Cuba receives a donation of 26,000 bottles of cooking oil from the United States

Cuba received a shipment of 26,000 bottles of cooking oil from the United States as part of a humanitarian aid campaign organized by The People’s Forum, a leftist organization based in New York.

This is the fourth shipment made by The People’s Forum as part of the “Let Cuba Live” campaign, an initiative aimed at providing urgent assistance to the Cuban people amid a severe shortage of basic goods, power outages, and the impact of recent natural disasters.

Led by activists like Manolo de los Santos, who has a close relationship with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, The People’s Forum has coordinated this campaign alongside other leftist organizations, such as the Hatuey Project and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

The campaign has raised over $221,000 to date and aims to cover basic needs in Cuba, ranging from food and cooking oil to electric generators. This support highlights the backing of certain sectors of the American left for the Cuban government, portraying the aid as an act of international solidarity.

The organization has been critical of the U.S. embargo on Cuba, describing it as an "imperialist" policy that harms the Cuban people.

The People’s Forum uses its platform to mobilize citizens and raise awareness about the situation on the island, blaming the embargo for the shortcomings faced by the country. However, this narrative overlooks the role that the internal decisions of the Cuban regime play in the prolonged economic crisis, something that critics of the organization point out as a biased perspective.

Critiques of the Embargo Narrative

Although the Cuban regime claims that the U.S. embargo is the main factor exacerbating living conditions on the island, the reality is more complex.

Although the embargo imposes restrictions, there are humanitarian exceptions that allow the export of food and medicine to Cuba, as demonstrated by this donation.

The government's insistence on blaming the "blockade" conceals internal issues, such as economic centralization and the lack of structural reforms that restrict dependency on external aid and hinder the development of the private sector.

This has sparked criticism among Cubans, who question the transparency in the management of these resources and the decisions made by their government.

Reactions of the Cuban people to the donation

The recent arrival of electric generators and now thousands of bottles of cooking oil has been welcomed by many Cubans, who, however, also express frustration and skepticism.

Through social media, some citizens have questioned why the government does not invest in sustainable solutions that would reduce reliance on external aid, while others believe that these donations are merely temporary measures for a situation that requires profound changes in the country’s internal management.

A show of solidarity and the regime's contradiction.

The "Let Cuba Live" campaign emphasizes the potential for humanitarian aid from the United States despite the restrictions of the embargo, highlighting the contradiction in the official narrative of the Cuban regime.

While assistance is necessary in the short term, real relief for the Cuban people relies on economic reforms that enable efficient domestic production and reduce the need for external donations.

The support from organizations like The People's Forum illustrates the ideological and political network that the Cuban regime has within certain sectors of the American left.

However, the persistence of these donations also highlights the lack of effective alternatives within the Cuban system to meet the needs of its population, which continues to fuel intense debate regarding the true causes of the crisis on the island.

Oil shortage worsens in Cuba.

The recent donation of 26,000 bottles of cooking oil from the United States to Cuba, organized by The People’s Forum, comes in the context of a severe shortage of this product on the island. For months, Cubans have struggled to obtain cooking oil, a staple in their daily diet.

In April 2024, the price of a liter of vegetable oil in the informal market reached 1,500 Cuban pesos (more than half of the minimum wage), reflecting the severity of shortages and inflation in the country. This situation has prompted many citizens to turn to the black market for the product, paying exorbitant prices that far exceed the average purchasing power.

The shortage affects not only individual consumers but also state distribution. In September 2024, it was reported that Cuba would face the month without coffee or oil for the basic food basket, highlighting the government's inability to ensure these essential products for the population.

Additionally, in October 2024, it was confirmed that the situation persisted, with the absence of coffee, oil, beans, and toothpaste in the monthly distribution, further worsening the living conditions of the Cuban people.