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A Cuban mother identified as Dayana Garcia posted in the Facebook group "Electric Company of Havana" a phrase that has become a symbol of collective exhaustion in the face of the electrical crisis affecting the island this summer: "I am so tired and worn out by this, we have the Guinness record for endurance. I am fed up with everything that smells, tastes, and is associated with communism."
The post garnered nearly 18,000 reactions, over 1,400 comments, and was shared almost 500 times, becoming a viral thermometer for social discontent in Cuba.
The image accompanying the text shows two small children sleeping on the floor, in what appears to be a doorway, balcony, or patio, with an improvised white sheet used as a canopy, rechargeable fans, and mosquito nets: the exact scene that thousands of Cuban families repeat every night to escape the unbearable heat that accumulates indoors without electric ventilation.
In the comments, other mothers recounted similar situations.
Yanet Peres wrote: "My kids can't sleep anymore, they complain all night long, and the youngest, only 9 years old, is taking cold baths in the early morning. For God's sake, how much longer will this go on?"
An anonymous participant described their situation with a five-month-old baby and an eight-year-old girl, labeling it as "criminal."
Reynie Azconita recounted: "I haven't slept in two days... It's been a whole night terrified by mosquitoes... While plans are being made in the world, here the nights drag on."
Ivon Pose directly pointed out the hypocrisy of the regime: "It's very easy to ask us to endure. Meanwhile, they have electricity, water, and their food doesn't spoil. One must have a black heart to ask for that. I'm not talking about politics, but about human rights and their respect."
Dayana Garcia herself responded to the wave of support with a reflection that encapsulates the feelings of many: "My pain is that of millions who are going through the same thing; if Cubans united, we would be free in less than 72 hours, I have no doubt about that."
The backdrop is the worst electrical crisis in Cuba in decades: in Havana, power outages exceed 20 to 24 hours daily, while in areas of Matanzas, there have been reports of cuts lasting up to 85 consecutive hours without electricity.
In May, the electrical deficit reached a historic high of 2,174 MW, leaving 70% of the island without power simultaneously, according to data from the state system itself.
The Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the largest in the country, recorded its 15th malfunction of the year on June 15, causing the nighttime deficit to soar to 2,085 MW, while 106 distributed generation plants remain idle due to a lack of fuel.
The impact goes beyond sleepless nights: 87% of the aqueducts depend on the collapsing electrical grid, leaving nearly 2.7 million Cubans without regular access to drinking water.
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts reported over 1,300 protests in May 2026, the highest number since July 11, 2021, with noise demonstrations and barricades in at least 12 municipalities in Havana.
Deyse Garcia summarized it in the comments with a phrase that condenses 67 years of history: "This is a war of women fighting for their children. They have spent 67 years in pursuit of a utopia."
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