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The Provincial Government of the People's Power of Havana announced this Wednesday on its social media a concert by the orchestra Pupy y Los que Son Son at La Piragua —Malecón and N, Vedado— for Thursday, July 9 at 10:00 p.m., as a popular celebration for the title of Industriales in the IV Elite League of Cuban Baseball.
The announcement triggered a wave of outrage in the comments on Facebook, where the people of Havana rejected the call with a mix of anger and sarcasm.
The reason is as simple as it is brutal: just two days earlier, Cuba experienced its seventh total blackout of the National Electric System in 18 months, the third one this year, which left approximately 9.6 million people without electricity.
This Wednesday, at the time of the announcement, Havana had only recovered 46% of its electricity supply—131 circuits, about 396,447 customers—while the generation availability across the island did not exceed 1,000 MW against a demand of 2,750 MW.
Areas like Vedado, where La Piragua is located, had been without power for more than 24 consecutive hours.
The contradiction was immediate: ensuring electricity for a nighttime concert at that venue meant prioritizing circuits for the event while residential neighborhoods remained in the dark.
"Party and fun at La Piragua while the rest are without light, without water, and without anything, but well, I'm sure the place will be packed," wrote one user, in what became the phrase that best captured the general sentiment.
Another commentator was more direct: "You have to be born to be as cynical as you are: an entire country plunged into misery while you’re calling people to a little party. Immoral and shameless, that’s what all of you are."
The metaphor of "bread and circus" —or its more bitter variant, "circus without bread"— was recurrent. "As always, bread and circus," wrote a user.
Another asked ironically, "And when are we going to celebrate the proper functioning of the electrical system and everything else that barely works?"
From the Lawton neighborhood came another specific complaint: "Lawton without water and Aguas de La Habana announcing a celebration instead of saying what is happening."
A user who identified as a supporter of the capital team distanced herself from the official celebration: "I’m a die-hard industrialist, happy for their victory, but it’s not a time to celebrate anything. The first to acknowledge that are the players."
The weariness was summed up in another comment: "There is a great festive spirit among the people of Havana due to Industriales' victory. It's laughable. The people can't take it anymore; the levels of suffering and anguish are the highest in the history of this city. Sell joy and celebration elsewhere; here the people are suffering and struggling like never before."
Industriales was crowned champion this Wednesday after defeating Las Tunas 8-2, concluding the final series with a score of four victories to one, marking the first title for the capital team in the Elite League, ending a 16-year wait for a championship.
The electrical collapse on Monday occurred at 12:17 p.m. due to the unexpected shutdown of Unit No. 6 at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant in Camagüey, triggering a cascading disconnection.
The crisis is set against the backdrop of the structural deterioration of a system that has been operating since January 2026 without the supply of Venezuelan oil, with aging plants and a chronic deficit exceeding 2,000 MW during peak hours.
"Government, look at the comments and tell me if there is really anything to celebrate," wrote another user, summarizing what dozens of Havana residents expressed this Wednesday following the official announcement.
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