While Havana experiences blackouts of up to 72 consecutive hours and unrelenting street protests, the regime is organizing casino dance sessions on Avenida 23 del Vedado as part of the ICAIC Summer Film Festival, in its tenth edition.
The cultural space VIVArtes 23, promoted by MAMBO Cuba in collaboration with the Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematographic Industry (ICAIC), the Ministry of Culture, and EGREM, occupies the avenue between 10th and 12th Streets, opposite the iconic Cine Chaplin, from Thursday to Sunday starting at five in the afternoon, between July 9 and August 16, 2026.
MAMBO Cuba's posts on Facebook feature groups of about 20 people—many wearing white identifying t-shirts—dancing casino in a coordinated manner in the middle of the street, with the ICAIC building and the "Fresa y Chocolate" Cinematic Cultural Center in the background.
The organizers themselves described the scene with enthusiasm: "Now that Havana is mine... we dance casino on 23... neighbors, passersby, and even people just looking for bread join in. This is the essence of Cubanness at VIVARTES 23."
The image, however, sparked a divided and heated reaction on social media, where the term "carneros"—used pejoratively for those who follow the regime without questioning it—dominated the critical comments.
"The rams moving to the rhythm of hunger and the blackouts," wrote a user.
Another comment was longer: "Take advantage of the fact that there is no transportation in the circus, dancing on misery and neglect. If there is no noise from factories, workshops, cashiers, people coming and going, taking a bite of a sandwich, if there is no noise of hope, then the circus, commanded by the executioner, will relax the petrified air of empty mouths and minds."
A Cuban was straightforward: "Is this really in Cuba? Folks, are there really reasons to dance and sweat? Do we deserve 67 more years of communism, but without asking anything from outsiders?"
The contrast between the official celebration and everyday reality is difficult to ignore. Havana accounted for 82 of the 107 protests recorded in Cuba during June, with power outages that lasted up to three consecutive days in some neighborhoods.
An anonymous comment ironically summarized what many think: "The ram dance. They did it last year too."
In addition, according to a report cited in May, 96.91% of the Cuban population lacked adequate access to food in April 2026, and nearly one in three households had at least one member who went to bed hungry in the previous month.
The VIVArtes 23 program includes screenings of Cuban cinema, meetings with filmmakers, parades, DJ sessions — including River Sound — trova, theater, dance, and casino wheels. Sundays are dedicated to children, featuring films from the ICAIC Animation Studios and children's shows.
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