After the synchronization of the National Electric System (SEN) following the collapse that occurred last Friday, the state journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso attempted to promote an initiative for Cubans to applaud at 9:00 PM in gratitude to the workers who achieved the reconnection. However, the "proposal" was met with harsh criticism on social media.
In his Facebook post, Alonso urged people to make viral “the initiative tonight at 9 PM to applaud those who, despite the blackout, managed to reconnect the National Electric System.”
The official journalist aimed to revive a similar practice implemented in Cuba during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people applauded in appreciation for the doctors’ dedication despite the collapse of the healthcare system.
Although Alonso does not allow comments from anyone who is not his friend, his friends expressed their disagreement. Erlan Pupo Carmenaty said: "I believe it is not the right time to applaud; there is still much to be done, especially in Guantánamo."
"But well, that's their job; now it turns out they did us a favor, or it seems they fixed a problem caused by someone else when electricity should never be lacking, because it is a necessity, not a privilege," pointed out Gregor Darroman.
José Angel Zambrano remarked ironically, "Let the people of Havana applaud because I'm still in the same situation."
"I understand the commendable effort of those men and women: it is unprecedented in the world to generate electricity from the outdated and rusty machinery that Cuba has! The truth is, the workers of the Electric Company deserve pity. But asking for applause from a people who have had six or seven hours of electricity in an entire week seems to me the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a long time. To what point have we arrived, God!" emphasized Eduardo Grenier Rodriguez.
Those who were unable to express their disagreement on Alonso's profile chose to do so on their own accounts. The Cuban activist Yamilka Lafita, known on social media as Lara Crofs, responded unambiguously: “Do you know why I have nothing to applaud? Simply put: in Guantánamo, 7 people died, including a 5-year-old child, and there are more missing."
“To the workers of the electric company, my congratulations for carrying out your work,” he said. And he emphasized, “Coherence. Enough with outdated and decadent triumphalism; there is nothing to celebrate in Cuba.”
The Cuban contemporary art critic, Jorge Gómez de Mello, also responded emphatically to Alonso's initiative: “There is nothing to applaud in a country that has just collapsed. I have all my respect for the workers in the electric sector for their sacrifice, but they are not heroes; they are victims just like the rest of the Cubans, and victims should not be applauded.”
Furthermore, he considered that the official journalist's "proposal" is a way to "divert attention towards baseless triumphalism."
Additionally, he added: "You should be ashamed. Carry out your profession with dignity, as we're tired of so much slimy manipulation, and above all; a bit of respect, kid, because this country is suffering."
The Camagüey journalist José Luis Tan Estrada also condemned the initiative, stating, "I will not applaud anyone, nor will I join this circus."
"If I have to applaud, I will do so for the Cuban people who have been inventing ways to survive in a completely dark Island for 65 years," emphasized the activist.
In his response, Tan highlighted the heroes who have been rendered invisible by the Cuban regime: “I will do it for the more than ONE THOUSAND political prisoners, those brave individuals who, at a moment in their lives, risked their freedom for an entire country. I will do it for those independent journalists, activists, artists, dissidents, who each day, both inside and outside Cuba, risk their freedom for the sake of an entire nation. I will do it for those mothers, fathers, and grandparents who face the titanic odyssey of maintaining a home, a family, of simply breathing every day.”
Finally, he said: “Not only do electrical workers deserve applause, but all workers in Cuba do, as they work without resources, without protection, and without safety.”
Filed under: