A young Cuban identified as Sentelemald shared on TikTok his experience of going out one morning to buy the ingredients for his breakfast, a journey that ended up costing him nearly 2,000 Cuban pesos.
In the video, published this week, the creator shares the process from leaving home to returning with their groceries. “Well family, nothing much, I just woke up and I'm heading out to get my breakfast,” comments @sentelemald at the beginning, while walking through an area of Havana.
During the tour, he visits several small and medium-sized enterprises and explains that the first store had prices that were too high. "I went to buy the mayonnaise there, but it seemed very expensive to me, a tiny jar for over 1,000 pesos," he says. Later on, he finds a cheaper option: "This mayonnaise cost 850 pesos."
Upon arriving home, he shows what he bought: a bag of bread, two packs of hot dogs, and mayonnaise. “Just for this pack of hot dogs, that is, two packs of hot dogs, this mayonnaise, and this bag of bread, it was almost 2,000 pesos,” he points out at the end of the video.
The post, available on his TikTok account, sparked debate among users over the disparity between official exchange rates and those of the informal market. Among the comments, reactions of surprise regarding the spending can be found: “So you spent half a salary on that little purchase you made?”. The creator himself responded that “the average salary here in Cuba's state sector is between 3,000 and 4,000 pesos a month.”
The video also prompted reflections on daily life on the island and the economic difficulties. Some internet users commented on how "hard everything is" or how "impossible it is to live like this," while others sent messages of support: "Stay strong, brother," "Cheer up, dear," or "I hope everything changes soon."
Sentelemald has previously shared on social media how he faces life after being deported from Sweden in 2024, where he had lived for over a decade. In a previous testimony, he recounted that his return to Cuba was marked by power outages and difficulties, but he assured that he remains active and working "without stealing from anyone."
The conversation generated around the new video takes place in a context of significant monetary instability. According to data from this Wednesday, the euro has reached 510 Cuban pesos and the dollar 470 in the informal market, which directly affects the prices faced by consumers in SMEs and private businesses.
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