Odyssey to bury a person in Cuba: Looking for a car and even the cement for the vault

In addition to buying the cement, there were no masons at the cemetery and the family had to seal the tomb. "Otherwise, you have to put the deceased under the bed".

Exhumación en el Cementerio Colón de La Habana (Imagen de referencia) © CiberCuba
Exhumation at the Colon Cemetery in Havana (Reference image)Photo © CiberCuba.

A Cuban man reported the ordeal he had to go through to bury his wife's uncle who died at home, as the family had to take on expenses and procedures that in theory are the responsibility of the State.

The informant, named Ernesto, who goes by the username "A slave of MINSAP" on Twitter, reported that when they called the funeral home, they were told there were no hearses available, so the family had to arrange their own transportation to retrieve the coffin.

"We ourselves placed the deceased in the coffin and we ourselves took him to the funeral home," he pointed out.

Ernesto explained that the crowns cost 100 pesos because they are now made by a non-budgeted company, but the price increase does not mean the quality is better. "The same ugly and small crowns as always, don't think that they have improved at all."

Moreover, "the funeral home is full of bedbugs on the seats, but that's not new," he added.

As if that weren't enough, at the Comunales company they were told they had to get half a bucket of cement because there was none at the cemetery to close the vault.

"No more talk, go solve a cement cube, because if not, you have to put the dead body under the bed until there is cement," she questioned.

Finally, they were informed that there probably wouldn't be any mason at the cemetery because "there is little staff", and those who are there, got infected with Oropouche. Conclusion: the family themselves closed the tomb.

"There is family, I understand the pain of your loss, but don't get upset," the companion from Guanaja at the funeral home tells me. "How the hell am I not going to get upset, girl, if you're about to tell me I have to dig the hole myself. Even to leave this world in Cuba, we struggle," he emphasized.

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