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A Cuban identified on social media as El Mundo de Laura published a heart-wrenching testimony about the electrical crisis in Cuba this Tuesday, which resonated with thousands of compatriots both on and off the island.
Her words describe what life is like after 72 consecutive hours without electricity, without water, and without the possibility of rest.
"I don’t know where Cubans find their strength, I don’t know where we draw the courage to face so much torture, misery, and contempt," wrote the author, who lives with her young daughter—who requires special attention—and her 69-year-old father.
In her account, Laura explains that a sympathetic person gifted her a portable power station, but the device "isn't sufficient after three days without power."
The girl could hardly sleep at all despite the fan, overwhelmed by the heat and mosquitoes, while her grandfather and mother spent the night in an armchair waiting for electricity that never arrived.
"I no longer have a life or the desire for anything... This is not living nor is it anything... Only God gives me strength," he concluded.
The post sparked an avalanche of comments reflecting a reality shared by millions of Cubans.
"We are being killed one by one," wrote a follower. Another described her situation with a phrase that encapsulates the collective exhaustion: "It feels like a horror movie, but it's daily life."
From the Isle of Youth, a follower reported only three hours of electricity a day, small and medium enterprises that do not accept transfers due to a lack of power, and sweet potatoes at 60 pesos per pound: "We are not doing well here, with no money in the banks and prices through the roof."
Another commentator described her particular drama: "In my house, there is an autistic child who is terrified of the dark. It's not torture; this is a massacre, this is beyond comprehension."
A grandmother recounted that her four-month-old granddaughter wakes up with mosquito bites due to the unbearable heat and lack of water: "We are physically and mentally exhausted. Our brains just don't function well anymore."
Some comments directly pointed to the regime as responsible: "What they have with the people is psychological abuse. They don’t have power outages; they live well while the people merely survive."
Another internet user was more outspoken about the reasons for social silence: "It's not that we lack strength or courage; it's that the terror of the dictatorship paralyzes us, and we prefer to invent ways to survive rather than confront evil and root it out."
The bitter irony was not lost: "The town without electricity and Fidel's grandson, Sandro Castro, strolling through Santa Clara. Where will the kid get the fuel?"
Laura's testimony arrives at one of the worst moments of the electric collapse in Cuba. On Monday, the Electric Union reported a capacity of only 995 MW against a demand of 2,620 MW, with a shortfall of 1,630 MW.
The impact of blackouts on water supply is direct. Over 80% of the country's pumping equipment relies on the electrical grid.
"This is called survival instinct. We have been led to believe that we are a superior human race, but we are not. We are humans enduring, surviving," summarized one of Laura's followers.
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