An Italian citizen in Cuba starred in a viral video in which, desperate after 30 consecutive hours without electricity, he declared that not even the meanest animal in the world can live in these conditions and that he was eager to leave the Island.
The clip, posted last Wednesday by Facebook user Luli Hernandez, focuses on the scene of the protagonist with a weary expression, seated on an outdoor staircase of a house, while waiting for the electricity to return.
"He's crazy to leave already," says Luli in the video, referring to the Italian, who nods immediately. The author herself admits to feeling the same way about a situation she describes as untenable.
What makes the moment even more striking is the detail of the ecoflow, a portable backup battery that some Cubans use as a last resort during blackouts: "My ecoflow has never run out of battery," says a stunned Luli, highlighting that even high-cost private alternatives have been outmatched by the extreme duration of the outages.
In the text that accompanied the video, Hernandez wrote: "I love my Cuba. But who can live like this... it's a matter of humanity, we can't move forward this way; everything falls apart, Cuban life turns into stress." He also noted that "children have no snacks" and that prices have become unaffordable for the majority.
In March, the same user published another viral clip in which the same individual appeared equally outraged after 25 hours without electricity: "the shame of shame", he exclaimed. The fact that this pattern repeats, intensified, just a few days later, illustrates the depth of a crisis that shows no signs of relenting while leaders call on the people for more "creative resistance."
The comments on the new video reflect the collective pain of a society at its limit. "It's horrible what people are experiencing in Cuba. We doctors no longer want to be doctors, and professions are worthless. Only God can perform a miracle here," wrote one internet user. Another recounted: "I have a friend who had a heart attack living on the ninth floor [...] and I can't imagine how he will manage to climb all those stairs." A third was more direct: "The solution is for the dictatorship and the communist system to end."
The video was published on one of the worst energy days of April, for which, the day before, the Electric Union had planned a deficit of 1,850 MW during the nighttime peak, with only 1,200 MW available compared to a demand of 3,050 MW.
This Friday, a new Automatic Frequency Discharge left several municipalities in Havana without service, the fourth incident of this kind this year.
The energy crisis in Cuba in 2026 is the most severe in its recent history. The National Electroenergetic System has collapsed at least seven times in 18 months, with national blackouts lasting up to 29 hours and 29 minutes recorded on March 16. The Deputy Minister of Energy admitted in March three consecutive months without regular supplies of diesel, fuel oil, and liquefied gas. Cuba produces only 40% of the oil it consumes, and the cessation of Venezuelan supplies has further worsened the situation. 80% of Cubans believe the current situation is worse than the Special Period of the 1990s.
"Cuba hurts. I don't live in Cuba, I live abroad, but I prefer to go to Cuba to help my family because if I don't, they will die," summarized another internet user the tragedy of millions who, from inside or outside the country, struggle to find a way out.
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