A broadcaster and former director of the official station CMKC Radio Revolución, José Yaser Centray Soler, posted a festive announcement on Facebook titled "Santiago de Cuba is getting ready for a celebration!" to promote a cultural program from July 25 to 27, in commemoration of the 73rd anniversary of the assault on the Moncada Barracks and the 511th anniversary of the city's founding.
The announcement from the regime's spokesperson details dozens of free activities and an atmosphere that appears joyful and festive: simultaneous concerts, conga lines, folkloric shows, galas featuring artists like Cándido Fabre, the Septeto Santiaguero, and Gladis Puentes, as well as a symbolic re-enactment of the assault on Moncada taking place at 5:15 AM this Sunday.
The response from the people of Santiago in the comments on the post was immediate and emphatic: dozens of individuals rejected the initiative as a mockery, a circus, and a disrespect in light of the crisis the province is facing.
"Eraida Cabot Serpa wrote, 'They are announcing this party with great enthusiasm. What a lack of respect. Why don't they announce the restoration of electricity, as they keep us enduring 16 to 20 hours of blackout for every 2 hours of power? This is inhumane.'"
Another commentator, Yaima Roca Rodríguez, listed the everyday reality that contrasts with the festive tone of the announcement: "Cycles of waiting for water, children without proper nutrition, our elderly struggling for days to receive their checks, long hours without electricity, earning a trophy just to buy gas in USD, transportation getting worse by the day, a loaf of bread costing up to 35 pesos."
Yadira Chacón summed up the feelings of many: "The owners of this nation have no issues at all: they sleep with electricity, their food doesn’t spoil, and they have a constant supply of water."
Between irony and indignation, José Ángel Enamorado condensed it into a phrase: "To the people, bread and circus. Well, the bread will have to be changed later on."
Orlaides López stated: "It is ironic to talk about celebration when sadness overwhelms us due to so many hours of darkness and other shortages. My respects to my colleagues in the cultural field, but this is my humble opinion."
The criticisms are rooted in the devastating energy context surrounding the event.
The Electric Company of Santiago admitted in June that it could not guarantee even two hours of electricity per day in many circuits, and that situation has not improved this month.
For example, this Saturday, the eve of the celebration, the maximum impact on the system reached 2,315 MW at 9:10 PM, nearly matching the historical record.
Moreover, in the same setting where the regime celebrates and commemorates the assault on the Moncada Barracks, there were reports of pot-banging protests in the Sueño neighborhood of Santiago de Cuba this Saturday night, with police patrols circulating in the area in the darkness.
And this is not the first time that the authorities have organized celebrations amid the crisis. Recently, Enramadas was lit up for a show while entire neighborhoods of the city had gone over 22 hours without electricity, which also generated outrage.
In 2025, the Santiago carnival had already had to adapt to power outages by limiting activities to a schedule from six to ten in the evening.
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