The Arte para Mamá fair, held in the province of Sancti Spíritus from May 4 to 10, was presented by official media as a "symbol of cultural resistance," but locals who visited shared a very different story on social media, citing unaffordable prices and a sense of sadness where there should have been celebration.
The event, organized by the Cuban Association of Artisans and Artists (ACAA) and the branch of the company Artex in Sancti Spíritus, brings together local artists and creators across three venues: the ACAA headquarters, Honorato del Castillo Park, and the portals of the House of Culture.
The offer includes ceramics, cold porcelain, textiles, footwear, wood carving, plastic arts, belts, wallets, bags, tablecloths, and souvenirs, with hours from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and payments accepted in cash, QR, and online transfer, noted a report from the telecenter Televisión Yayabo.
But the citizens' reaction dismantled the official narrative with a phrase that captures the popular sentiment.
"Art for the moms of the rich, I was there yesterday and the prices were through the roof," wrote Francisco Pentón in the comments of the post.
Other visitors joined the chorus of criticism. "What a shame, I passed by there this morning and it’s such tremendous sadness instead of joy," lamented Milagros Ramón.
Elda Rosa Martín was more straightforward: "I went and didn't see anything out of the ordinary, the same as everywhere else and at extremely high prices."
While Emelina Álvarez summarized the contradiction with the warning, "Hold on, because prices are really high; if you buy a gift, you won't eat," Yudy Roja concluded the collective diagnosis by stating that it is "a fair with the highest prices ever seen."
The contrast between official discourse and citizen experience is not surprising in the current economic context. A single apple costs 500 pesos in Cuba, seven percent of the average monthly salary, which barely reaches 6,930 pesos, around 15 dollars at the informal exchange rate.
The situation is even more critical for retirees. The minimum pension of 4,000 pesos evaporates in less than a week, according to recent testimonies, in a country where the real inflation rate estimated by independent economists was around 70% in 2025.
The survey "There's Hunger in Cuba 2025", based on over 2,500 responses from 16 provinces, revealed that nearly 34% of households reported that at least one member went to bed hungry, and that 79.4% allocate 80% or more of their income to purchase food.
In that context, craft fairs, which operate with unregulated prices in the private or semi-private sector, have become inaccessible spaces for the majority.
The Cuban economic crisis continues to worsen. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) forecasts a GDP decline of 6.5% for 2026, far from the one percent that the government plan anticipated.
The Mother's Day in Cuba is celebrated this Sunday, May 11, a tradition established in the 1920s and made into a national law in 1928.
The organizers of the fair decided not to include that day in the event specifically to not affect their workers. "We have employees who are mothers, so we don't want to disturb Mother's Day," one of them explained in the official video.
For most mothers in Sancti Spíritus, however, the gift will remain out of reach.
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