A Cuban expatriate recorded a video of the streets in his neighborhood in Camagüey and summarized his findings in one sentence: "How wonderful! The same ditch I left 20 years ago." The reel published on Facebook by Daniel Rabento, a taxi driver and truck driver from Camagüey now living abroad, garnered 620 likes, 329 comments, and 660 shares in just a few days.
In the video, Rabento walks through the corner of A Street and First Street, located in the Cándido González and Bellavista neighborhoods, two peripheral areas of the metropolitan area of Camagüey. "We are at the corner of A Street and First Street in the Cándido González and Bellavista neighborhoods. This is First Street, which leads to the Camino de la Matanza in the Bellavista neighborhood, because this is where the two neighborhoods split," he explains in the clip.
The phrase that titles the video is not an exaggeration; it is the diagnosis of decades of state neglect in Cuban popular neighborhoods.
The deterioration of road infrastructure in Cuba is a structural problem that the government itself has acknowledged. According to official data from June 2025, 75% of the country's roads and pathways are in fair or poor condition.
In Camagüey, the pattern repeats itself. Drivers reported that the Guáimaro-Colombia highway was "practically impassable" and that "there is no vehicle that can withstand" that stretch. The neighborhoods outside the historic center —which is recognized by UNESCO— have accumulated decades of unpaved streets, open ditches, and unfinished repairs.
The phenomenon of open ditches that are never closed is a recurring issue throughout the island. In Havana, a resident reported on TikTok that after addressing a leaking pipe, the street was left with open ditches and unpaved for years. In August 2025, a case was documented of a ditch “filled with stones” without asphalt as a definitive solution. In Guanabacoa, a Cuban summarized the condition of his street with a phrase that went viral: “You have to be a ninja to pass here”.
Rabento's account connects with those of other Cuban émigrés who return to find their neighborhoods exactly the same—or worse—than when they left. A Cuban woman who returned after ten years abroad described her impression in three words: "My country, a total decline."
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