What was supposed to be a peaceful night among Cuban artists in Miami ended up becoming a scene so familiar to any islander that it took just a spark—literally—for everyone to feel, if only for a moment, like they were back in Havana.
The unexpected power outage occurred in a café on Calle Ocho, that emblematic corner of the Cuban exile where nothing usually goes wrong… except, for five minutes, the electricity.
The moment was captured on video and shared by the profile of La Casa de Maka on Facebook.
Amid conversations and laughter, the blackout took those present by surprise.
The actor Jean Michel, seizing the moment, shot a phrase at his mother-in-law, Coralita Veloz, that sparked immediate laughter: "It's like you're at the Sports Casino in Havana."
And she, true to her style, responded with an enthusiastic, "Yes, sir!"
Also at the table was the popular actress Irela Bravo.
"Oh, Irela, what is this!" Jean Michel was heard saying.
María Karla Rivero (Maka), daughter of Coralita, took her phone and went out to the street to capture the unusual moment: the iconic Calle Ocho in darkness, barely illuminated by the headlights of cars that continued to drive normally.
The blackout lasted only a few minutes, but when the power returned, an ovation erupted that seemed to come from a Havana neighborhood: "Eeeeeeh, the light is back!"
Shouts, applause, a total celebration. Because if there's one thing Cubans never forget, even after years away, it's that blend of relief and festivity that comes with the return of electricity.
The post generated hundreds of comments.
"Communism has arrived on 8th Street, haha," joked a woman from Havana.
A manzanillero wrote: "What a scare! I thought, 'Oh no, Guiteras emigrated too'."
Another user stated that "the light has arrived" is the most longed-for cry in Cuba at this moment.
There were those who spoke of "the curse of the Guiteras," another asked if it was "a solidarity blackout," and a third mocked by saying that "they took it away from Block 8."
"What a lovely blackout; people actually enjoy it there because it's a very rare event, and folks even bring out their candles to place on the table and have dinner by candlelight. The thing is, they don’t give the candle time to burn out," expressed another Cuban from the Island.
Beyond the humor, the episode highlighted the stark contrast between what in Miami is a charming anecdote and what in Cuba is a daily torment.
For the Cubans present, the brief blackout triggered memories that do not always bring laughter: the routine of endless power cuts on the Island, the interrupted schedules due to the lack of electricity, and a life entirely adjusted around a basic service that rarely functions as it should.
While on Calle Ocho the blackout has become a collective joke, in Cuba it represents a constant obstacle that impacts homes, schools, workplaces, and any attempt at normalcy.
The difference is striking: in Miami, a five-minute blackout is a curiosity; on the Island, five minutes of electricity can be the real rarity.
And yet, in that brief darkness of Miami, Cubans did what they do best when everything goes dark: they laughed together, remembered where they came from… and celebrated like it was a miracle when the light returned.
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