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Social media users responded with harsh criticisms, mockery, and expressions of fatigue over the meeting led by Miguel Díaz-Canel to "check" the vital services in Havana, as the capital grapples with a severe crisis of garbage, dengue, and chikungunya.
The posts from Tribuna de La Habana, the Cuban News Agency (ACN), and other state media regarding the latest review meeting led by ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel sparked a flood of outrage among Cubans, who questioned the lack of results and the ongoing "meeting culture" of the authorities.
The meeting, held at the Palace of Conventions, addressed topics such as solid waste collection, urban hygiene, and the epidemiological situation in the capital. According to official reports, “progress was made on crucial issues, while other tasks remain pending,” and the president urged to “do more with what we have.”
However, user reactions reflected widespread dissatisfaction with the lack of concrete solutions. In the comments of official posts, many users questioned why problems keep recurring without visible progress: “The same old story,” “So many people there while the country remains in ruins,” or “They have been meeting for 66 years without resolving anything,” were some of the most frequent responses.
Other internet users mocked the waste of resources on meetings that, they claimed, do not bring about real change: "Meetings, snacks, air conditioning, and lights on, while the people have their electricity cut off."
There were also urgent calls to action in response to the deteriorating health situation: “Please fumigate, there are sick people in every house,” wrote one person, while another denounced that “they used to fumigate a block for three consecutive days, now they don’t even show up.”
The criticism focused not only on the inefficiency in waste management and disease control but also on the official narrative. “Everything is a lie; in Regla, they sprayed just once fifteen days ago and nothing else,” wrote another person, referring to television reports about supposed regular fumigations.
The Facebook posts from ACN and Tribuna were filled with expressions of frustration, distrust, and fatigue: “In Cuba, you have to hold a state meeting just to collect the trash,” “The country is full of mosquitoes, garbage, and diseases, yet they keep talking,” or “We are dying and nothing happens.”
Health crisis and institutional neglect
The reactions on social media come amid a critical situation in the capital. Mountains of garbage have been left for days in the streets of numerous municipalities, worsening outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya. Residents report that fumigation is irregular or non-existent, while reports of sick people and communities living in unsanitary conditions multiply.
In recent days, various videos shared on social media have highlighted the severity of the health crisis facing Havana, where mountains of garbage accumulate for days and citizens report institutional neglect and the risk of epidemics.
The environmental crisis is compounded by the frustration over the lack of transparency from health authorities. Activist Yamilka Lafita Cancio, known as Lara Crofs, directed an open letter to Díaz-Canel and the Minister of Health demanding explanations regarding the rise in chikungunya cases, warning that “the disease is getting out of control and the Government is not providing answers.”
In parallel, public discontent has intensified due to recent episodes involving the leader. During a visit to Santiago de Cuba, Díaz-Canel responded to a victim who lost her bed after Hurricane Melissa: “I don't have one to give you right now either”, which sparked criticism for his lack of empathy.
Days before, his words during an event at the Palace of the Revolution also stirred controversy. On that occasion, the leader stated that "principles are non-negotiable," which triggered a wave of reactions on social media where many reminded him that "principles are not something you can eat" and that the population is living amidst hunger and shortages.
While authorities assert that "much more can be done with what we have," images of garbage, disease, and neglect in neighborhoods of Havana contrast sharply with the official narrative about progress.
The predominant feeling among Cubans, judging by the digital response, is one of exhaustion and hopelessness in the face of a government that seems to prioritize speaking over action.
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