The Cuban journalist Martha María Montejo, residing in Houston, Texas, returned a week ago from a ten-day trip to Bayamo with a conclusion that left her deeply disturbed: the population is not seeking its own political solutions, but rather is waiting for someone external to resolve the crisis.
Montejo shared his impressions in an interview with Tania Costa, where he summarized his stay in three words: "Sadness, misery, and precariousness."
The most revealing testimony he gathered was from a friend in Bayamo who confessed his planning outlook. "I only focus on the next 60 minutes; I plan for 60 minutes. What can I do in these 60 minutes?"
Montejo interprets that phrase as a symptom of something deeper. "I did not sense a spirit of political solutions regarding the Cuban issue," he stated.
For the journalist, it is a mindset that is historically ingrained. "I believe there is a mentality of economic and political dependency in being Cuban, in this Cuban nation," she pointed out, drawing a line from the dependency on the Soviet bloc and the CAME after 1959, through the billions transferred by Venezuela and the remnants of Russian support.
"Cuba is waiting for that. The population is waiting for that, for someone to do something for them. Someone. It's very sad," Montejo said.
When Tania Costa asked him if people expect everything to come from the outside—the money, the aid, the rescue—Montejo replied without hesitation: "The rescue, too. That's my perspective."
The journalist stressed that this system of dependency is neither new nor superficial. "This system of dependence on others, on having my problems solved by someone else, still exists; it is very entrenched in Cuban society," she stated.
That apathy is also reflected in the absence of protest. "Are there pots and pans protests there? No, there isn't like there is in Havana, like there is in Santiago. No, I didn't feel or notice anything like that," said Montejo, who would go out during the day and afternoon without perceiving any signs of collective unrest.
The energy context in Granma exacerbates the situation. The Electric Company of Granma acknowledged in June that Cuba generates less than 1,000 megawatts compared to a demand of nearly 3,000, with circuits that experienced between 43 and 45 consecutive hours without electricity.
In addition to the energy decline, there is also urban deterioration. Montejo describes "horrendous dumps in public places, close to major hubs," such as the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Park and the railway.
What struck her the most was not just the presence of those dumpsters, but what happens around them. "There are many, many dumpsters and people rummaging through them. It's not just that these public dumpsters exist; there are people who, in a way, so to speak, metaphorically nourish themselves from these dumpsters," she recounted.
This phenomenon is not exclusive to Bayamo. In May 2026, only 44 out of 106 collection trucks in Havana were operational due to a lack of diesel, and the Minister of Science, Technology, and Environment admitted in September 2025 that trash was "scattered all over Havana."
The observation by Montejo takes on special significance at a time when the system of external support is collapsing. Marco Rubio stated in January 2026 that the donors who supported Cuba for decades "no longer exist," and CEPAL projects a contraction of the Cuban GDP of -6.5% for this year, placing the Island below Haiti.
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