A parade of horse-drawn carriages traveling through the streets of Bayamo became a viral image this week after being captured by the Facebook page El Quijote Bayamés, whose author summarized the scene with a question that says it all: "Here, we don’t even know what a birthday is; a people fleeing from the blackout have nothing else to do."
The 23-second video garnered over 75,000 views and nearly 2,000 reactions on Facebook, with comments from followers painting a picture of a city that celebrates by day because there is no light at night.
"It's nice to see the people of my Bayamo happy. But as you say, fleeing from the blackout. When night falls, the party is over and it's all about killing mosquitoes," wrote a user.
Another was more direct: "With a good blackout but with conga and rumba, let’s enjoy."
Some citizens read the conga with more clarity than any official. "This is why Granma is in such a bad state," wrote a commentator.
"Despite going two days without electricity, with anything like this, people are happy, and the government knows it. Every so often, they sell them cheap beer, some awful music, and with that, they control Granma," wrote another user on social media.
Another user was even more precise about the crux of the matter: "They are fleeing from the blackout because when they should be going out and not just wasting time is when we are being subjected to over forty hours of blackout and other hardships."
The paradox captured in the video is also a warning. "This is how we live like crazy people," summed up one commentator.
And another, with bitter humor, declared that the people of Bayamo "are reaching the Stone Age," to which the video's creator responded: "That's what we need to go out hunting mammoths."
The backdrop is devastating. On June 10, the Electric Company of Granma reported that circuit 4117, which supplies areas such as San Francisco, Calicito, and Campechuela, had been without service for over 45 consecutive hours.
Other circuits in the province had accumulated between 43 and 44 hours without electricity that same day.
On June 11, areas such as Jiguaní, Media Luna, Yara, and Las Novillas were approaching 48-49 hours without power.
The regime's response to discontent follows a known pattern. On June 5, authorities in Bayamo mobilized members of the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution to "explain" the causes of the blackouts neighborhood by neighborhood, as part of the Barrio por la Patria movement.
Shortly after, the first secretary of the Communist Party in Granma presented the image of neighbors cooking in the street due to the outages as "humanism".
In August 2025, the government organized popular festivities from the 7th to the 10th of that month despite the energy and food crisis.
In May 2025, Bayamo was the scene of protests with chants of "We're hungry!" and "Food!", with residents blocking a bridge and gatherings in various neighborhoods.
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