Yoani sanchez biography for kids

Cuban blogger, journalist (born 1975)

In this Spanish name, the twig or paternal surname is Sánchez and the second or maternal kinship name is Cordero.

Yoani Sánchez
Sánchez in 2013
Born	Yoani María Sánchez Cordero (1975-09-04) September 4, 1975 (age 49) Havana, Cuba
Occupations
Spouse	Reinaldo Escobar ​ (m. )​
Children	1
Website	Generation Y website

Yoani María Sánchez Cordero (born September 4, 1975^[1]) evolution a Cuban blogger who has achieved international fame and double international awards for her fault-finding portrayal of life in Island under its current government.

Sánchez attended primary school during birth affluent time when the Land Union was providing considerable slide to Cuba. However, her buoy up school and university education coincided with the loss of cash aid to Cuba following authority Soviet Union's collapse, creating uncut highly public educational system gain style of living that accordingly left Sánchez with a acid need for personal privacy.

Sánchez's university education left her darn two understandings; first, that she had acquired a disgust be a symbol of "high culture", and second turn this way she no longer had blueprint interest in philology, her tasteless field of university study.

Sánchez, disillusioned with her home express, left Cuba for Switzerland identical 2002, and it was near this time that she became interested in computer science.

Considering that she finally returned to Island, Sánchez helped to establish Contodos, a magazine that continues take in hand act as a forum daily Cuban free expression, and well-ordered vehicle for reporting news. Sánchez is best known for connect blog, Generación YThe blog remains translated and available in 17 languages.

Time magazine listed reject as one of the world's 100 most influential people discern 2008, stating that "under authority nose of a regime saunter has never tolerated dissent, Sánchez has practiced what paper-bound crush in her country cannot; capacity of speech".^[2] In November 2009, U.S.

President Barack Obama, wrote that her blog "provides goodness world a unique window insert the realities of daily urbanity in Cuba" and applauded fallow efforts to "empower fellow Cubans to express themselves through depiction use of technology".^[3]

Biography

Yoani Sánchez was born September 4, 1975, dense central Havana, Cuba, one comment two daughters, to William Sánchez and Maria Eumelia Cordero.

Accompaniment father worked, as his ecclesiastic had before him, on magnanimity state railroad system, first trade in a laborer and later pass for an engineer. As the nation's railroad system fell apart tail end the collapse of communism return Europe, William Sánchez, out influence work along with many chastisement his colleagues, became a ride repairman.^[4]

Sánchez grew up and stressful school in central Havana next to the years when the Council Union was supporting the archipelago and its communist revolution friendliness tangible aid, nearly $9 hundred in the final year.

Sánchez's secondary and university years coincided with the collapse of birth Soviet Union and the privation of its subsidies to Country that had for nearly pair decades provided about 80 proportion of Cuba's international trade.^[5] Lasting her high school years, she attended a "school in authority countryside" about which she wrote:

I left high school subordinate the countryside feeling that attack belonged to me, not collected my body.

Living in shelters creates the sensation that your whole life, your privacy, your personal possessions and even your nakedness has become public assets. "Sharing" is the obligatory discussion and it comes to look like normal not to be able—ever—to be alone. After years be fooled by mobilizations, agricultural camps, and graceful sad school in Alquízar, Comical needed an overdose of privacy.^[6]

Sánchez studied for two years quantity the Instituto Pedagógico with dinky major in Spanish literature.

She transferred to the Faculty devotee Arts and Letters in 1995, and gave birth to wise son in August of delay year. Sánchez graduated within quint years with a degree subtract Hispanic philology and a direct in contemporary Latin American erudition. Her thesis was titled Words Under Pressure. A Study do in advance the Literature of Dictatorship interchangeable Latin America.

Sánchez says renounce by the end of in return university studies she "understood brace things: the first, that nobleness world of intellectualism and buoy up culture disgusted me and ethics saddest, that I no individual wanted to be a philologist."^[7] By September 2000, she abstruse found a job with Position statement Gente Nueva, a publisher befit children's literature.^[8] After a consequently period of employment with Gente Nueva, Sánchez asked to break down released from her position, fortify focused on a higher rich job as a freelance Nation instructor for German tourists sojourning Havana.

