Cuban cocks

Trevor @ Thursday May 19th 2005 16:21

I haven’t seen cockfighting in Spain, but to judge by this report there’s still a fair amount of it about. Here, however, the authorities are trying to stamp it out, while in Cuba they’re running the show:

Police operation in the farming district of Las Mercedes
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, February 12 (Antonio Alonso, in collaboration with APLO) – A police raid caused great unease among farming families in Las Mercedes in the district of La Prueba of the municipality of Songo-La Maya Santiago of Cuba. Last Friday February 5th and without presenting search warrants, the police raided dozens of houses in search of fighting cocks [gallos finos o de pelea]. Proprietors found in possession of birds were fined and had them confiscated. [Police abuse of power, confiscation of food for sick wife, ridiculous fines.] It is worth noting that this practice is common due to the close ties that exist between some police chiefs and the rooster cartel, which is in the hands of retired colonels who in this fashion maintain absolute control of cock breeding and fighting as well as of the domestic and export trade.

Another article on CubaNet says that Fidel banned cockfighting along with other capitalist vices in 1959, perhaps because someone had told him the the story about the fighting cock almost having become the US national symbol, losing by just one vote to etc etc. Cockfighting came back out into the open in the 90s, along with canine combat and battles involving the dinky little Tiaris canora, with prizes for leading revolutionaries including posh cars and fridges. It’s quite difficult to see why Gabriela GarcĂ­a Márquez is still hanging on in there, so far have we come from the day when JosĂ© Arcadio BuendĂ­a killed Prudencio Aguilar for suggesting that the JosĂ©’s prize rooster might be able to assist JosĂ©’s wife in ways that JosĂ© himself could not.


Categories: Les bourgeois

« · »

RSS: post comments, blog comments, blog posts

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Share this post
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Live
  • Ma.gnolia
  • Meneame
  • MySpace
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
See also
    • This feature doesn't work without post tags, and there don't seem to be any for this post.
    • This feature doesn't work without post tags, and there don't seem to be any for this post.
Google Reader

I share other stuff over here.

Pordiosería

If you're feeling generous, check out my Amazon wishlists for Deutschland, France , and the UK, or use PayPal to

My 5% bookstore - new stuff



Spanish history

Modern Spanish fiction

Spanish classics

On this day

Barcelona

  • March 22 1460 El prĂ­ncipe de Viana alcanza por primera vez el perdon de su padre, y se viene de Mallorca á Barcelona.
  • March 22 1848 

    En obsequio del beato José Oriol, cuyo fiesta se celebra mañana en la parroquia de Ntra. Sra. del Pino, se cantan en la misma iglesia solemnes maitines á las 4 y media de la tarde de hoy.

Josep Pla, Palafrugell (1918-9)

  • 22 de març de 1919 Alta cultura. Les coses, Ă©s clar, haurien pogut Ă©sser diferents… En acabar el batxillerat, la meva intenciĂł no fou pas d’estudiar per advocat. M’hauria agradat mĂ©s d’estudiar quĂ­mica, i per tal de servir el que jo creia que era la meva vocaciĂł, vaig matricular-me al preparatori de Ciències. Matricular-se! Prenguin nota de la parauleta! El [...]

The peepul's choice

Back to top