The San Juan Camagüeyano 2026 kicked off on June 24 with bonfires, drums, and parades in the streets of the city, while Camagüey was experiencing severe blackouts and Venezuela was devastated by two earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, which left 1,430 confirmed dead and more than 54,000 missing after three days.
The contrast ignited social media. Cubans inside and outside the island deemed it shameful and inhumane that the regime continued the celebrations from June 24 to 29 while the city itself remained in darkness and Venezuela, which for years supplied oil and resources to Havana, begins to bury its dead.
"While families in La Guaira search through the rubble for their loved ones with bare hands, and cry out for lime and formaldehyde to give them a dignified burial... in Camagüey the bonfires continue to burn and the drums keep beating," wrote digital creator Irma Lidia Broek on her Facebook profile.
Citizen comments on the publication reflect a mix of shame, anger, and deeper analysis. "A people with years of indoctrination will find it quite difficult to change the mindset of these individuals, with no electricity, food shortages, lack of medicine, collapsed hospitals, repression, and police abuse. That is Stockholm syndrome in its fullest expression," wrote one user.
"Venezuela, which donated so much money and oil to the Cuban regime, instead of declaring a national mourning in support of the victims of the disaster, is holding parties," questioned another citizen.
A third comment provided a more structural reading: "We are a society lacking character and stripped of all moral value, indoctrinated and uncultured. Our empathy, joy, or sadness have been conditioned for generations. We also go days without electricity, internet, or basic services."
Finally, a user summarized the situation with a straightforward question in the comments: "The world is ending, earthquakes happening, misery and poverty, endless blackouts, deaths, abuse, but... in Camagüey, there are Carnivals from June 24, 2026, and to hell with everything else. Who understands them?"
The energy crisis that Cuba was experiencing at that time was the worst in its recent history. On June 25, a record electrical deficit of 2,208 MW was recorded, and for that Saturday, the Electric Union projected an impact of 2,165 MW during the nighttime peak, with only 1,015 MW available against a demand of 3,150 MW.
Areas in Matanzas accumulated up to 85 consecutive hours without electricity; Havana experienced daily outages ranging from 20 to 24 hours.
This episode repeats a documented pattern; the government ensures electricity for events while the population endures prolonged blackouts.
In June, La Piragua in Havana held illuminated night parties while entire neighborhoods in the capital remained in darkness. In August 2025, Matanzas decided to cancel its carnivals due to a lack of resources, with the governor admitting that there were no "material or logistical guarantees."
At least 32 Cubans were reported missing in Venezuela following the earthquakes, concentrated in the La Guaira state, while the regime sent medical brigades but did not declare a national mourning, and popular festivities continue in the Agramontino territory until June 29.
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