A video circulated on social media this Friday showed the pile of garbage located next to the new kiosks installed in the city of Holguín, following the eviction of the informal market known as Los Chinos, the same spaces that authorities presented as a symbol of urban order and hygiene.
The clip, lasting just 26 seconds, posted on the user's Facebook profile, allows viewers to see the disorganized accumulation of solid waste alongside food stands and next to residences, which precisely reflects the issue that the local government cited as the reason for evicting over 350 vendors in June.
"And so they criticized the Chinese, saying they were dirty, look over here, there’s no shame," says the video’s author as he pans the camera around the kiosks.
In the post's description, the same citizen was more direct: "They complained about the Chinese for the dirt, let's see what they say about this next to homes and food stalls. Holguín has gone from being the cleanest city to the dirtiest. Where is Communal Services and all those responsible for the city's hygiene? Holguín hurts."
The eviction from the Los Chinos market occurred during the first half of June, when the authorities cited unsanitary conditions, garbage accumulation, wastewater issues, and disturbances of public order. The market, located in the Lenin neighborhood, was the primary source of food access in the province.
In its place, the municipal government inaugurated kiosks and commercial boulevards in several areas of the city. Each structure cost around 1.6 million Cuban pesos, although initial reports on social media mentioned figures of up to two million. The merchants who lease these spaces do not acquire property rights: if they cease their activity, the State reclaims control of the premises.
The citizens' reaction in the comments of the video reflects frustration and irony. "Holguín used to be a model to follow with its clean streets; we're going to see horrors," wrote a neighbor.
Another pointed directly to the contradiction in the official discourse: "Today we complain about the lack of hygiene, rightly so, but tomorrow we will complain about the higher prices of food and the absence that all those people will create in that place."
In August, a video showed precisely Manuel Dositeo Aguilera Street, between Cuba and Garayalde, near the food sales stalls, cluttered with trash, and just a few blocks from the provincial hospital Vladimir Ilich Lenin.
This year, reports have emerged about how in the City of Parks, garbage dumps are burning every night and the rivers have become dumping grounds, amid the operational collapse of the Community Services Company, which has admitted to shortages of trucks, fuel, spare parts, and personnel without providing concrete solutions.
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