasion the prize was shared with another eminent Bayamó resident, Salvador Alarcón, for his exceptional support to the concert bands in the country. Pablo expressed thanks for a recognition that was dear to him for coming from his colleagues in creativity. (Granma International, 20/3/07)

March 20: Government supporters broke up a public protest by prisoners' wives who intermittently shouted "Freedom! Freedom!" as they marched through a neighborhood in the capital to mark the crackdown that put their loved ones behind bars. More than 40 government supporters shouted down the smaller "Ladies in White" group with cries of "Long Live Fidel!" in a reference to ailing leader Fidel Castro. There were no physical confrontations between the two groups, and it was not immediately known if there were any arrests. "We are people who have to defend our revolution, our streets," said government supporter Esperanza Gomez, explaining the counter-demonstration, the second in a week. Since March 17, the Ladies in White have held activities every day to mark the fourth anniversary of the crackdown launched against dissidents on March 18, 2003. (AP, 20/3/07)

March 23: Almost half a century of communist rule has saved Havana's eclectic architecture from the urban developer's bulldozer, but a lack of repair has taken a ruinous toll on its neo-Baroque and Art Deco gems. Dozens of colonial buildings and beautiful squares in Old Havana have been restored since the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, designated it a world heritage site in 1982. But the rest of the city of 2.2 million people is falling into decay. "The situation has become critical. There are areas of the city where buildings collapse every few days. The overcrowding is tremendous," said leading Cuban architect Mario Coyula, who fears Havana's architectural beauty is damaged beyond repair. In teeming, pot-holed Central Havana, poverty coexists with some of the world's finest examples of neo-Baroque and Art Deco architecture built before Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. It is Cuba's most densely-populated district, with 160,000 people living in 1.3 square miles of crumbling buildings dating from the 1920s and 1930s, many now lacking basic sanitation. Experts say renovating Central Havana would be so costly that demolition is inevitable in many parts. Residents involved in urban planning believe their district can be saved. "We have an advanced state of deterioration, but renewal is possible," said one official who asked not to be named. She said 15 percent of the buildings were in very bad shape. "Nobody knows how they are still standing. It's a miracle they have not fallen down," she said. "It's late to try to save the rich diversity of this architecture," said Cuban writer Antonio Jose Ponte. "It's not far-fetched to think that Central Havana will disappear." (Reuters, 23/3/07)

March 23: Cuba is trying to wipe out tuberculosis (TB) by year 2015, in line with worldwide efforts in this regard. According to Dr. Edilberto Gonzalez Ochoa, from the Pedro Kouri Tropical Medicine Institute Tuberculosis Research Group, the island has the potential to achieve the goal even earlier, between 2010 and 2014. He explained that Cuba boasts 6.5 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants. By worldwide standards, TB is deemed eliminated as a social problem when the index is five or below. During a scientific workshop on TB held in Las Tunas, 416 miles east from Havana, expert Gonzalez said that in 1959, when the Revolution triumphed, there were 65 cases of tuberculosis for every 100,000 inhabitants. A Public Health Ministry program implemented since 1962 contributed to decrease the index gradually. (Prensa Latina, 23/3/07)

March 24: The State Council of Cuba announced the replacement of the ministers of Justice, Roberto Díaz Sotolongo, and of Hydraulic Resources, Jorge Luis Aspiolea. A brief report during a primetime television newscast announced that Díaz Sotolongo and Aspiolea had been replaced at the request of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. The position of president of the Hydraulic Resources Institute will be filled by the First Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Construction, René Mesa. Meanwhile, Roberto Díaz Sotolongo, Minister of Justice since 1996, was replaced by Vice-Minister Maria Esther Reus. (Reforma, 24/3/07)

March 25: More than 150,000 young Cubans got up early to join volunteer labor activities in the cities and countryside in commemoration of the 45th anniversary of the Young Communist League (UJC) and the 46th of the Jose Marti Pioneer children’s organization. The volunteer activities entailed work in construction, cleanup and beautification, and agriculture, including sugar cane harvesting. UJC president Julio Martinez called on Cuban youth "to take advantage of opportunities, be responsible and make an extra effort not only during special campaigns but on a daily basis." Martinez said the volunteer work is a reply to President Fidel Castro’s query of what can be done to make the Revolution endure. (Granma, 26/3/07)

March 27: Faustino Oramas, a popular Cuban musician who was among the last original members of the Buena Vista Social Club, died of cancer. He was 95. Cuba state television reported that acting president Raul Castro had sent a floral wreath to Oramas' funeral service earlier in the day. Oramas, known as ''El Guayabero'' and popular for the double meanings and ribald humor of his songs, was the oldest surviving member of the original Buena Vista group of elderly musicians who became international stars when American guitarist Ry Cooder brought them together in the 1990s. Oramas, born on June 4, 1911, in eastern Cuba, was known for his renditions of traditional Cuban pieces such as "Marieta" and "El Rey del Tumbaito". He was awarded Cuba's National Humor Prize in 2002. (The Miami Herald, 28/3/07)

March 28: Acting Cuban president Raúl Castro launched a new offensive against “criminal activities and other antisocial behaviour,” by creating a mechanism that consolidates the work of the government, the police, social organizations and neighbourhood activists. A decree-law dated March 13th and published in the “Official Gazette,” created the Prevention and Social Protection System. According to the decree, the new system comprises a national office, and units of action at the provincial and municipal levels as well as in minor urban and rural areas, and will promote popular participation. (La Jornada, 29/3/07)

March 28: Fidel Castro, who has yet to reappear in public since undergoing stomach surgery eight months ago, is in good shape, his elder brother Ramon Castro said. "Very good. He's in one piece," Ramon Castro said, asked about the 80-year-old revolutionary's state of health. "The thing is, the Castros are strong," he told reporters during the inauguration of an agricultural show in Havana. Despite recent reports that Fidel Castro is progressing well and taking a more active role in the government after handing day-to-day control to his younger brother Raul Castro in July, the Cuban leader has still only been seen in photographs and video images. (Reuters, 28/3/07)

March 29: In the World Series of weird baseball names, Cuba is a real contender. Never mind nicknames like that of the Mets' Orlando Hernandez — "El Duque" or "The Duke." This competition is among the names given to players like Danger Guerrero and Vicyohandri Odelin by their own parents.Then there's Yulieski Gourriel, the 22-year-old star second baseman on the island's national team, whose big brother Yunieski plays center field. Their mother figured that name was such a hit, she changed just one letter when Yulieski came along. Cuban law once required that children be named after saints, but the communist government long ago abolished that rule. Today, only the names of stars, objects, jobs and animals are prohibited. One of Cuba's best-known journalists and broadcasters, the late Eddy Martin, once said he counted 400 Cuban baseball players whose names started with the alphabet's next-to-last letter. And while Y names are common in allied Russia, it remains a mystery why Cuban parents would be attached to them. (AP, 29/3/07)

March 29: A therapeutic anti-cancer vaccine being developed by Cuban scientists is expected to give new hopes for patients in the advanced stage of lung cancer in terms of a longer survival rate and better quality of life. Known as Epiderma Growth Factor (EGF), the vaccine, discovered by Dr Gisela Gonzalez Marinello of the Centre of Molecular Immunology in Cuba in 1992, will be clinically trial-tested in Malaysia for the first time. Dr Gonzalez, who is also its project manager, said 230 advanced stage lung cancer patients had been identified in 12 hospitals to participate in the clinical tests in what could be a landmark trial for the drug. She said based on previous clinical trials in Cuba, Canada and United Kingdom, the vaccine had demostrated its ability to promote longer survival rates of up to six months, and up to two years in some cases, while helping to improve the quality of life among lung cancer patients who responded to the vaccine. (Bernama, 29/3/07)

March 29: Cuba's Science Workers Union (SNTC) granted Fidel Castro a diploma acknowledging his role as main promoter of that labor organization. During a ceremony held in Havana, the General Secretary of the Cuban Workers Confederation (CTC) Salvador Valdes Mesa received the diploma, which he will hand over to the Cuban leader. SNTC leader Martha Cabrisas stressed that the setting up of the union some 15 years ago was crucial to implement the national strategy aimed at the country's scientific development. (ACN, 29/3/07)

March 29: A newly organized dissident coalition in Cuba launched a campaign to free political prisoners, promising to take its fight to international courts. The National Constitutionalist Alliance groups 225 organizations with a total of some 3,000 members, according to its director Angel Polanco. Polanco said the campaign would seek to gather 250,000 signatures in the only one-party communist nation in the Americas, and pass them on to the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. He also said that if the Cuban government rejects the request, the group would call for a day of peaceful civil disobedience across Cuba, something that has never happened in almost half a century of communist rule. (AFP, 29/3/07)

March 30: A new University of Information Technology will open in the eastern region on April 4, aimed at increasing registration in this kind of career. This school's syllabus agrees with that of the Information Sciences University (UCI in Spanish), opened in Havana in 2002, and whose registration increased to 10,000 students throughout the island. About 300 students, graduates from high school informatics centers, are expected to study in that institute, as part of the country's will to continue socializing the access to new technologies. (Prensa Latina, 30/3/07)