The neighbors of Guairajal, in Mayarí, Holguín, staged a protest in the streets of the town this Sunday after 25 days without electricity.
With signs and slogans of "We want electricity!" the community demanded the restoration of the electric service interrupted after Hurricane Melissa, reported Martí Noticias.
"We want them to take care of this neighborhood; they want to make it disappear. There used to be over 200 houses here, and now there are only about 40," said one of the participants in the protest, where women marched with their children in their arms alongside men.
"Every day we talk to the delegate and the president of the [Popular] Council, and no one pays attention to us," he added
The Guairajal protest adds to a wave of recent demonstrations over the lack of electricity service in communities affected by Melissa, nearly a month after the storm's passage.
Last Tuesday, residents of the El Carmen neighborhood in the Mar Verde area of Santiago de Cuba, exhausted after more than 20 days without electricity, decided to take to the streets and block traffic in a new protest that reflects the seriousness of the energy collapse in the province.
On Sunday, residents of Vista Hermosa and Altamira banged on pots in complete darkness demanding electricity, while denouncing that the repressive forces arrived before the electrical crews. Videos published by activists show dozens of people shouting “¡electricity!” in the middle of the night.
Hours earlier, in La Loma de Chicharrones, another crowd took to the streets after twenty days without electricity. The immediate arrival of the Police and the subsequent deployment of the electricity company were interpreted by many as further confirmation that in Cuba, problems are only addressed when there is protest.
In the city center, residents reported extortion and charges of up to 15,000 pesos to reconnect the electricity, a practice that further fueled their outrage.
Also, on the evening of last Monday, the community of San Pablo, in the José Martí district, lost its patience. After nearly 20 days without electricity and living in extreme deprivation, dozens of residents took to the main streets, shouting and banging pots and pans.
At the beginning of the month, a protest in Maqueicito, Guantánamo, over the lack of electricity and water resulted in the detention of four individuals. Police surveillance increased following the demonstration, reflecting the discontent in Eastern Cuba.
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