A group of mothers with their children blocked traffic on a street in the Havana municipality of Arroyo Naranjo the day before the start of the school year, 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 halted between Párraga and La Palma.
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 is not going!" repeats one of the mothers in the video. Another voice in the footage summarizes the situation: "We haven't had power for two days. Look at the children. School starts on September first. We are out of electricity. There’s 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 parts of the capital: in July, women shut down the Calzada de Diez de Octubre to protest against power outages.
That same month, residents of Mantilla —also in Arroyo Naranjo— blocked Managua Avenue due to over two months without regular water supply.
The school year begins in Cuba marked by shortages
The start of the school year arrived marked by serious 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 produced only 12% of the required uniforms. The official acknowledged that "without electricity, no workshop can function". Despite everything, the regime kept the date of September first.
The contrast between the official discourse and the reality on the streets is stark. 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, mothers in Arroyo Naranjo were blocking a street with their children sitting on the asphalt.
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