A Cuban mother identified as Santi Batista touched the hearts of hundreds on social media by sharing the gesture of her seven-year-old daughter, jimagua, who suggested selling her long hair to buy a rechargeable fan that would help her and her sister endure the endless blackouts.
Batista, originally from Pesquería, a rural community in the Baraguá municipality of Ciego de Ávila, recounted on Facebook that she traveled with the little girl to the city to finalize the sale, but the buyers only offered 20,000 Cuban pesos for the girl's hair.
"I make this post with a feeling that only mothers know—what it feels like when we cannot give our children what they ask for," wrote the mother.
According to what he said, when they went to the city, the buyers told him they couldn't offer more than 20,000 pesos for his daughter's hair.
"And that’s when I ask myself how long we are going to keep suffering from the situation in this country," she questioned.
Several internet users questioned the amount that was offered, arguing that 20,000 pesos is not enough for the fan and does not represent the real value of the girl's hair.
A hairstylist estimated that the little girl’s hair is worth around 70,000 pesos: “Don’t sell it, it’s a sign of disrespect,” she wrote.
A nurse also encouraged the mother not to accept that offer: "That hair is worth much more than 20,000, and I celebrate the girl. We’ve all had situations; I once sold mine, and in three years, it's long again. You're doing the right thing, my dear; hair grows back."
A resident of Holguín also pointed out that the offered amount doesn't even cover the cost of the device: "With 20,000, you can't even buy a rechargeable fan. Don't get discouraged; they will give you more; it's pure and abundant hair."
The solidarity was immediate. An English teacher confessed to having gone through a similar situation: "A few years ago, I sold mine to be able to feed my sick father. The fact that your daughter took the initiative to sell it to help you means that you are raising a good girl and a future brave and resilient woman."
A resident of Havana summarized what many feel: "Like you, there are a thousand mothers suffering the same. What a brave girl; no one can live or endure this life anymore. Only mothers know everything we have to invent so that our children don’t go to bed with empty stomachs."
The comment that resonated the most was from Einstein Van Gogh David Almeida, a Cuban from San Miguel del Padrón residing in Florida, who offered to buy the fan for the girl without her having to cut her hair: “Don't cut the girl's hair, I'll buy her fan, message me privately.”
He then added, "It's like seeing my daughter in that situation. I'm just a guy who has daughters and would never allow them to do something like that; the rest we leave to God."
The electricity crisis has severely affected the province of Ciego de Ávila, like many other provinces in the country. Last March, a protest using pots and pans took place in broad daylight in the Vista Alegre neighborhood, following 29 consecutive hours without electricity or water supply.
In August, the provincial Electric Company acknowledged that there were areas that had been without electricity for more than 10 days due to faulty transformers and a lack of spare parts.
The sale of hair as a survival strategy has become increasingly common in Cuba. At the end of 2024, there were reports of the sale of hair buns in Santiago de Cubafor 300,000 pesos, and a mother from Pinar del Río sold her hair to cover her sick daughter's hospitalization expenses.
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