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The Cuban comedian Otto Ortiz turned to irony to depict the frustrating electrical situation in Cuba, after his area received only 45 minutes of electricity following an endless wait without supply.
In a post on his Facebook profile, Ortiz described the situation sarcastically: "After countless hours of blackout, block 2, in recognition of its endurance, was rewarded with 45 minutes of electricity. As the famous saying goes: 'Everything we are, we owe to socialism'."
The phrase that concludes their publication is a variation of the official slogan of the Communist Party of Cuba — "To the Revolution and socialism, we owe everything we are today" — historically used as propaganda to link national identity to the socialist project.
Ortiz turns it into a denunciation: what the regime presents as an achievement, Cubans experience as extreme scarcity.
The comment comes amidst the worst electricity crisis in Cuba in 2026, with a deficit that reached 2,206 MW on July 3, just two megawatts shy of the historical record.
The generation availability ranged between 944 and 1,100 MW, compared to a demand of between 3,150 and 3,200 MW.
The provincial situation is devastating. Matanzas has experienced outages of up to 87 consecutive hours, Havana records interruptions of between 20 and 30 continuous hours, and Santiago de Cuba receives only one or two hours of electricity per day since June 16.
On July 4th, the province of Granma was left completely in the dark following a frequency drop at the National Electric System substation.
On that same day, 11 thermoelectric units were out of service: six due to breakdowns and five for maintenance.
This is not the first time Ortiz has used humor to denounce power outages.
In July 2025, the comedian described his situation as that of an "energy beggar" due to the early morning blackouts in Cuba.
Similarly, in November 2024, from abroad, he contrasted the electric abundance outside the island with the energy misery inside: "I'm loaded with kilowatts over here, how nice, brother".
The "block" blackout system —where each area receives electricity in rotating shifts— has collapsed to the point that the provincial electricity companies themselves admit they cannot meet their own schedules, leaving citizens with minutes of light instead of the promised hours.
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