Sandro Castro, grandson of the dictator Fidel Castro and owner of Bar EFE in El Vedado, Havana, published a story on Instagram this Tuesday to refute claims that his establishment had permanently closed.
“Hello everyone. Well, I saw that the media were reporting news that I closed my bar. I have not officially closed it. The day I do, I will announce it, even if it's for another project,” Sandro stated in the video.
However, his own words reveal a contradiction with what he had stated just 24 hours earlier. This Monday, in a live stream with "El Guajiro de TikTok," Sandro had unequivocally asserted: "I have been closed for two weeks. So that means it is... I don't even have a nightclub anymore, it is there, but it doesn't exist."
In that same broadcast on Monday, Sandro attributed the closure to "the climatic and energy conditions" and the sanctions from the United States, and compared his situation to that of the Fábrica de Arte Cubano, which announced a temporary closure on June 7 without specifying reasons or a reopening date.
In this Tuesday's Instagram story, Sandro nuanced his position but did not deny the essence of the situation: "We're practically working one day a week. We're closing most days due to the energy crisis and the problems we are facing."
But officially, Bar EFE is not closed. In fact, everyone can follow the EFE Bar Cuba page on Instagram, where they can find out the days we are open and working, and we are always receiving a lot of love from our audience,” he added.
The interlocutor of Sandro in the live session on Monday was Jesús Arturo Blanco León, known as 'El Guajiro de TikTok', a resident of the United States and a supporter of the Cuban regime. Journalist Mario Pentón has pointed him out as a participant in discrediting campaigns against journalists and activists who are critical of the Cuban government.
The EFE Bar, which, according to Sandro, cost $50,000, is the only known business of Fidel Castro's grandson in Havana. In December 2024, during a nationwide blackout, Sandro celebrated his birthday at the venue, boasting that his bar "had electricity" while the rest of the country was in the dark.
The partial closure of Bar EFE is part of a widespread crisis in the Cuban private sector. According to the consulting firm AUGE, 96.4% of private small and medium-sized enterprises in Cuba face a severe to catastrophic impact due to fuel shortages in 2026, and more than 1,413 companies could close permanently if the situation continues.
In Monday's live stream, Sandro also took the opportunity to promote his image as a businessman concerned about the human impact of the situation: «Sadly, the little bit that remains on the card, one tries to help the workers and that».
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