News stories by Ivet González, page 4

Cuba's young people today feel they have more freedom to navigate the waters of romantic feelings in an uncomplicated way.

While gender roles have changed since Cuba's 1959 revolution, inequalities persist among men and women in private life, and young people are both accepting that and breaking with it.

In the throes of Cuba's economic 'reorganisation,' young people are walking a tightrope towards an uncertain employment future. They are finding it increasingly difficult to find jobs that meet both their professional aspirations and their salary expectations.

The absence of more open social policies and real citizen participation are some of the concerns being debated in the run-up to the Sixth Congress of the ruling Cuban Communist Party (PCC) in April.

Lighting up dark areas of Cuban society with youthful vigour, Muestra Joven (the Young Cinema Exhibition), a local independent film event, reached its 10th anniversary characterised by experimentation and subjects that are both complex and invisible in the national media.

Based on their own experience, Luisa García and Jorge Medina, whose farm in Cuba produces a variety of food that feeds them year-round, said they have no doubt that food sovereignty can be achieved in their country and in the rest of Latin America.

Tougher entrance exams for higher education, to be applied in the next academic year in Cuba, are worrying families who see getting into university as a major achievement for their children.

Their tanned skin is weathered by years of sun, and their voices preserve traces of accents from different parts of Spain.