Blogging in Cuba
Cuba is highly patriotic and very selective with who they allow Internet access to. Only high ranking government officials and people with links to the Communist Party have home Internet access. The rest of the population accesses the Internet through hotels or Internet cafés monitored by the government. These cafés utilize expensive voucher cards that provide timed periods of Internet access.
A small portion of independent bloggers have the amount of Internet access time required to detail everyday details of their life and the state of Cuba's regime. They host these blogs outside of the country, and the majority of the island is blocked from accessing them. Some of these independent bloggers are continually harassed by the government authorities for posting their conflicting government views. Cuban authority figures demand that only pro-government information praising Cuba and positive views in relation to the authoritative regulations be allowed.
Even the subject of Internet access in Communist Cuba is a touchy issue. Less than two percent of their population have Word Wide Web access. The reason for this is pure and simple economics. U.S. trade embargoes and the overall financial state of Cuba make Internet access for the vast majority of Cuba an impossibility. .
In 2002, dozens of journalists who blatantly called themselves dissidents, published slanderous material about the regime, and consequently imprisoned. Many of them are still in prison, and this reminder keeps the majority complacent to Cuban laws.
Yoani Sánchez is one of the only well known Cuban bloggers, and posts to a blog called Generación Y. She routinely documents the daily life in Cuba, complete with descriptions of her surroundings and how average Cuban lives are lived. Communism is the way of life, and most people are not legally allowed to access the Internet., let alone blog. Yoani is a blogging pioneer, well known in the United States for her depictions of the circumstances surrounding life in Cuba.
As sort of a punishment, she says, she is not allowed to leave the country. She has requested to travel abroad three times, and each of those requests was met with a denial. Because she is a public figure, a sort of celebrity in Cuba, she is watched by Cuban officials. Officials dictate what she is allowed and not allowed to do, with traveling being one of the primary dictations. Yoani is a special case because of the publicity she generates. Denying someone the ability to travel abroad without providing valid reasoning displays a classic representation of authoritarian force Communist Cuba is capable of. This does not mean Cuba always treats their citizens this way, they simply reserve their right to exercise their power..
At this time, not recomended to use our services if you are in Cuba.