The Cuban content creator Gely la Flaki posted a video on Facebook in which she expresses her desperation and demands an urgent change in Cuba, describing the extreme conditions her family faces: power outages lasting more than 24 hours, unbearable heat, and a complete lack of running water.
"Do you know why my face shines? Because not even the natives in their time endured the heat that we are experiencing here in Cuba with power outages lasting more than 24 hours," says the young woman at the start of the video.
Gely reports that, in addition to being without electricity, she also has no water for bathing. She managed to fill a small pool at her home for all uses and had to pay 6,000 pesos for brackish water that "is not even suitable for drinking".
The energy crisis in Cuba is accompanied by serious issues with water pumping, with areas going many days without receiving the service.
"You have to follow the water truck to get them to bring you water. Do you know how much it costs? 30,000 pesos! Divide it by 660 to see how many dollars that is," he commented.
This figure aligns with the documented reality in Havana. In the capital, more than 500,000 people are suffering from water shortages and the cost of a water truck in the informal market can range from 9,000 to 50,000 pesos depending on the area and urgency.
Gely closed the video with a shout that encapsulates the exhaustion of an entire island: «We need a change now. Please, sir! I am going crazy, and like me, all of Cuba is going crazy right now».
Blackouts and water shortages: the double curse of Cubans
The connection between both crises is direct: 87% of the water pumping system in Cuba relies on electricity, so each blackout results in a disruption of water supply.
In July, the situation in the capital worsened to the point that the authorities had to mobilize FAR tankers to supply the municipalities of Havana.
Gas is also not exempt from the scarcity. Gely reported that gas cylinders, when they do appear, are sold for "50 or more than 80 dollars in Cuba Max."
The video of this Cuban woman comes after the sixth total blackout this year in Cuba, recorded on August 2 when the National Electric System collapsed.
It is not the first time that Gely has raised awareness about the situation in the country. Last June, she published a video after 27 hours without electricity or water that also went viral.
In her recent video, the creator also responds to those who downplay the suffering of Cubans: "Then they come to say, 'No, because you want to complain.' Come and spend a month here so you can see how you'll also complain."
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