The president Miguel Díaz-Canel toured areas of Havana this Wednesday that the state media referred to as “very useful places” for the life of the capital, in an event presented as a symbol of closing the year and looking ahead to 2026.
The visit included energy, agricultural, recreational, and transportation facilities, all in the process of recovery or being put into operation.
The itinerary began in the municipality of Cotorro, where one of the country's first battery energy storage systems is being built, linked to the energy transition and the stability of the National Electroenergetic System, noted the Presidential portal.
According to sector executives, the project could be operational by the second quarter of 2026 and aims to mitigate fluctuations arising from solar generation.
Subsequently, the leader visited the organoponic farm "Los CDR" in Guanabacoa, managed by the Youth Labor Army, where information was provided on agricultural yields, results-based payment systems, and annual production projections.
The agenda continued at the Marcelo Salado Recreational Complex, the Pablo de la Torriente Brau Sports Complex, the Gardens of La Tropical, and concluded at the Axess Marketing Company of the Ministry of Transport, where 15 electric vehicles were added to the necrological service of the capital.
The official account spoke of "will," "not stopping," and "doing more when resources are available."
However, on social media, the citizen reaction painted a different picture of Havana, trapped in power outages of up to 20 hours a day, without water in many neighborhoods, with accumulated waste, basic food items missing, and public services in a critical state.
User comments questioned the leader's focus on renovated facilities while avoiding health institutions with collapsed services and filth, neighborhoods flooded with sewage, stores without rice, homes without liquefied gas, and municipalities where water arrives only once a month by truck.
Others joked about the contrast between the "Merry Christmas" messages and a population that acknowledges experiencing these dates “like hell”.
The gap between institutional discourse and daily experience is once again revealed. The Havana showcased in the tours is fragmented, carefully curated, and disconnected from the structural decay described by its own inhabitants.
More than a city in recovery, what emerges is a capital where small projects are not enough to hide the general deterioration, nor to address a question that is increasingly being asked: when will those in power walk through the disaster that people experience every day, without a script or cameras?
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