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The authorities in Santiago de Cuba closed the Enramadas street promenade this Saturday to set up a light and music show to celebrate the start of summer, while thousands of families in Santiago had been without electricity for more than 22 hours daily, and entire areas of the city had gone 40 days without water.
The independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada denounced the paradox on social media with images that show scenarios illuminated by LED screens and colored lights on the main pedestrian artery of the city, in stark contrast to the darkness experienced in the neighborhoods.
"In a city where thousands of families spend endless hours without electricity, without water, and with food spoiling, the closure of Paseo Las Enramadas for a celebration highlights what seem to be the priorities of those who misgovern the city," he wrote on his Facebook wall.
A resident who lives on Enramadas Street, near Plaza de Marte, confirmed in the comments that on that day they only had two hours of electricity, from 7:30 to 9:30 in the morning, but "at this moment it is pitch dark."
Mayeta succinctly captured the contradiction: "The paradox is hard to ignore: a city in darkness, yet energized for the party; a community bearing the weight of the crisis, while official entertainment disguised as 'private' takes center stage."
The citizens' reaction on social media fluctuated between indignation and exhaustion. Several comments pointed to the unintentional complicity of those who attend.
"The same ones who are there laughing at the circus are the ones who spend all their time lamenting... unintentionally, they become complicit in a network of manipulation," wrote one person.
Another was more direct: "As long as people continue to attend and celebrate their own misfortune, nothing will change."
A third comment drew a clear line: "We need to disconnect. But without being complicit with the dictatorship. You want to dance... throw a party at your house... but don’t participate in those official events."
The Electric Company of Santiago de Cuba admitted in June that it could not guarantee even two hours of electricity daily per area. This Saturday, 11 thermoelectric units remained out of service nationwide - six due to malfunctions and five for maintenance - with a projected deficit of 2,050 MW during peak nighttime hours and an availability of only 1,050 MW compared to a demand of 3,100 MW.
The Enramadas event reflects a trend that has become common, where the government ensures electricity for shows while the population endures prolonged blackouts.
It happened in May during the Cubadisco festival at the Pabellón Cuba, at La Piragua on the Malecón in Havana, and with the San Juan celebration in Camagüey. Just this Saturday, social media buzzed with outrage over the report that the Estadio Latinoamericano was turned into a nightclub until four in the morning, in a Havana plunged into darkness.
Since July 1, protests and rallies with pots and pans have been occurring almost daily in Santiago de Cuba, with slogans of "We want electricity!" and "Freedom!".
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