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The state media Cubadebate announced that Cuban television will premiere the soap opera «Entre aguas» next Monday, directed by Felo Ruíz, at a time when millions of Cubans have been lacking sufficient electricity to turn on a television for months.
According to the announcement, the production will be broadcast on Cubavisión during prime time on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with a total of 80 episodes.
The response from Cubans on social media was not one of expectation, but rather of indignation and sarcasm.
The post from Cubadebate on Facebook was flooded with comments that turned the announcement into a gauge of public discontent regarding the most severe electricity crisis in the country's history.
"What's the point if there's no electricity to see it," wrote a user.
Another was more direct: "With which current?"
One of the most striking comments summed up the situation of many Cuban households: "It's a lack of respect... Even the children don't watch cartoons."
Irony also found its place: "Ah, they're going to offer a free panel by committee," wrote an internet user, mocking the disconnection between the regime and reality.
"Yes, yes... we're going to see it; yes, of course," another one scoffed.
Some pointed to the quality of the product: "Every Cuban novel is worse than the last... record after record... besides, the people have no electricity."
Others questioned the regime's priorities: "Is a novel more important now? Hardly anyone will see it!"
"Without prosperity, there is no art and no one to appreciate it," declared another commentator.
And one concluded bitterly: "Whoever reads you says that everything is fine."
The contrast between official enthusiasm and the reality of the country is stark. Cuba recorded a record electricity deficit of 2,208 MW on Thursday, surpassing the previous high of 2,174 MW from May 14, according to data from the very energy crisis that the regime cannot conceal.
Havana was without electricity for 24 hours on Thursday, with a maximum impact of 640 MW. In provinces like Matanzas, the outages have reached up to 85 consecutive hours.
The record electrical deficit in Cuba is exacerbated by the interruption of oil supplies from Venezuela since January and the reduction of shipments from Mexico since December, while 106 distributed generation plants remain inactive due to lack of fuel, representing 890 MW offline.
The crisis also directly affects the television signal: blackouts damage digital television in Havana, where digital channels 24, 48, and 50 are failing due to electrical instability at the K Tower in El Vedado.
In Las Tunas, the lack of fuel left television operating at a minimum in June, focusing the signal on just one channel. Camagüey experienced over four days without any television signal without any official media providing an explanation.
Director Felo Ruíz, who joined the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television in 1967 as a lighting assistant, stated that the telenovela "defends an important premise: the value of friendship" and that "justice must always prevail over any feeling of vengeance." He also acknowledged that the filming faced challenges due to the chikungunya epidemic.
Meanwhile, this week, Cubans took to the streets to protest in Vedado and other neighborhoods in Havana over power outages lasting nearly 24 hours, while in Santiago de Cuba, loud pot banging was reported.
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts recorded 1,311 protests in May, the highest monthly figure ever documented.
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