Question 1

What is Cuba Explained?

Accepted Answer

Cuba Explained is an educational website about Cuba's history, culture, government, exile story, current events, and relationship with the United States.

Question 2

Who is Dr. Elena Marquez?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Elena Marquez is a fictional AI educational persona created for Cuba Explained. She is written as the daughter of Cuban exiles and explains Cuba from an exile-informed perspective.

Question 3

Is Dr. Elena Marquez a real person?

Accepted Answer

No. Dr. Elena Marquez is not a real person. She is a fictional AI educational persona created for Cuba Explained. Her voice is designed to represent an exile-informed perspective shaped by the experiences and memories of Cuban exile families.

Question 4

What does “exile-informed” mean?

Accepted Answer

Exile-informed means the site openly reflects the concerns, memories, and historical perspective of Cuban exile families, especially around repression, confiscation, political fear, and the hope for a freer Cuba.

Question 5

Is Cuba Explained neutral?

Accepted Answer

No. Cuba Explained is transparent about its exile-informed, pro-democracy, pro-human-rights point of view. We explain competing interpretations and historical context, but we do not pretend to be detached or neutral.

Question 6

Does Cuba Explained provide legal, travel, or immigration advice?

Accepted Answer

No. Cuba Explained is educational only. Readers should verify legal, travel, immigration, sanctions, and official policy questions with qualified professionals or government sources.

Question 7

How are blog posts created?

Accepted Answer

Blog posts are generated with AI in the voice of Dr. Elena Marquez. Monday essays come from an internal prompt queue, and Friday commentary responds to a recent retrieved news story. Posts are reviewed before being published.

Question 8

How does the site use AI?

Accepted Answer

AI is used to write Elena's essays and commentary, to summarize news stories, and to power the Ask Elena chat. All AI content is presented as educational commentary from a fictional persona.

Question 9

Where does the news come from?

Accepted Answer

News items are retrieved from public news sources and APIs such as GDELT, The Guardian, and other outlets. We store short summaries and link back to the original source rather than republishing full articles.

Question 10

Can AI-generated content be wrong?

Accepted Answer

Yes. AI can make mistakes or oversimplify. We aim for factual care, but readers should verify important details with primary sources, especially for current events and legal or travel matters.

Question 11

How can I suggest a correction?

Accepted Answer

Please use our contact page to report errors or suggest corrections. We welcome thoughtful feedback and aim to fix mistakes promptly.

Question 12

How often is the site updated?

Accepted Answer

News is refreshed twice a week (Sunday and Thursday). Elena publishes a prompt-based essay on Monday and a news commentary post on Friday. Static educational pages are updated as needed.

Frequently Asked Questions