El Toque is a multimedia platform focused on telling Cuba in its diversity, complex, creative and also sometimes painful or hidden. Our very existence is a commitment to the diversity of voices, styles and functions in the media ecosystem that they publish for Cubans. Here you can learn a little more about the Island.
I’m Afraid of Trump

I’m Afraid of Trump

I’m afraid of Trump. Of Trump and his measures. Not his shoulder-to-shoulder measure, nor the circumference of his neck, but of everything that might occur to him while sleeping, if indeed he does sleep.

Cuba to Continue Allowing Tax-Free Imports of Certain Items

Cuba to Continue Allowing Tax-Free Imports of Certain Items

The Cuban Government is once again extending the tariff benefit for non-commercial traveler imports of foodstuffs, toiletries, medicines and electricity generation equipment. The regulations for such tariff exemptions were published in the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2 on January 29, 2025.

“I Will Not Be Silent”: Released 11J Prisoners Speak Out

“I Will Not Be Silent”: Released 11J Prisoners Speak Out

According to Justicia 11J, approximately 35 female political prisoners remain behind bars. Many of them participated in the July 11, 2021, protests and other protests in subsequent years.

What Will Happen in Cuba with the MLC in 2025?

What Will Happen in Cuba with the MLC in 2025?

At the end of December 2024, several people wrote to elTOQUE expressing concerns about rumors regarding a possible elimination of the magnetic MLC for shopping in government stores priced in US dollars.

What’s Behind the Cooking Gas Shortage in Cuba?

What’s Behind the Cooking Gas Shortage in Cuba?

Cooking with firewood or going hungry seems to be the dilemma for many Cuban families who endure more than 15 hours of power outages daily.

The Salary of a Cuban Baseball Player Buys a Carton of Eggs

The Salary of a Cuban Baseball Player Buys a Carton of Eggs

Two events this past week pointed to the deteriorating (economically speaking) state of sports and athletes in Cuba. A situation that is not new, but that repeats itself year after year without a medium or short-term solution.

The Silence of the Sea: Migrants Who Go Missing

The Silence of the Sea: Migrants Who Go Missing

On January 3, 2023, Sandra’s* son decided to embark for the United States, together with another 24 Cubans. Their point of departure was Hoyo Colorado, a small community in the Marti municipality of Matanzas. Their destiny was uncertain, but all of them shared the hopes of finding a better place to live.

How to Read the Cuba, Pope Francis and Biden Agreement

How to Read the Cuba, Pope Francis and Biden Agreement

The decision came just one month after Biden had declared otherwise, extending Cuba’s designation on the list for another year.

Biden Removes Cuba from List of State Sponsors of Terrorism

Biden Removes Cuba from List of State Sponsors of Terrorism

In a surprise move, the Biden administration removed Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. According to Martí Noticias, in exchange, the Cuban government promised to release political prisoners.

Osvel Barzagas: A Free Cuban in Mexico’s Zocalo

Osvel Barzagas: A Free Cuban in Mexico’s Zocalo

Amid the chaos of the Zocalo, Mexico City’s central plaza, Cuban Osvel Barzagas was free. He didn’t know if he was happy, but yes, he was free.

January 10, The Decisive Day for Venezuela Has Arrived

January 10, The Decisive Day for Venezuela Has Arrived

Venezuelan citizens took to the streets on Thursday January 9th to defend Edmundo Gonzalez’s electoral victory of July 28, 2024. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado called for nationwide demonstrations to support Gonzalez’s potential inauguration on January 10.

Supermarkets in USD in Cuba: The Prince and the Pauper

Supermarkets in USD in Cuba: The Prince and the Pauper

The opening of the new supermarket 3ra y 70, located under the Gran Muthu Habana Hotel, dominated the headlines of Cuba’s independent press in the first days of 2025. Social media reactions, citizen reports, and press coverage highlight the widespread indignation among Cubans over the store’s policy: purchases can only be made with cash in foreign currency or international and certain domestic cards.

mar, personas, balsa

Three Wishes for Cuba

I wish that in 2025 there will only be floods of joy, blushes igniting cheeks, collapses of ill intentions, and penetrations that aren’t from the sea or pirates. Let marital beds shake and let family cupboards overflow.

What Lessons Does 2024 Leave the Private Sector in Cuba?

