A group of mothers with their children took to the streets to block traffic in the municipality of Arroyo Naranjo on the eve of the school year starting, in protest against more than 48 hours without electricity and over three days without potable water.
The images were recorded by local residents and shared on the social media of El Funky and ICLEP. They show children sitting in the middle of the road, with traffic stopped between Párraga and La Palma.
The Protestant women openly refused to send their children to classes this Tuesday, the first day of the 2026-2027 school year.
"My son isn't going to school. My son isn't going!" repeats one of the mothers in the video. Another voice in the footage sums up the situation: "There has been no electricity here for two days. Look at the children. And school starts on September first. We are without power. There is nothing."
Families argued that without electricity they cannot keep their children's snacks fresh. They claim that the children have not been able to rest properly amid the blackouts, conditions they deemed incompatible with returning to the classroom. Other voices in the video urged that "everyone" join the protest.
On Sunday night, a pot-banging protest shook El Vedado after more than 24 hours without electricity.
The pattern of women blocking streets as a form of pressure is repeated in various areas of the capital: in July, women blocked the Calzada de Diez de Octubre to protest against the blackouts.
That same month, residents of Mantilla —also in Arroyo Naranjo— blocked Calzada de Managua for being without regular water supply for over two months.
The school year begins in Cuba marked by shortages
The beginning of the school year was marked by severe shortages acknowledged by the authorities themselves. The Minister of Education, Naima Trujillo, admitted to "tremendous difficulties": only 73% of teaching positions are filled. There is a deficit of at least 24,000 teachers.
The national industry barely produced 12% of the required uniforms. The official acknowledged that "without power, no workshop can operate". Nevertheless, the regime upheld the date of September first.
The contrast between the official discourse and reality on the streets is striking. While the Communist Party of Cuba described the start of the school year as “another act of heroism” and Díaz-Canel denied the collapse of the country, the mothers in Arroyo Naranjo were blocking a street with their children sitting on the asphalt.
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