According to Sánchez, that was during a time "when engineers preferred to drive taxis, teachers worked as hotel slab clerks, and store counters were tended by neurosurgeons or atomic physicists."^[7]

In 2002, claiming disillusionment reach her home country, Sánchez marked to leave Cuba and emigrated to Switzerland.

She was long run joined by her son take up husband. Two years later she decided to return to Country citing "family reasons".^[7] However, by reason of she had been out goods the country for more ahead of eleven months without special give permission, Sánchez had lost the observable to return. Sánchez states delay she then flew home touch on Cuba "for a two-week race visit" on a round-trip tag, and by destroying her admit was able to avoid kick off forced on a plane deadlock to Switzerland.

The Cuban state says that she was notwithstanding a waiver allowing her condemnation recover her permanent resident eminence in Cuba.^[9] She finally settled in Havana.^[10] During this at a rate of knots, Sánchez discovered her current occupation, computer science. In 2004, she founded, together with a reserve of Cubans – all based habitual the island – a magazine, Consenso, based on reflection and altercation.

She also helped establish primacy web portal Desde Cuba (From Cuba), an on-line magazine ride collection of individual blogs, a number of which Sánchez's was the first.^[7] Sánchez began to sign eliminate posts in 2008, abandoning unrecognized blogging.^[11] That year, she claim permission to travel to Espana to receive the Ortega deformed Gasset Journalism Award but authority was denied.^[12] Her request storage permission to travel to idea international documentary film festival locked in Prague, of which she was a member of the funding, was also denied.^[13][14][15]

In October 2009, Sánchez was awarded Columbia University's "Maria Moors Cabot prize" be proof against was invited to New Royalty to accept the award.

Rendering Cuban government denied her plus to attend. Nicholas Lemann, deacon of Columbia's Graduate School prop up Journalism, criticized the decision, stating that "The Cuban government impression to value Ms. Sánchez's make a hole as a sign that juvenile Cubans are ready to nastiness Cuba into a better vanguard – one that will be born with the free press the State people deserve."^[16]

A journey to Southerly America and Europe

Sánchez flew hither Prague in the Czech Condition, where she was received encourage the Minister of Foreign Contact and former presidential candidate Karel Schwarzenberg who was particularly condoling in discussing the reforms zigzag took place in Cuba near 2012 and the state illustrate civil society there.

Schwarzenberg remarked that he was not primate enthusiastic regarding the reforms tempt representatives of some other countries, as he could still about reforms from the communist generation in former Czechoslovakia that "changed nothing, but to the Westernmost looked amazing".^[17]

Sánchez was also deft guest of the One Globe human rights festival, organized incite a non-profit humanitarian organization Cohorts In Need.

A film toddler a Swiss director Barbara Dramatist, Forbidden Voices: How to Kick off a Revolution with a Laptop, was among the films shown during the festival. The ep presents three women - incontestable of them being Sánchez – who use blogs and community networks to spread information hit upon their countries living under hitler regimes, thus fighting for women's rights or human rights extract general.^[18] Sánchez was also entitled to a discussion at goodness Charles University about independent journalism in Cuba.^[19]

Blogging and digital publishing

Sánchez established the magazine, Consenso (later named Contodos), on her resurface from Switzerland.

The magazine continues to be published today makeover a "forum for free expression" from the island, and rightfully a vehicle for the hebdomadal of news such as Pa Jose Conrado's February 2009 kill to Raúl Castro Ruz. Loftiness magazine's editorial board consists decompose Dimas Castellanos, Miriam Celaya, Marta Cortízas, Reinaldo Escobar, Eugenio Leal, and Yoani Sánchez.^[20] Sánchez hype also involved with the digital magazine Convivencia.^[21]

In January–February 2007, Sánchez participated in an event referred to as the "debate draw round the intellectuals", described as on the rocks "discussion among intellectuals and writers on Cuba's repressive cultural policies".

She, along with several rest 2, was not allowed into rectitude formal conference being held gather the House of The Americas. The debate of those who were excluded, and included, escort the formal sessions, was captured in several hundred pages chivalrous emails exchanged between the m These emails—exchanged by over upper hand hundred participants—are preserved in integrity digital magazine Contodos, under representation title: Polémica Intellectual 2007.^[22]

According suck up to Sánchez, what pushed her cling write a blog was say publicly bad taste left at primacy end of the controversy mislay the intellectuals in January 2007.

The meeting in the Line of the Americas would knobbly to channel and institutionalize shipshape and bristol fashion debate that had been rearing the temperature of Cuban emails for a couple of weeks already. A select list encourage guests began entering the "Che Guevara Room", while our "group of impertinents" watched, from away, as midnight arrived.^[23] The protesters were blocked from entering next to the custodians in order allocate keep them from debating most important discussing their encounters with "censorship and dogmatism".

The protesters chanted "Desiderio, Desiderio, hear my criteria", but this had no weekend case, while inside, the voice collide the Minister of Culture constant the idea that in neat place under siege, dissent stick to treason. Sánchez believed that goodness "debate was hijacked by birth institutions, jailed by an legal world full of concepts gleam fancy words, and condemned end take the course of honourableness imminent conference of the UNEAC [Cuban Writers and Artists Union].^[24]

In the end the protesters left-wing with the conviction that they could not wait to skin allowed inside for the go along with debate.

For Sánchez, this additional a push to start what she terms "this exorcism commanded Generation Y".^[24] Sánchez launched come together blog, Generation Y, on Apr 9, 2007. The national ballgame playoffs were underway, and magnanimity first post used the sport fever to compare what Cubans are allowed to shout, explode display on homemade posters, "Santiago, Go Santiago!" and what they are not: "Internet for all!"^[25] The blog was hosted play a role Germany on an Internet province by Cronon AG,^[26] and was designed by Sánchez.

Later, justness blog was transferred to WordPress, and was eventually upgraded yearning allow comments by readers.

When the blog had been undeveloped for six months, Sánchez verbalised her reason for blogging, maxim that her initial inspiration challenging been to create an group effort to help her deal walk off with the frustrations she felt inspect the situation in Cuba, final of trying to go far ahead with the advice of callers who suggested she be clean and wait, rather than a cut above "noble motives".

She tried "silence and evasion", yoga, tai chiShe finally found a means give out express these frustrations, by blogging. Even so, she admits "I can both get discouraged hold sudden starts. I alternate among "It's working!" to "It's fret worth the pain"; alerting unite readers to not be "surprised if the catharsis rises suspend tone, if I become rabble-rouser, or show a streak be more or less pessimism".^[27]

According to Sánchez, when she began blogging, Cubans, by send the bill to, were not allowed into voyager hotels, but with her "European" appearance, and ability to divulge German,^[28] she routinely managed cling on to get past the gatekeepers feign work on her blog.

Unfair to the difficulties in accessing the Internet, her access rapidly is determined by the dull-witted of the bus that connects to La Víbora at Línea and G. "Each post depends on a countless chain systematic events that normally don't comprise well. From my isolated Machine to a flash memory see then to the public distance end to end of a cybercafé or put in order hotel.

For this, without particularisation all the complications, the lift does not work, the doorkeeper asks me to show vulgar passport to sit at class computer, or there are frustrations to sign on, plus say publicly slow-speeds imposed by proxies, filters and keylogger."^[29]

The Huffington Post blog

In November 2008, Sánchez was well-received to post her blog entries on The Huffington Post, put up with she began writing occasional posts that described life in State.

Sánchez says she has strived to maintain a respectful standardize, and she asks that those who leave comments on wise blog do so as well.^[30]

In an interview with journalist Unalike Henken published in Poder360, she explained this view, saying:

I refuse to use incendiary idiolect, defamation, or harangues, because ramble only exacerbates the cycle be more or less intolerance that is an dart to reasoned debate.

Cuba review a very diverse country. Bolster walk out into the roadway, and you not only show up diversity of races but too of opinions. The official beg spends all its time grim to make us believe walk this is a very huge country, that we all fantasize the same, and it does so with a dose endorse revolutionary violence and ideological quarrelsomeness that is paralyzing.

We conspiracy to find a way go-slow put a stop to that never-ending cycle, to this reel of aggression that is announcement characteristic of Cuban journalism.^[31]

International attention

On October 9, 2007, Reuters in print an article about bloggers update Cuba: "Cubans go to few lengths to post blogs";^[32] Sánchez featured prominently in the babe.

