While Cuba experienced its seventh total blackout in 18 months this Monday, content creator Sisi Aguilera posted a video on Facebook that summarizes in 52 seconds what millions of Cubans felt upon regaining internet connection: disbelief and outrage at the negotiating statements of Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, also known as "El Cangrejo," grandson of Raúl Castro.
"I've been without electricity for so many hours that I’ve lost count," Aguilera begins in the video, filmed from Cuba amid the collapse of the National Electroenergetic System. Without electricity, internet, or water, he describes the experience of millions of Cubans who that same day endured outages that in some provinces exceeded 87 consecutive hours.
When he finally regained the connection, the news he found was the , published that same Monday, in which the colonel from the Ministry of the Interior offered to negotiate directly with Donald Trump: "I can negotiate with anyone designated by the U.S. If given the opportunity, of course I would negotiate with Trump."
Aguilera's reaction was immediate: "I can't help but wonder why now and not before. What has changed?"
Your response went viral. The video garnered over 104,000 views, nearly 5,800 likes, and 263 comments in just a few hours, becoming one of the most shared testimonies about the energy crisis and the political maneuvering of the Castro family.
Aguilera described the negotiating offer as "a desperate measure, taken during a time of deep crisis," and concluded with a phrase that captures the skepticism of much of the population: "All I hope is that the freedom Cuba needs doesn't end up in that very dark tunnel".
The context surrounding El Cangrejo's statements fuels that distrust. According to the USA Today interview, Raúl Castro's grandson acknowledged the existence of more than 1,200 political prisoners and stated that Cuba could release them "under the right conditions," although he warned that "the truth is not absolute" and insisted that he would never sacrifice the principles of the revolution or the Cuban political system.
At the same time, he envisioned a Cuba where people "can buy foie gras in supermarkets," while the majority of Cubans survive on salaries of about 2,000 pesos a month —approximately 10 dollars— and endure blackouts that the Electric Union confirmed with a brief statement: "A total disconnection of the National Electroenergetic System is occurring. The causes are being investigated."
The contrast between El Cangrejo's speech and the reality that Cubans live is also outraged the comedian Ulises Toirac, who publicly responded with a question: "What is the Revolution that decides who should step forward and who should step back?"
The blackout on Monday was the most severe of an energy crisis that has been breaking records for months. On July 3, the electric deficit reached 2,206 MW, with a generation availability of only 944 MW compared to a demand of 3,150 MW, with eleven thermal units out of service.
The situation is worsened by the interruption of Venezuelan oil supply following the detention of Nicolás Maduro by the U.S. and the deterioration of the thermal power plant infrastructure.
Meanwhile, El Cangrejo acknowledged in the same interview that "negotiations with the Trump administration have not progressed" and that "the reality is that they have not" yielded concrete results.
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