Amid the deep economic crisis affecting Cuba, several private businesses and artists came together on December 24 to provide Christmas Eve dinners to vulnerable individuals on the streets of La Habana.
The El Guajirito restaurant, known for its fusion of traditional Cuban cuisine and live music, distributed one hundred free food boxes to neighbors and passersby who otherwise would not have been able to celebrate the occasion. “On this special date, we didn't want anyone to miss out on enjoying a Christmas Eve dinner,” the organizers explained in a video shared on social media.
"The situation becomes more difficult every day, but every Cuban should have the right to enjoy a Christmas Eve dinner," they added. "The satisfied faces of those people are a sign that a good deed can change their day."
The act of solidarity also included the participation of Cuban artists who decided to contribute their bit during these festivities. Among them, the reggaeton artist Payaso por Ley shared images as he distributed plates of food alongside a group of collaborators.
“I went out to deliver food because I know what it’s like to struggle, and because when you can help, you should do it. If you have something to give, do it. That is also Christmas,” the artist wrote on his social media, mentioning his colleagues @raynier_gonzalezz, @befocusmusic, and @ale_vellon.
Other private businesses, families, and Cuban influencers also took to the streets on Christmas Eve to give out food boxes to vulnerable people or shared with their neighbors, especially the elderly living alone. The community came together at a time when the State has abandoned those in greatest need.
These acts of solidarity, although sporadic, stand out in a country where inflation, food shortages, and the decline in purchasing power have made Christmas dinner a luxury for the majority of Cuban families.
In many households, Christmas Eve passes without pork or nougat, filled with the uncertainty of an increasingly precarious future.
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