The second consecutive night of pot-banging protests in Santiago de Cuba once again highlighted the growing discontent of a population weary from power outages lasting up to 22 hours a day. On Thursday, new citizen reports indicated protests in various areas of the city, including streets located just a few blocks from the provincial headquarters of the Communist Party.
Independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada reported on his social media about cacerolazos reported on Escario and San Miguel streets, in the center of Santiago de Cuba. "Cacerolazos on Escario and San Miguel streets, just a few blocks from the Communist Party of Santiago de Cuba," he wrote while sharing a video recorded in the darkness of the night.
Shortly before, the communicator had published another piece under the message: "Santiago de Cuba: 'Casserole City' back on the streets", an expression that encapsulates the tense atmosphere prevailing in the second most important city in the country following several days of protests related to the energy crisis.
The new incidents occurred less than 24 hours after massive pot-banging protests shook practically all the neighborhoods in Santiago. During the night on Wednesday, protests were reported in Sueño, Santa Bárbara, Antonio Maceo, Veguita de Galo, Mármol, Altamira, and other areas of the city, as residents expressed their frustration over the prolonged power outages.
Citizen outrage is set against the backdrop of the collapse of the national electrical system. Starting this week, the Electric Company of Santiago reorganized the service into nine blocks, a scheme that effectively leaves numerous communities with just one or two hours of electricity each day.
The situation worsened after the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant, one of the country's main power generators, which led to an increase in generation deficits and power outages throughout the nation.
While Santiago was again hearing the noise of pots and pans, reports released this Thursday also pointed to demonstrations in Havana. The page La Tijera News reported on a pot-banging protest and neighborhood demonstration on 17th and J streets in El Vedado, during another blackout that affected the capital.
According to that publication, residents of the area took to the streets to express their discontent over the energy crisis. The report indicated that protesters banged pots and chanted slogans in the dark, while denouncing that the FOCSA building continued to receive electricity while the surrounding areas remained without service.
The new protests reinforce the perception that discontent over power outages continues to spread across different regions of the country. In Santiago de Cuba, where weeks of pot-banging, gatherings, and street demonstrations have taken place, Thursday night once again showed that the tension is far from dissipating.
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