A Cuban identified as Vivian Mendo posted on Facebook a heartbreaking testimony about daily life in Cuba, comparing the reality of the island to the South Korean series Squid Game while also sending out a cry for help.
"I have very little hope... I say this SINCERELY... the day-to-day in this 'SQUID GAME' chips away at what little willpower we have left... those of us who have faith in God find refuge in His word and prayer... but the valley is dark, and giving in to the temptation to surrender is practically inevitable," Mendo wrote.
Alongside the text, the Cuban individual shared a photograph that encapsulates the crisis facing the island in a single image: a makeshift kitchen crafted from the housing of a recycled table fan, two pot lids, and a third detail that is telling: a figure of the character Anxiety from the second installment of Inside Out, which represents the emotional toll, the constant distress, and the uncertainty that many Cubans confront each day.
"Who said the zombie apocalypse is a thing of the future? You just have to go out on the street and see the blank minds everywhere, only thinking about food... it's an epidemic to which we are succumbing one after another... thinking that there is someone healthy left is laughable... anxiety is the first of the symptoms: and we ALL already have that," she warns in her post.
Mendo also describes the nights without electricity with a rawness that reflects what millions of Cubans experience daily: "Sometimes, in the middle of nights when we dehydrate on the sheets or when my eyes water while igniting my makeshift coal stove, I take the opportunity to fantasize about a different reality."
Mendo concludes his publication without asking for a solution for himself: "I no longer think about the cure...perhaps it is too late for many of us...but it would indeed be a great feat to save those who remain, those who still have time, those who can later tell the story of THE GREAT PLAGUE, so that it does not happen again."
Social media has, in recent years, become a reflection of the anguish experienced by Cubans.
Recently, a mother in Centro Habana took to the streets to shout in front of the CTC headquarters about the endless blackouts, and another Cuban announced on July 5 that she is selling her house because she can no longer call it a home, cooking with charcoal and without water.
The production of artisanal stoves using fans, recycled cans, and pots has spread across the island due to the complete disappearance of liquefied gas in many municipalities, a daily odyssey that many Cubans document on social media.
The impact on mental health has been scientifically documented. A study published in May 2026 in the journal Social Science & Medicine, based on a survey of 415 Cuban adults, revealed that 55.4% experience extremely severe depression, 66% suffer from severe anxiety, and 65.8% endure extreme stress.
The researcher Rolando Cartaya described those figures as "impossible in any population," comparable only to "populations at war."
The UN has warned that and has requested 94 million dollars in humanitarian aid, while 20,000 tons of food remain undelivered due to a lack of fuel for transportation.
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