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The Municipal Administration Council of Plaza de la Revolución published images this Sunday of a "hygienization" day at the Colón Cemetery, presented as part of the celebrations for the 506th anniversary of the founding of the Villa of San Cristóbal de La Habana.
In the post, shared on Facebook, local authorities describe the cleaning of the cemetery in a triumphant tone as an act of “loyalty” to the capital and a “tribute” to the city, asserting that the best homage is “the daily fulfillment of duty.”
However, the official message contrasts with the deep crisis of hygiene, neglect, and deterioration that Havana is experiencing, where residents have been reporting the collapse of the garbage collection system, the proliferation of vectors, the lack of state resources, and the government's inability to ensure the most basic services for months.
A political staging
The shared photos feature state workers, members of the CDR, PCC officials, and municipal directors posing while sweeping leaves and collecting waste, presenting an image more reminiscent of political propaganda than of a serious approach to urban maintenance.
Authorities emphasize that this cleaning is part of the routine "every weekend," although frequent complaints from citizens contradict this statement: streets filled with garbage in most municipalities, overflowing pits, mountains of waste that have not been collected for weeks, and the proliferation of arboviral diseases such as dengue and chikungunya.
In the midst of a national health alert, the dissemination of these images as an "achievement" has sparked outrage among users who believe that merely meeting the minimum requirements is not a cause for celebration, but rather a reminder of the state's inefficiency.
An emblematic cemetery in critical condition
Although the Colón Cemetery is one of the heritage gems of the capital, it has been suffering for years from: broken internal pathways, damaged or neglected mausoleums, accumulated weeds, and piled-up debris.
Heritage specialists have repeatedly denounced that the cemetery—one of the most important in Latin America—lacks resources, personnel, and a genuine conservation plan, and that it only receives attention when it becomes a temporary showcase for the regime's propaganda.
Reality vs. Propaganda
While Havana faces power outages, water shortages, accumulated garbage, and a growing outbreak of diseases, authorities publicly celebrate the timely cleaning of a place that should be maintained year-round.
The contrast between the official message—“guapo’s and fajao’s”—and the reality of the city does not go unnoticed by Cubans, who see in this type of publication another attempt by the government to portray normalcy where there is only decay.
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