A Cuban mother demonstrated how money can be "stretched" to maximize its benefits and at least manage daily expenses.
With just 500 Cuban pesos -less than a dollar at the informal exchange rate- Dayana Nda bought a pound of peanuts, roasted them over charcoal, and sold 30 cones at 50 pesos each, tripling her investment to obtain 1,500 pesos.
The one-minute video published on Facebook has become a stark portrayal of the economic crisis in Cuba, but also of the resilience of everyday people.
"Today I woke up feeling quite dazed and thought, what can I do with 500 pesos?" the video begins. Dayana explains that necessity drove her to take action: "It's essential today in this country to try to resolve the situation as much as possible to put food on the table."
Before anyone misinterprets it, she sets the boundary herself: "Don't anyone say that I'm romanticizing poverty. This is simple, gentlemen."
The video showcases the entire process of roasting and crafting the cones. This business, he confessed, has always helped him out of a tight spot.
And it concludes with a direct call: "Don't just sit there waiting to put food on your children's table; there's always a way. With 500 pesos, you can start."
In the comments, Dayana elaborated on the details, explaining that she cooked the peanuts over charcoal and then sold them sitting at the door of her house, since "thirty cones sell quickly."
Her philosophy for moving forward is simple: "You fight from any corner. We have to fight; we can't just sit still. It's understandable that many feel overwhelmed by minor issues, but we're here to provide the solution."
The video accumulated nearly 37,000 views and sparked a wave of reactions that blend admiration, solidarity, and a troubling warning.
An internet user issued the most uncomfortable warning: "Be grateful you weren't caught by an inspector! Because facing a fine would have been a real tragedy, and none of that romanticism." The risk is real: Decree-Law 91/2024 establishes fines of up to 72,000 pesos for selling without a license, an amount that exceeds 22 times the monthly minimum wage of 3,210 pesos.
The rest of the comments portray a community that acknowledges the misery but applauds the initiative. "For those who go out to ask, take note, a mother fighting for her children," wrote one.
Another was more direct: "We are looking for options, not justifications; people like you can be helped, it's very easy to make videos asking for food, money, and even solar panels."
A third voice recalled their own experience: "I sold coffee on the street during the height of the coronavirus. Thanks to that, because I had a lot of customers, I was able to get by peacefully."
There were also deeper reflections. "Everyone on the Island knows the need and misery that is being experienced. But what I admire about you is that you don't know how to cry or ask for anything; instead, you find a way to survive. That is worthy of admiration," wrote a user.
Another phrase captured the collective sentiment: "Life sometimes puts us in difficult situations; it's in those moments that our warrior version emerges."
The context surrounding this video is brutal. According to the 8th Study on the State of Social Rights in Cuba, published on Tuesday, 89% of the Cuban population lives in extreme poverty, and seven out of ten have stopped having breakfast, lunch, or dinner due to a lack of money or food.
To cover the basic needs of a person, at least 96,000 pesos per month are required, which is 30 times the minimum wage that the regime claims is an improvement.
It is not spontaneous ingenuity for a mother to have to resort to toasting peanuts over charcoal to put food on the table; it is the direct consequence of decades of a system that has failed to provide the most basic needs for its population.
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