The power outages affecting much of Cuba continue to take a toll on the physical and mental well-being of the population. In a video shared on social media by the Cuban announcer Ramón Leyva Morales, known as Carapachibey Piñero, the communicator voiced the exhaustion experienced by many Cubans after weeks of electrical cuts, which on the Isle of Youth have reached up to 18 hours a day for four weeks.
In his message shared on Facebook, the announcer spoke about the accumulated exhaustion due to a lack of rest and the daily challenges brought on by the energy crisis. At the beginning of his reflection, he confessed: "Today I find myself a bit worn out, stressed, overwhelmed, too many problems, too many limitations," and he also acknowledged that "we are really going through a very difficult situation on a national level."
According to his explanation, in the special municipality, blackouts have completely changed the daily lives of families. "Here in the Isle of Youth, there are eighteen hours of blackouts every day, and it's been like this for four weeks now," he noted, describing a routine marked by uncertainty about when electricity will return.
The announcer reported that many times the electricity only comes in the early morning, forcing people to interrupt their sleep to take advantage of those few hours to perform basic household tasks. In his case, he explained that "we have three hours during the day and three hours at night, or in the early morning; for example, last week my circuit had electricity from three to six in the morning," and he added that this situation leads to "the exhaustion we feel, the accumulated stress."
He also talked about the difficulties of preserving food or buying the little that appears in the market, in a context where prices are unattainable for many families. As he explained, the lack of electricity prevents food from being stored in refrigerators and exacerbates the scarcity, as “the small amount that can be found” is often sold at very high prices.
During his testimony, Leyva Morales also defended the role that small private businesses are playing in the midst of the economic crisis. While he acknowledged that prices are high, he assured that many Cubans depend on them to be able to eat. "Yes, prices are high, that's true, but it is thanks to entrepreneurs, to the small and medium enterprises, to the self-employed, that we are surviving," he stated.
The speaker further explained that even those businesses face difficulties in operating, including issues with withdrawing cash from banks, which complicates the purchase of supplies and the daily functioning of many ventures.
In addition to that economic pressure, there is the personal burden described in the video. Leyva Morales shared that he is responsible for his mother, an elderly person with health issues, and explained that “I am responsible for an elderly person, my mother, who is diabetic and has many health limitations, as well as dietary restrictions.”
The communicator also noted that the extent of the blackouts has surprised many residents in the area, who were not accustomed to such prolonged outages. He stated, "this has never been seen here in the Island of Youth," where many families have had to adapt by cooking with charcoal or firewood in order to prepare food.
The video provoked numerous reactions on social media, where many users expressed that they felt reflected in the exhaustion described by the narrator. Some comments summarized the widespread fatigue with phrases like "what we Cubans on the ground are going through is very tough," while others warned that "the stress is killing us" or described the situation as "a psychological torture."
Among the responses, there are also testimonies from individuals who claim to experience similar or even worse situations in other provinces of the country, reinforcing the perception that the electrical crisis currently impacts large areas of Cuba and conditions the daily lives of millions of people.
Despite the critical tone and weariness conveyed in his message, the speaker concluded his reflection on a hopeful note, stating that he is "hopeful that God will bless this Isle of Youth, the Republic of Cuba, you, and your family." In a country where power outages have become a part of daily routine, his testimony reflects the exhaustion of a population that is trying to move forward while dealing with sleepless nights, shortages, and constant uncertainty about when the lights will come back on.
Filed under: