A young Cuban named Emanuel González Moral went viral on Facebook by humorously documenting what it means to have electricity on the Island: "Today I woke up a millionaire," he stated.
The video, titled "Living Like a Millionaire for a Few Hours (With Electricity in Cuba)," showcases a morning of activities that would be completely ordinary in any other country: toasting bread, charging all electronic devices, filling containers with water, cleaning his sister's bicycle, having lunch while watching a movie on a laptop with a full battery, and ironing the school uniform.
The most striking detail was a yogurt he found frozen in the refrigerator, a sign that the power supply had lasted long enough for the appliance to actually work. "The odds of freezing something in Cuba these days are 1%," the author himself admitted.
The description of the reel summarizes it with irony: "A breakfast with a toaster, a movie on the laptop, and a frozen yogurt... Is it Switzerland? No, it's my house with electricity."
The video also highlights another reality that Cubans are all too familiar with: when the power goes out, the water goes out. "In my house, as soon as the power goes out, the water goes out. Without water here, you can't wash, clean, or live," explained Emanuel while filling containers at his mother's instruction. About 87% of Cuba's aqueducts rely on electric pumps, which turns each blackout into a double deprivation.
The question thrown into the air encapsulates the exhaustion of millions of Cubans: "When will Cubans stop living like this, constantly watching the clock and searching for a power outlet?"
The end of the video was as eloquent as the rest: just after he finished ironing the uniform, the power went out again. "Happiness lasts very little," he wrote.
Emanuel's clip is part of a phenomenon that has taken hold on Cuban social media: documenting the "luxury" of having electricity, with people celebrating the return of power, rushing to charge their phones, or improvising marathons of household chores before the transformer "calls it a day."
By September 4, the National Electric System had only 1,000 MW available against a demand of 3,250 MW, with a projected deficit of 2,190 MW.
The Electric Union (UNE) warned at the end of August that blackouts could worsen between September and December due to the simultaneous maintenance of several thermoelectric units, which suggests even darker months ahead.
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