What Lessons Does 2024 Leave the Private Sector in Cuba?

In December 2023, during his speech to the National Assembly, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz promised that in 2024, the “mechanisms for supervision and regulation of the governmental control system over the private sector” would improve. 

What We Keep Quiet at Christmas

What We Keep Quiet at Christmas

There is something about Christmas that has always seemed magical to me: the little trees, the parties, the lights in the windows, and that feeling that time pauses a bit to remind us of what truly matters. 

MERCADO INFORMAL DE
DIVISAS EN CUBA (TIEMPO REAL)

toque_logo_white
1 EUR345.00 CUP
1 USD340.00 CUP
1 MLC
245.00 CUP
+5
Calendar iconCUBA
publicidad_banenr

Mas Voces Foundation, INC. REGISTRATION # CH76101. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-4357352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.

English

El Toque is a multimedia platform focused on telling Cuba in its diversity, complex, creative and also sometimes painful or hidden. Our very existence is a commitment to the diversity of voices, styles and functions in the media ecosystem that they publish for Cubans. Here you can learn a little more about the Island.

I’m Afraid of Trump
I’m afraid of Trump. Of Trump and his measures. Not his shoulder-to-shoulder measure, nor the circumference of his neck, but of everything that might occur to him while sleeping, if indeed he does sleep.

The Cuban Government is once again extending the tariff benefit for non-commercial traveler imports of foodstuffs, toiletries, medicines and electricity generation equipment. The regulations for such tariff exemptions were published in the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2 on January 29, 2025.

According to Justicia 11J, approximately 35 female political prisoners remain behind bars. Many of them participated in the July 11, 2021, protests and other protests in subsequent years.

At the end of December 2024, several people wrote to elTOQUE expressing concerns about rumors regarding a possible elimination of the magnetic MLC for shopping in government stores priced in US dollars.

Cooking with firewood or going hungry seems to be the dilemma for many Cuban families who endure more than 15 hours of power outages daily.
On January 3, 2023, Sandra’s* son decided to embark for the United States, together with another 24 Cubans. Their point of departure was Hoyo Colorado, a small community in the Marti municipality of Matanzas. Their destiny was uncertain, but all of them shared the hopes of finding a better place to live.
In a surprise move, the Biden administration removed Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. According to Martí Noticias, in exchange, the Cuban government promised to release political prisoners.
Venezuelan citizens took to the streets on Thursday January 9th to defend Edmundo Gonzalez’s electoral victory of July 28, 2024. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado called for nationwide demonstrations to support Gonzalez’s potential inauguration on January 10.
I wish that in 2025 there will only be floods of joy, blushes igniting cheeks, collapses of ill intentions, and penetrations that aren’t from the sea or pirates. Let marital beds shake and let family cupboards overflow.
There is something about Christmas that has always seemed magical to me: the little trees, the parties, the lights in the windows, and that feeling that time pauses a bit to remind us of what truly matters. 
Two events this past week pointed to the deteriorating (economically speaking) state of sports and athletes in Cuba. A situation that is not new, but that repeats itself year after year without a medium or short-term solution.
The decision came just one month after Biden had declared otherwise, extending Cuba’s designation on the list for another year.
Amid the chaos of the Zocalo, Mexico City’s central plaza, Cuban Osvel Barzagas was free. He didn’t know if he was happy, but yes, he was free.
The opening of the new supermarket 3ra y 70, located under the Gran Muthu Habana Hotel, dominated the headlines of Cuba’s independent press in the first days of 2025. Social media reactions, citizen reports, and press coverage highlight the widespread indignation among Cubans over the store’s policy: purchases can only be made with cash in foreign currency or international and certain domestic cards.
In December 2023, during his speech to the National Assembly, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz promised that in 2024, the “mechanisms for supervision and regulation of the governmental control system over the private sector” would improve. 

MERCADO INFORMAL DE
DIVISAS EN CUBA (TIEMPO REAL)

toque_logo_white
1 EUR345.00 CUP
1 USD340.00 CUP
1 MLC
245.00 CUP
+5
Calendar iconCUBA
publicidad_banenr
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nuestras novedades

Suscríbete a las notificaciones y entérate al instante de todo lo que tenemos para ti: breaking news, alertas de mercado, transmisiones en vivo ¡y más!

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