Yoani Sánchez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yoani Sánchez
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Sánchez in 2013
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Yoani María Sánchez Cordero
September 4, 1975 Havana, Cuba
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Reinaldo Escobar
(m. 1993) |
| Children | 1 |
Yoani María Sánchez Cordero (born September 4, 1975) is a Cuban blogger. She has become famous around the world and won many awards. She is known for writing about daily life in Cuba and sharing her thoughts about the government.
Yoani grew up in Cuba. Her early school years were when the Soviet Union helped Cuba a lot. But during her high school and university time, this help stopped. This change made her value her privacy even more. After university, she realized she didn't want to be a philologist, which was her field of study.
In 2002, Yoani left Cuba for Switzerland. There, she became very interested in computer science. When she returned to Cuba, she helped start Contodos. This magazine is a place for Cubans to share their ideas and news freely. Yoani is most famous for her blog, Generación Y (Generation Y). Even though her blog is blocked in Cuba, she sends her posts by email to friends outside the country. They then put her words online. Her blog is now translated into 17 languages.
In 2008, Time magazine named her one of the world's 100 most important people. They said she used her freedom of speech in a country where it was not common. In 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama praised her blog. He said it showed the world what daily life in Cuba was like. He also admired her work to help Cubans express themselves using technology.
Contents
Yoani Sánchez's Life Story
Yoani Sánchez was born on September 4, 1975, in Havana, Cuba. She was one of two daughters. Her father, William Sánchez, worked on the state railroad system. Later, when the railroad system struggled, he became a bicycle repairman.
Yoani went to school in Havana when the Soviet Union was giving a lot of support to Cuba. But during her teen years and university, the Soviet Union collapsed. This meant Cuba lost a lot of financial help.
Yoani studied Spanish literature and later philology at the university. She graduated with a degree in Hispanic philology. She wrote her thesis on literature about dictatorships in Latin America. After finishing her studies, she felt she no longer wanted to be a philologist. She also felt disappointed with the world of "high culture."
She worked briefly for a children's book publisher. Then she found a better-paying job teaching Spanish to German tourists. This was a time when many educated Cubans took jobs that were not related to their studies.
Starting Her Blog and Online Work
In 2002, Yoani left Cuba for Switzerland. She felt disappointed with her home country. Two years later, she decided to return to Cuba for family reasons. She found a way to stay in Cuba, even though she had been out of the country for a long time.
Back in Havana, Yoani discovered her interest in computer science. In 2004, she helped create Consenso, a magazine for discussion. She also helped start Desde Cuba (From Cuba), an online magazine with many blogs. Her blog was the first one.
Yoani started her blog, Generation Y, on April 9, 2007. She wanted to share her thoughts and feelings about life in Cuba. She used a baseball game as an example in her first post. She compared what Cubans were allowed to shout (like "Santiago, Go Santiago!") to what they were not allowed to say (like "Internet for all!").
Yoani's blog was hosted in Germany. She designed it herself. Later, it moved to WordPress. It was updated so readers could leave comments.
Challenges with Censorship
Yoani faced many challenges to keep her blog going. It was hard to get online in Cuba. She often had to go to cybercafés or hotels to work on her blog. She would save her posts on a flash drive and then try to upload them.
In March 2008, Yoani told her readers that her blog was blocked in Cuba. This meant people in Cuba could not access Generation Y or other blogs on the desdecuba.com website. The Cuban government tried to stop people from reading her work.
This attempt to block her blog actually made her more famous. News outlets around the world wrote about her. Even Fidel Castro mentioned her blog in a book prologue, though he did not use her name. He expressed his disappointment that young Cubans thought like her.
Blogging from Afar
Since her blog was blocked in Cuba, Yoani found a way to keep writing. She sends her blog posts and photos to friends outside Cuba by email. These friends then post her words online for her. She calls this "blogging blind."
This way, she created a "citizen network" of people helping her share her ideas. By January 2009, Generation Y was getting about 14 million views each month. Her Spanish-language site received many comments on each post.
In May 2014, Yoani launched 14ymedio. This was the first independent digital news site in Cuba. The Cuban government blocked it shortly after it launched, but it was later unblocked.
Her Books and Influence
In 2011, Yoani published her first book, Havana Real: One Woman Fights to Tell the Truth About Cuba Today. This book collected four years of her translated blog posts. It shared her views on daily life in Cuba. She could not leave Cuba to promote her book. Instead, she sent flash drives with video recordings of her reading from the book. She has also written a second book, Word Press: A Blog for Speaking To The World. Yoani is known as a very talented writer.
Yoani's work helped other bloggers in Cuba. The number of blogs on the DesdeCuba site grew quickly. Her husband, Reinaldo Escobar, also started a blog called Desde Aqui (From Here). Other bloggers joined too.
When the government blocked Yoani's blog, it also blocked these other blogs. The bloggers had to find ways around the censorship. They relied on friends abroad or used complex methods to post their entries. They also shared their blogs on CDs so people in Cuba could read them. Yoani wants blogging to become a way for Cubans to express themselves freely.
In January 2009, Yoani launched Voces Cubanas. This project helps independent bloggers in Cuba share their stories and the realities of daily life.
Facing Challenges and Traveling
Yoani has faced difficulties because of her work. In November 2009, she reported being stopped by men working for the Cuban government. She was on her way to a peaceful event. This incident was criticized by human rights groups.
In 2009, Yoani sent seven questions to U.S. President Barack Obama. She received answers from his team. She then drafted seven questions for President Castro.
In October 2012, Yoani and her husband were briefly arrested. This happened when she was planning to write about a political trial. She was released the next day.
In January 2013, Cuba changed its passport laws. Yoani was finally given a Cuban passport. She had tried to get permission to travel 20 times before without success. In February 2013, Yoani traveled to many countries in Europe and the Americas. She spoke about the need for more changes in Cuba. She returned to Cuba in May.
Awards and Recognition
Yoani Sánchez has received many awards for her brave work:
- 2008 – Ortega y Gasset Prize for Journalism
- 2008 – Named one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World" by Time magazine
- 2008 – Listed as one of the "10 Most Influential Latin American Intellectuals" by Foreign Policy magazine
- 2009 – Her blog, "Generation Y", was named one of the "25 Best Blogs of 2009" by Time magazine
- 2009 – Honored as a "Young Global Leader" by the World Economic Forum
- 2009 – Won the Maria Moors Cabot prize from Columbia University School of Journalism
- 2010 – Named a "World Press Freedom Hero" by the International Press Institute
- 2010 – Received a Prince Claus Award from the Netherlands
- 2011 – Received an International Women of Courage Award
- 2012 – Named one of the "10 Most Influential Ibero American Intellectuals" by Foreign Policy magazine
Images for kids
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Fidel Castro quoted Sánchez's blog in the prologue of the book Fidel, Bolivia y algo más.
See also
In Spanish: Yoani Sánchez para niños
