No subject

S=E1nchez
enjoys a spectacular view of the city where she was born 32 years ago. =
There
is Revolution Square, with its image of Ernesto "Che" Guevara and =
towering
monument to Jos=E9 Mart=ED, surrounded by the sprawling capital.

On the streets below, she routinely ferrets out nuggets of life for her
Internet diary about Cuba in the waning days of Fidel Castro's long =
rule.

"In general, we Cubans have extraordinary lives because reality is so
complex," she said.

"Cubans have many experiences that would seem totally fantastic in other
countries. I try to capture this absurd, fantastical place."

In a country with the lowest rate of Internet access in Latin America,
S=E1nchez publishes an unusually candid blog. While she writes for =
Cubans on
the island, the blog has exposed a crack in the state's tight control =
over
information to offer the world deeply personal slices of Cuban life.

"Some people reach a certain point where they have to leave the island =
on a
boat," S=E1nchez said. "A few of us opt to say publicly what we feel."

Last week, S=E1nchez tried to imagine a day without Cuba's underground =
economy
for everything from milk, eggs and cooking oil to rides in unlicensed =
taxis.

"I don't know about you," she wrote, "but I can't live one day without =
the
black market." Another post criticized the scarcity of toys in stores =
before
Three Kings Day, Jan. 6.

"Yoani provides a little window into Cuban life, often micro-focused on =
her
family and neighborhood, and her writing is sharp, observant, and =
acerbic,"
said Philip Peters, a Cuba expert at the Lexington Institute, a think =
tank
in the Washington, D.C., area.

Her blog, which started in April, is called "Generacion Y" (
www.desdecuba.com/generaciony) and is dedicated to Cubans born in the
mid-1970s and the 1980s, when Soviet influence was strong and many were
given names that begin with "y". Yoandri or Yuniesky, for example. Or =
Yoani.
It is a generation, S=E1nchez wrote, marked by "schools in the =
countryside,
little Russian dolls, illegal departures, and frustration."

While a number of Cuba blogs have been created by South Florida exiles =
and
American academics, S=E1nchez's is one of the few posted directly from =
Havana.
Most Havana bloggers are anonymous for fear of reprisals, but S=E1nchez
includes her name and photo on the site.

"You're always fearful," said S=E1nchez, who has a 12-year-old son.=20
"I sometimes ask whether I'm doing the responsible thing as a mother.=20
You can always make arguments for doing nothing."

The Internet is a delicate issue for the state: About 200,000 Cubans, or
less than 2 percent of the population, have access to the World Wide =
Web.
Only government employees, academics and researchers are allowed their =
own
Internet accounts, which are provided by the government. Ordinary Cubans =
may
open e-mail accounts accessible at many post offices, but access to many =
Web
sites outside the island is blocked. Some Cubans access the blog at work =
or
via illegal Internet connections at home. Others receive her postings =
via
e-mail from abroad.

The fact that few Cubans have Internet access has not discouraged =
S=E1nchez,
who works as a webmaster and writer for Consenso, an independent online
magazine focusing on culture and politics. She said the blog receives =
about
300,000 hits each month.

"In Cuba, just one person with Internet access can share information =
with at
least 20 other Cubans," she said.

That S=E1nchez has been able to get away with unusually harsh criticism =
of the
government and ailing leader Fidel Castro has stirred debate among =
bloggers
in the United States. Some have suggested that her ability to post what =
she
wants underscores a greater openness under the leadership of Raul =
Castro,
who has held power since brother Fidel underwent emergency surgery in =
2006.
Others believe she is a pawn of a government eager to appear more =
tolerant.

"The doubts shed light on the level of mistrust and paranoia that exists
among Cubans," she said.

S=E1nchez insists she is not a member of any opposition group and does =
not
receive support from foreign governments.

"My impression is that she has found a space that is neither legal nor
illegal," said Peters, who also writes a blog on Cuba
(Cubantriangle.blogspot.com). So far, reader feedback has been mixed.

"Some people insult me and call me a fatalist," she said. "Others are
grateful and call me a martyr. Some say I only see the negative side of
Cuba. I think [government newspapers] Granma and Juventud Rebelde and =
state
television do a good enough job accentuating the positive. Somebody =
needs to
tell the other side."

Ray S=E1nchez can be reached at rlsanchez at sun-sentinel.com.

Copyright =A9 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel