A Cuban woman identified as Tatiana Aguilera was censored by the staff of a newly opened Chinese goods store on Calle Muralla, Havana, while she was trying to record a video to show her followers the products and prices available in the establishment.
Aguilera recounted in a Facebook reel that the venue has large signs that say no photography and that the employees intercepted her in what she described as a "very subtle" manner while she was recording.
"Of course, they saw me, they caught my attention because it's very subtle. I was taking a little video because I wanted to record for you all, so you can see the products, the things they have, and the prices, in case anyone is interested in coming to buy," the author explained in the video.
Despite the restriction, Aguilera managed to capture a few seconds of footage before being intercepted and shared it with her followers: "Just a little bit, damn it, they won't let me record," she humorously remarked.
In the recorded fragment, several products with their prices in Cuban pesos appear: bath towels at 150 pesos, mirrors at 1,800 pesos, deep plates at 700 pesos, jugs at 2,500 pesos, glasses between 900 and 1,000 pesos, cups at 750 pesos, flip-flops at 3,000 pesos, and shower curtains at 1,200 pesos.
The author noted that the store may be of interest for both personal consumption and resale: "We know that everyone is in it for business," she said, openly acknowledging the practice of the informal market among Cubans.
The prohibition on recording in stores in Cuba is a recurring practice that has been documented since at least 2018, although it lacks explicit legal backing in Cuban legislation.
Establishments impose these restrictions unilaterally, especially when dealing with scarce products or high prices, to prevent the circulation of images that reveal that reality.
One of the most notable cases was that of the humorist Luis Silva, who in 2018 publicly denounced the assault his wife suffered for taking photos of products inside a store, and openly questioned where such a prohibition was regulated in Cuban legislation, mentioning similar cases in establishments like Coppelia and hospitals.
In May 2020, during a gathering of over 1,000 people in Camagüey to buy shampoo at the Agua y Jabón store, it was also explicitly announced that "filming is prohibited" for those waiting in line.
Chinese stores have proliferated in Cuba as wholesale and retail suppliers in the context of the economic crisis and the partial dollarization of the economy.
The most recent media sensation was the wholesale market China Import, located at Manglar and Oquendo, Centro Habana, which captivated Cuban entrepreneurs in August 2024, but closed its doors two days later for selling in dollars and not displaying visible prices.
The government of Havana officially justified that closure in September 2024.
The store on Muralla Street that Aguilera visited appears to be a different and more recent establishment, with prices in Cuban pesos, making it relatively more accessible, although still appealing to those seeking products for personal use or resale in the informal market.
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