Under the images are links to full articles.
Cuban Millennials
They want to travel the world and make a name for themselves
Today young Cubans are embracing foreign cultural trends more than any other time.
New Castro, Same Cuba
Political Prisoners in the Post-Fidel Era
Scores of political prisoners arrested under Fidel Castro continue to languish in Cuba's prisons. And Raul Castro's government has used draconian laws and sham trials to incarcerate scores more who have dared to exercise their fundamental freedoms.
WiFi is a crime
5 years in a Cuban prison
Alan Gross was arrested for setting up WiFi hotspots while working as a subcontractor for the U.S. govrnment
Living in Cuba
Cubans in Cuba
Outside of the carefully curated 'Cuban experience' found in the tourist areas like central Havana and Varadero - life is very different.
Food rations
Government issued rations
Food, toothpaste and toilet paper are given out in small monthly amounts to families. Barely enough for them to survive off.
Driving from Cuba to Miami
Luis Grass drove his converted truck across the ocean
He attempted this twice. Both times the Coast Guard caught him and sent him back. He finally walked into the U.S. from Costa Rica with his wife and 3-yr-old son fighting off bandits trying to murder him.
Cuban fighter pilot defects
Cuban Pilot Lands His Mig in Key West and Claims Asylum
He risked his life to escape.
Escaping the island
Cuban woman mails herself to the Bahamas
Desperate to escape by any means necessary.
Ballet in Cuba
"A ballerina's life is pain."
The infamous Ballet Naciónel de Cuba has provided the world some of it's top ballet dancers.
Making ends meet
Cab drivers make more than doctors
It is common for doctors, lawyers and architects in Cuba have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.
"El Paquete"
It's highly illegal
The high-tech way Cubans stay connected to the rest of the world.
"Risky but worth it".
Prison
Inhumane conditions
People crammed in a cell the size of a twin mattress with a broken toilet.
Jailed for having an opinion
No freedom of speech
Speak out against the government and you "disappear". Neighbors turn neighbors in for additional meal rations.
Daily Restrictions
Cubans are denied the basic freedoms granted to all tourists
It's getting easier to go to Cuba but not necessarily to live there. Cubans are not allowed to enjoy their own beaches, clubs, hotels and many other places available to tourists.
Prostitutes
Sex is the only business Castro couldn't ban.
Their bodies are the only thing they have to sell.
Cuban rafters
A treacherous journey
When the U.S. Coast Guard finds an empty raft at sea they assume all passengers have died and they mark it with a large white "X" as a notice to other rescue operations.
Cuban Ingenuity
DIY out of necessity
The lack of resources has turned the Cuban community into a creative and inventive group.
More here: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/isolation-generation-master-inventors-cuba
Cuban MIG fighter shoots down U.S. Cessna
Civilian plane shot down
A "Brothers to the Resuce" Cessna was shot down by the Cuban airforce.
More here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article4556647.html
Brothers to the Rescue: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_to_the_Rescue
Audio of the Cuban pilots shooting down the civilians: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyoGvbtghoU