A Voice of Cuba***Unlike so many celebrities of the modern era, Ms. Cruz knew firsthand of the atrocities of communism in Cuba, and she spoke frankly of her time and challenges there. Ms. Cruz's voice instantly fills a room with the feel of swaying palm fronds and cigar smoke, bringing back memories of a Cuba before Fidel Castro's dictatorship. But her art transcended any political agenda. Ms. Cruz always remained a lady, coy about her age and decked out in extravagant outfits even in her last public appearances -- accompanied nearly always by her husband of 40 years, Pedro Knight.***
Chilean Author Nixes Cuba Over Journalism Award [Full Text] SANTIAGO, Chile - Chilean author Carlos Franz is turning down a journalism award from Cuba to protest the crackdown on dissidents by the government of President Fidel Castro.
"I decided that I could not accept a journalism award purported to support freedom of expression because among 78 dissidents imprisoned in Cuba there are a number of authors and some 20 newsmen," Franz told the Chilean daily La Segunda Tuesday in an interview from his London residence.
He said "it was a hard decision" to turn down the Jose Marti Journalism Prize awarded by Cuba's government news agency, Prensa Latina. Franz said he has sent a letter to Cuba rejecting the prize, awarded for an ironic story describing a visit to the U.S. Naval Academy. [End]