Dozens of residents from Old Havana took to the streets on Sunday night, shouting "Freedom!" at the corner of Calle Monte and Figuras during a blackout that lasted for hours, in a protest that continued even after the electricity was restored.
The images, captured by Gilberto Dorrego TV and CubaNet Noticias, show the protesters blocking the street, lighting bonfires, and banging pots in unison as darkness enveloped the neighborhood.
The most significant thing happened when the lights came back on: people didn't leave.
Far from dispersing when electricity was restored, a portion of the protesters remained on the street, continuing to shout "Freedom!" This indicated that their demand was no longer just for power, but against the political system that governs Cuba.
The blackout on Sunday occurred in the context of an unprecedented energy collapse. The Electric Company of Havana confirmed that on that day the service was interrupted for 23 hours and 11 minutes, with a peak impact of 479 MW at 11:30 PM.
The direct cause was a new malfunction at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant—the most powerful facility in the country—which went offline due to a "leak in the economizer," marking its ninth or tenth failure so far in 2026.
Just six days earlier, the Guiteras had been synchronized to the system following repairs. A plant executive denied that the recurring failures are due to poorly executed repairs, but the facts speak for themselves.
For this Monday, the Electric Union projected a deficit of 2,147 MW during the nighttime peak, with only 1,133 MW available against a demand of 3,250 MW.
The protest on Sunday is not an isolated incident. Since May 13, pot-banging protests have occurred almost daily in various parts of the capital, with slogans ranging from "Power and food!" to "Down with the dictatorship!"
On May 21, a protest in Alamar ended with police repression and at least one arrest.
One day later, the police threatened a self-employed worker who had participated in a pots-and-pans protest near Mariela Castro's house in Siboney.
While the low-income neighborhoods remain dark for almost the entire day, luxury hotels and government facilities maintain their own electricity through generators.
The Tourism Office of Cuba in London itself acknowledged that hotels have "independent power systems and backup generators," a disparity that fuels public outrage.
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts recorded 1,133 protests in April 2026 and 176 repressive acts, including arbitrary detentions, summons, and interrogations.
A study published this month revealed extremely severe levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in the Cuban population directly associated with prolonged blackouts, a further consequence of 67 years of dictatorial rule that has brought the electrical system to the brink of total collapse.
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