A Cuban mother identified as Arianelis Ramírez shared a reflection on social media about the difficulties that power outages create in the daily lives of Cuban families, a testimony shaped by the situation of her daughter with cerebral palsy, which has sparked thousands of reactions.
In the recording, Arianelis is seen cooking a sauté in a pan placed on an improvised stove while dealing with another power outage. Describing the difficulties caused by the blackouts in her home, she explained that the situation is especially hard for her daughter with cerebral palsy: "When the fans lose power, she starts crying, drenched in sweat, with the mosquitoes, and the most significant thing is that they don’t give us any warning, and we don’t know when they’re going to turn it back on."
The scene in the video says it all: a young woman, leaning over a cast-iron skillet placed on bricks and wood, using a small fan to stoke the fire, while she prepares beans in the patio of her turquoise-walled house.
"A day without power in Cuba is not just the absence of electricity, it is a challenge that is felt in every corner of life," Arianelis wrote in the post's description. "The heat becomes more intense, food risks spoiling, and daily routines come to a halt or become much more difficult."
His testimony arrives amid the worst electrical crisis in recent Cuban history. In June 2026, the generation deficit reaches almost 2,000 MW during peak hours, with availability of only 970-1,090 MW against a demand of up to 3,200 MW, according to data reflecting the brink of electrical collapse.
Power outages exceed 20 hours daily in provinces such as Granma, Holguín, and Matanzas, where up to 85 consecutive hours without electricity were recorded between June 14 and 17. In Havana, the outages reach 22 hours.
The Cuban electrical system has experienced seven total collapses in 18 months, including a national blackout on March 16, 2026 that left the entire island without electricity for 29 hours. Cuba has not received fuel shipments since December 2025.
The case of Arianelis is not isolated. A mother from Ciego de Ávila reported power outages lasting more than 22 hours that hinder the care of her two severely ill children, and another child with cerebral palsy did not receive an ambulance due to a lack of fuel, in the context of the collapse of the healthcare system.
The crisis also deprives 2.7 million people of drinking water, as 87% of Cuban aqueducts rely on the electrical grid. Between June 17 and 19, nighttime protests and pot-banging demonstrations shook Havana, Matanzas, and Santiago de Cuba.
A study published in May 2026 revealed the devastating psychological impact of the crisis: 55.4% of Cuban adults suffer from extremely severe depression, 66% from severe anxiety, and 65.8% from extreme stress.
Arianelis closed her post with a phrase that resonated with thousands of Cubans both inside and outside the island: "To resist, to hold on to the hope of better days that never come."
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