While the world debates artificial intelligence, Cuba survives with wood and coal stoves

In an international context marked by the development of very advanced technologies, in Cuba, the return to wood-burning stoves and charcoal has become the daily alternative for cooking, with bags costing over 2,000 and even 3,000 pesos in several provinces.

A post from the Sangre Cubana profile on Facebook reported that, while other countries discuss artificial intelligence and renewable energy, many families on the island have had to "dig out the wood stove" due to a virtually collapsed electrical system and the lack of liquefied gas.

Cooking has become a "wartime mission," and the low average salary forces people to choose between buying food or the fuel to prepare it, notes the publication, aligning with other complaints from internet users who see the digital space as the only outlet for their hardships.

The complaint and the wave of supportive comments it generated also refer to how basic agricultural products have reached alarming prices: a sweet potato for 70 or 80 pesos each and a pumpkin costing a significant part of any worker's salary; around 800 pesos, a forum user pointed out.

The contrast between precariousness and official discourse has sparked critical reactions and protests from the population, even at the risk of facing the usual persecutions and sanctions from the repressive forces.

Days ago, Radio Guantánamo described the use of charcoal as an “ecological alternative,” highlighting the idea of “cooking with our own” amid the energy crisis. The publication sparked questions from internet users who rejected the notion that what they see as a forced response to scarcity should be presented as an achievement.

Meanwhile, state media have released images of flour being transported by mules in the municipality of Imías and bread baked with firewood due to the lack of diesel. The Municipal Assembly of the People's Power in Jovellanos reported the implementation of firewood ovens to ensure bread production in several popular councils.

For its part, the Ministry of Food Industry pointed out that the use of artisanal ovens fueled by wood waste promotes a circular economy and helps to confront the "blockade."

While the authorities present these practices as examples of creativity and resilience, numerous users on social media describe the scene as a forced regression, a bottomless crisis to which the country's failed policies of the dictatorship have dragged it.