The secretary of the Communist Party in Gibara, Nayla Marieta Leyva Rodríguez, addressed the nighttime protests that occurred in that locality of Holguín and urged residents to maintain their confidence in what she described as “the tremendous Revolution we have,” in a message posted this Sunday on Facebook.
The statements come after dozens of people from Gibara took to the streets early in the morning with pots, lanterns, and shouts of “We want electricity!” and “Freedom!”, after more than 24 hours without power.
The videos shared on social media showed women, men, and young people walking through dark streets, demanding the restoration of electricity service amid an energy crisis that had caused a nationwide blackout just days earlier.
The official discourse: Respect and dialogue
In her post, Leyva stated that she had a “frank and honest exchange” with a group of residents from the El Güirito neighborhood affected by power outages. According to the leader, the meeting took place “with great respect and in an atmosphere of dialogue and tranquility,” and it allowed for an explanation of the causes of the energy crisis.
"We call for confidence in your recovery, and above all, not to lose hope," wrote the official. She added that what the country is going through "goes beyond the will of a nation, of our highest leaders," and insisted that the Party and the Government "will never cease to stand by the people."
In his message, he also turned to a patriotic and ideological discourse, appealing for unity in the face of criticism
“Let us trust in the tremendous Revolution we have, which never abandons its children and fights for their solutions,” he emphasized.
Gibaravisión: Everything returned to calm
The local broadcaster Gibaravisión supported the official version and stated that, following the exchange with the authorities, the population returned to their homes and the city "remains calm and peaceful as usual."
The state media described the neighbors as "noble, brave, and revolutionary," and accused social media users—"mostly from abroad"—of trying to manipulate what happened.
In a video shared on Facebook, the state media showcased empty streets to illustrate the prevailing "citizen peace," but what became evident was the pervasive darkness in the town due to the collapse of the electrical system.
However, the images shared by internet users on Facebook and WhatsApp show a broader mobilization than what the official channels are attempting to convey. In those materials, slogans such as “The people united will never be defeated!” can be heard, accompanied by loud banging of pots and pans that echoed through various streets of the coastal city.
Protests in a context of crisis
The protest in Gibara adds to other expressions of discontent that have occurred in various provinces throughout this year, marked by prolonged blackouts, food shortages, and a decline in basic services.
On September 10, the island experienced a general blackout following the unexpected shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in Matanzas. It was the fifth collapse of the National Electric System in less than a year, a series of failures that highlight the fragility of an outdated infrastructure lacking investment.
Although the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel recently celebrated the "record-time recovery" of the national electric system, millions of Cubans continue to face daily blackouts, with no stability in the supply.
For his part, the Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, who is also a deputy in the National Assembly for Gibara, also spoke out days before the outbreak of protests in the area.
In statements broadcast on national television, he asked the people for "trust" and assured that the government was doing "everything possible and impossible" to restore the electricity service.
Her words, however, contrast with the reality faced by the people of Gibara on September 14, when after more than 24 hours without power, they took to the streets to demand immediate solutions.
Citizen discontent is growing
The desperation due to the lack of electricity is also reflected in surveys and studies. A poll conducted on social media by CiberCuba showed that 83% of voters believe that the government should hand over power due to its inability to resolve the electricity crisis.
The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights, for its part, revealed that 92% of those surveyed disapprove of the government’s management and that extreme poverty affects 89% of the population.
In Gibara, the demands for "electricity and water" put a face to that statistic. The protest was peaceful, and so far, there have been no reports of arrests or police repression, but it signals a new episode of frustration in a community that lives each day between shadows and unfulfilled promises.
Between propaganda and reality
While local authorities urge residents to trust in the so-called “revolution” and not to be “confused by the siren calls of the empire,” the people of Gibara continue to measure their daily lives in hours of electricity.
The contrast between the official narrative of calm and dialogue, and the citizens' images of massive protests, reveals the growing distance between the regime's discourse and the reality faced by the population.
For now, Gibara has returned to calm, but under the uncertainty of when the power will return and how far the patience of a people weary of promises that do not light bulbs or refrigerators will extend.
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