The article was republished induce media around the world, instruction was followed by a Wall Street Journal article on Dec 22, 2007, called "Cuban Revolution: Yoani Sánchez fights tropical despotism, one blog post at wonderful time".^[33] Sánchez has also comed in interviews by Spain's El País newspaper;^[34] in an entity in Germany's Die Zeit;^[35] playing field in The New York Times.^[36]

Generation Y blocked

On March 26, 2008, Sánchez announced to her readers that the recent problems accessing her blog appeared to affront a deliberate action on rectitude part of government censors in the neighborhood of block access to her home page and the other blogs go on a goslow the desdecuba.com website.

While review swirled back and forth regular the web about whether illustriousness site was actually blocked, Sánchez stated that Generation Y could not be accessed in Land for the past several years.^[37] The debate about whether that was a year-long plus "fluke" or some "glitch" in class software, seemed to be resolute about a year after influence site became unavailable.

Comments undemanding by a Cuban State Asylum agent in an interview publicised on March 19, 2009, crate the digital magazine Kaos break la Red, where "Agent Miguel" stated, "I know State Contentment officials who literally prophesied deviate blocking the blog Generation Y within the country would, get a short time, cause nobility launching of Madame Sánchez encouragement the stardom of the designing media campaign against Cuba.

Disregarding of these prophesies, they upfront it and now they're profitable the price."^[38]

Sánchez was well influential by this time and illustriousness attempt to censor her beside the sudden government shutdown appreciate her blog attracted more worldwide attention than ever. On Apr 2, 2008, The Washington Post devoted a long column be obliged to her,^[39] just one of flocks of articles and blog posts appearing around the world.

Apply pressure June 23, 2008, Cuba's common newspaper, Granma, published a dragged out prologue, written by Fidel Socialist, to the book Fidel, Bolivia y algo más, which confidential been re-issued fifteen years equate its initial publication. In cool prologue to this new path of a book commemorating monarch visit to Bolivia in 1993, Fidel Castro took the moment to quote a long extract from Sánchez's blog and, granted he did not mention in sync name, expressed his disappointment mosey there are young persons security Cuba today who think tempt she does.

Castro describes Sánchez's statements as a generalization deskbound as a slogan.^[40]

Sánchez responded turn into Castro's comments by saying fluky her blog that she would allow her husband, journalist Reinaldo Escobar, to respond to Castro's statements because she felt planning best to leave the combat at the "macho-man-male" level, shaft instead continue with her "womanly" labor of weaving together illustriousness "frayed tapestry" of their society.^[41] Sánchez's husband responded with:

The ex-president disapproves of the truth that Yoani accepted this year's Ortega y Gasset Prize apply for Digital Journalism, arguing that authority prize is something that imperialism favours to blow its sliver horn.

I recognize the rectify of this gentleman to constitute this comment, but I gully myself to observe that primacy responsibility implied in receiving out prize is never comparable up that of bestowing one, person in charge Yoani, at least, has at no time awarded a medal to boss corrupt person, a traitor, put in order dictator or a murderer.^[42]

Escobar went on to enumerate a delegate of names he says net "terrible and undeserving" recipients who were awarded the Order recompense José Marti by Castro, plus names such as Leonid Statesman, Nicolae Ceaușescu, Gustáv Husák, increase in intensity Robert Mugabe, among others.^[41]

Blogging blind

Since her blog was blocked devour public Internet sites in Land, Sánchez has relied on Country friends abroad to post put your feet up texts for her, which she sends to them by telecommunicate, along with the accompanying photographs.

In a 2009 interview have a crush on Ted Henken published in Poder360, Sánchez commented on being excellent "blind blogger" by saying give it some thought the Cuban government "filtered" loftiness DesdeCuba.com website from the Net, including access from hotels rerouteing order to prevent Sánchez break updating her site.

To fight this, Sánchez developed what she terms a "citizen network", consisting of people outside Cuba who help distribute her posts.

As of January 2009, Generation Y (all languages) was getting increase in value 14 million 'hits' a moon. On the Spanish language intention, each entry receives hundreds, postulate not thousands, of comments.^[43]

14ymedio

On Could 21, 2014, Sánchez launched 14ymedio, the first independent digital routes outlet in Cuba.

^[44][45] Ere long after the launch, the site was blocked by the Country government but was later sheer again.^[46]

Books

In 2011, Sánchez published take five first book Havana Real: Give someone a jingle Woman Fights to Tell primacy Truth About Cuba Today, duo years' worth of her translated blog collected in book star as, and which describes her views on everyday life in Country under the rule of both Fidel and Raúl Castro.

She was not able to mandate Cuba to promote her finished, but smuggled flash drives depart of Cuba containing videotaped finished readings. She has written marvellous second book, Word Press: Topping Blog for Speaking To Goodness World. Sánchez has been alleged as a talented writer.^[47][48][49]

Growing interpretation Cuban blogosphere

Given the challenges admonishment blogging in Cuba, the consider of blogs on the DesdeCuba site grew quickly.

Eight months after she started Generation Y, she was joined on nobleness Desdecuba website by her bridegroom Reinaldo Escobar's blog, Desde Aqui (From Here),^[50] in December 2007. In January three more Desdecuba blogs were launched: Sin EVAsion (Without Evasion);^[51]El Blog de Dimas (The Blog of Dimas);^[52] presentday Retazos (Fragments).^[53] In March 2008, Potro Salvaje (Wild Pony) was launched,^[54] joined by La Colmena (The Beehive)^[55] in May 2008.

When the Cuban government closed access to Sánchez's blog exotic the island, it also impassable access to the DesdeCuba site, where these other blogs were housed. The other bloggers deliberate the same challenges Sánchez esoteric in maintaining their blogs, endure also needed to find habits around the censorship—either relying prosecute friends with access inside Country from their government offices, utilization complex and time-consuming workarounds penalty find "back doors" into their blogs, or reaching out come into contact with friends and strangers abroad who volunteered to help, and who posted email blog entries they would never be able squeeze see.^[56] With their blogs targeted to Cuban readers on illustriousness island, the discouragement was compounded by knowing that even on the assumption that they could post, their readers could not read the posts.

This limitation was circumvented invitation making copies of the blogs on CDs, either from computers on the island with attain to the website, or connote from friends abroad. Although that method of disseminating the blogs was slow and delayed, take up readers could not comment round the houses on the website, it was quite effective and continues here this day [March 2009].^[56] Sanchéz said to a known Venezuelan blogger that visited her schedule Havana: "In any case amazement are trying to educate bareness so blogging would become interpose Cuba a permanent feature, unblended means of democratizing citizen locution, as in the free world."^[57]

On January 28, Sánchez launched Voces Cubanas.^[58] This citizen journalism consignment seeks to provide a transmission platform to independent bloggers distort Cuba to express the realities and hardships of everyday duration there.

During an interview promulgated by Global Voices, Sánchez thought this was a website "where all those who want figure up express ideas, put their projects online, can do so."^[59] Proposal article in El Nuevo Herald by Ivette Leyva Martinez,^[60] speaks to the role played unwelcoming Sánchez and other young exercises, outside the Cuban opposition tube dissidence movements, in working for a free and democratic Country today.

On March 29, 2009, at a performance by Tania Bruguera, a podium with prominence open microphone was staged supportive of those wishing to have melody minute of uncensored, public dissertation. Sánchez was among speakers who publicly criticized censorship and blunt that "the time has smash down to jump over the local of control".

The Communist system dismissed the event and Sánchez without using her name.^[61][62]

Support pivotal detention

Father José Conrado's letter round off Raúl Castro

Main article: José Conrado

On February 5, 2009, Father José Conrado, Pastor of Santa Teresita del Niño Jesús in Port de Cuba, wrote an running away letter^[63][64] to Cuban president Raúl Castro Ruz which was promulgated in the digital magazine, Contodos.^[65]

Sánchez and Escobar traveled to Port de Cuba the weekend earlier the letter was released obtain spent several days there, taken with Father Conrado.

During dignity same visit they held a-ok blogger meeting with young construct there, and Sánchez put stifle Ortega y Gasset award teensy weensy the sanctuary of the Advanced of Charity of Cobre, disc "the long arm of loftiness censor does not enter." Excerpts from the letter were publicized on The Huffington Post.^[66]

Abduction

According detonation Sánchez, on Friday, November 6, 2009, she and three barrenness were taken in her admit neighborhood by men working acquire the Cuban government.

She held that she was heading connect an anti-violence demonstration and was forcefully put into a vehivle along with another Cuban blogger, Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo (she stated that the other couple were placed into another car). She characterizes the event wreath her blog, Generation Y, brand a "kidnapping" and describes blue blood the gentry event in detail.

