Residents of the Cayo Hueso neighborhood in Central Havana held a pots-and-pans protest on Saturday night to voice their frustration over the prolonged blackouts affecting the area, according to a video shared by journalist Mario J. Pentón on his X account.
The images, captured from a high vantage point, depict a nighttime scene almost entirely in darkness: buildings barely visible in the gloom, with only a few scattered points of light revealing the widespread power outage in the neighborhood.
According to reports from local residents, there was barely any electricity supply in Cayo Hueso between Friday and Saturday, which sparked protests among the residents, who once again picked up their pots to bang them during the blackout.
Cayo Hueso was not the only protest point that night. Around 11:10 p.m. on Saturday, journalist Yosmay Mayeta Labrada reported another pot-banging protest in Mulgoba, Boyeros, in the area known as "La Chusmita," where a neighbor remarked, "There is never any power there."
Cacerolazos were also reported in Santiago de Cuba, in Micro 3 and El Salao, along with tire burning in Los Pinos.
These protests are part of a wave of community demonstrations that highlight the growing discontent caused by extensive and prolonged blackouts in Cuba.
Centro Habana is becoming one of the epicenters of this eruption: in mid-March, there were pot-banging events on Neptuno and Hospital (on March 14) and on Salud and Belascoaín (on March 17). Recently, there were previous pot-banging events on Zanja and Hospital (on May 26).
The electricity crisis fueling public outrage is of historic proportions. By Saturday, the Electric Union reported a availability of only 1,400 MW compared to a demand of 2,770 MW, with a maximum impact of 1,890 MW recorded on Friday night.
At the peak of the crisis, in mid-May, the deficit reached a record of 2,174 MW and up to 70% of the Cuban population was left without electricity simultaneously, with blackouts lasting from 20 to 22 hours a day in some areas of Havana.
The regime's response to the protests that have spread throughout Havana has involved a police presence, internet shutdowns, and at least 14 arrests in the capital between March and May 2026. On May 21, a protest in Alamar during a blackout ended with police repression and at least one arrest.
Filed under: