A young Cuban resident in Matanzas once again showcased this weekend on TikTok the difficult reality faced by thousands of families in Cuba due to prolonged blackouts, which on this occasion lasted more than 12 continuous hours.
"Another night in darkness; we have been without electricity for over 12 hours here in Cuba. Thankfully, I have a generator, and I can also help my neighbors charge their phones and lamps," said Sheyla (@sheyreyes03) in a video that quickly went viral and has garnered over 4,600 likes.
The young woman demonstrates how she shares the use of her electric generator with other residents in the area: “As soon as I turn it on, I call them, and they come. We even charge phones in the bathroom because we use all the outlets to help people,” she explained.
Sheyla also spoke about the daily challenges that families face during blackouts, such as the lack of gas for cooking: “Of course, we cook with our best friend, charcoal, because I ran out of gas, so now it’s going to be a hassle to find gas on Facebook.” Despite her fatigue, she described how they try to cope with the situation with humor, family conversations, a small fan, and coffee prepared by her mother, which, she says, kept her awake for a good part of the night.
The video sparked a wave of reactions on TikTok. Many praised Sheyla's gesture of helping her community: "What a wonderful gesture for you to share your plant with your fellow countrymen," commented one follower. "I admire your strength; here in Venezuela, it goes out for four hours and we suffer," added another.
However, there were also critical and reflective questions. One user asked, “Don’t you think you should do something to rebel against that government? Do you plan to live your whole life like this?” Another questioned, “Why do you force people to live like this?” reflecting the growing social discontent over the lack of structural solutions.
A context of energy crisis that shows no mercy
This testimony is not isolated. This Sunday, the Electric Union reported that Cuba was facing a generation deficit of up to 1,440 MW during peak hours. In addition, there are breakdowns in key thermoelectric plants, a lack of fuel, a shortage of lubricants, and solar generation that is still insufficient to meet nighttime demand.
In parallel, while the government promises to incorporate 1,200 MW of solar generation before the end of 2025, the current conditions continue to deteriorate. On Saturday, for example, the country experienced disruptions for 24 hours a day, with a peak disruption of 1,588 MW at 8:00 PM.
Other recent testimonies on social media reinforce this image of crisis. A young woman who visited the Cuevas de Bellamar in Matanzas reported that she could only access part of the site due to a lack of electricity, while another content creator demonstrated how she survived with charcoal and soot-covered pots amid blackouts and extreme fatigue in another viral video.
Prolonged blackouts have also triggered public protests like the one in Bejuquero, Granma, where residents, after more than three months without electricity, took to the streets to demand answers.
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