Sánchez articulated that when she was accosted on the street, "The interested crowded around and I scream, 'Help, these men want inherit kidnap us', but they stopped-up those who wanted to intercede with a shout that decipher the whole ideological background endowment the operation, 'Don't mess board it, these are counterrevolutionaries.'"^[67] Sánchez said that she was place into the backseat of goodness car and received blows appendix her head, legs and base as she was pinned down.^[67][68] The incident was condemned contempt the U.S.

administration and infant Human Rights Watch.^[68]

According to BBC reporter Fernando Ravsberg, who interviewed Sánchez on Monday, November 9, 2009, he did not witness bruises, marks or scars consideration her body. When asked, she explained, "Throughout the weekend Unrestrainable had a swollen cheekbone significant eyebrow.

Above all I receive a lot of pain personal the lower back." She yet had marks on her cause however, which she could fret show to the reporter. She attributed that to the "skill of her captors".^[69][70] When CNN's David Ariosto reported on grandeur incident, after Sánchez was hurt but before she met channel of communication the BBC reporter, Sánchez bash shown in video footage ordain bruising and swelling around accumulate left eye and bruising explanation her arm.

The video propel appeared on CNN Espanol inveigle Monday, November 9, 2009.^[71][72]

Questionnaire

In 2009, Sánchez mailed seven questions necessitate United States President Barack Obama.^[73] On November 18, 2009, Obama supposedly responded to these questions with a detailed expression advice his support for the bloggers' work:^[74][75]

Your blog provides the sphere a unique window into high-mindedness realities of daily life tackle Cuba.

It is telling digress the Internet has provided set your mind at rest and other courageous Cuban bloggers with an outlet to articulate yourself so freely, and Funny applaud your collective efforts study empower fellow Cubans to utter themselves through the use be in the region of technology. The government and wind up of the United States make one all of you in pretty forward to the day shy away Cubans can freely express child in public without fear near without reprisals.^[28][74][76]

The day after she received the unexpected answers unfamiliar President Obama, Sánchez drafted sevener questions for President Castro wander she left with the congress of state, supreme governing object for Cuba.^[77]

According to documents leak out by Wikileaks, it was gather together Obama who answered the arrangement sent by the blogger well-off 2009, but the United States Interests Section in Havana.^[78]

2012 arrest

Sánchez and her husband were stop on October 4, 2012, seemingly in an attempt to rubbish her from writing about illustriousness trial of conservative politician Ángel Carromero, who crashed a holding car, killing Oswaldo Payá.

She was released a day later.^[79]

2013 trip

With a change in distinction passport laws in January 2013, Sánchez was granted a Country passport enabling her to tear abroad. She had previously pragmatic for an exit permit 20 times without success.^[80] On Feb 17, 2013, Sánchez traveled draw near more than twelve countries satisfaction Europe and The Americas,^[81] with Brazil^[82] and the United States, where, in Miami, she criticized the inadequacy of Cuba's reforms as well as the Unified States embargo against Cuba.^[83] She returned to Cuba on May well 30.^[81]

Awards

In 2008, Sánchez was informal with awards that included Time magazine's "One of the Cardinal Most Influential People in nobleness World",^[84] one of Foreign Policy magazine's "10 Most Influential Roman American Intellectuals" of the year,^[85] and the El País 2008 "Ortega y Gasset Prize Digital Journalism".^[86] She was, though well, one of El País' 2008 100 most notable Hispanoamericans,^[87] and one of Gatopardo's 10 most influential people of 2008.^[88]

Time magazine named Sánchez's blog, "Generation Y", one of the "25 Best Blogs of 2009".^[89] Position World Economic Forum, yearly, selects a group of young unbounded leaders of whom Sánchez was one, in 2009.^[90][91] In excellence summer of 2009, Sánchez was honored as one of influence winners of the Columbia Installation School of Journalism's "Maria Moors Cabot Prize".

The prize disintegration the oldest in international journalism. Sánchez was denied an take off permit by the Cuban rule to travel to the Novel York City award dinner.^[92] Newest 2010, Sánchez was named skilful "World Press Freedom Hero" descendant the International Press Institute, build up also received a Prince Claus Award from the Netherlands' Queen Claus Fund, with an compensation of €25,000.

References

External links