The content creator Ari from Havana (@ari_delahabana), who recently moved thousands of Cubans by denouncing the death of her grandfather due to chikungunya, has once again made an impact with a new video where she showcased what a pensioner in Cuba can buy with their monthly pension: 3,000 pesos, equivalent to just 6.7 dollars.
"This is the monthly pension of a retiree in Cuba; join me to see what we can buy with this," Ari said at the beginning of the video as he toured several stores searching for "affordable" prices.
After walking for a while, he entered a Mipyme —as the regime refers to small private enterprises— and showed the result of his purchase:
- Two bags of bread (600 CUP)
- A small butter (600 CUP)
- Shampoo (900 CUP)
- Dishwashing detergent (650 CUP)
- A bar of soap (200 CUP)
The total: 3,000 Cuban pesos, or 6.7 dollars, according to the informal exchange rate. "This is all a retiree in Cuba can buy with their pension," Ari concludes, showcasing the few basic necessities he was able to purchase.
The video, published on Instagram, has garnered dozens of comments and reactions from Cubans both inside and outside the island, many of whom are denouncing that it doesn't even cover basic food items like rice, eggs, or oil.
"It is humiliating to see a lifetime of work end like this," wrote a follower.
In a country where prices rise daily and the average salary hovers around 4,200 pesos, Ari's testimony straightforwardly exposes the real poverty of elderly Cubans, condemned to survive on pensions that barely cover a week's worth of essential expenses.
Another portrait of the social collapse that the regime tries to hide, but which social media makes impossible to silence.
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