A Cuban mother identified as Santi Batista touched hundreds of people 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 little sister endure the endless power outages.
Batista, originally from Pesquería, a rural community in the Baraguá municipality of Ciego de Ávila, shared 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 understand, the feeling of not being able to give our children what they ask for," the mother wrote.
According to what she said, when they went to the buyers' city, they could not offer more than 20,000 pesos for my daughter's hair.
"And that's where I ask myself how much longer we will have to endure the situation in this country," he questioned.
Several internet users questioned the amount offered, arguing that 20,000 pesos is not enough for the ventilator and does not reflect the true 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 thousand, and I celebrate the girl. We've all had situations; once I sold mine, and in three years, it's long again. You're doing the right thing, my girl; hair grows back."
A resident of Holguín also pointed out that the amount offered doesn't even cover the cost of the device: "With 20,000, you can't even buy a rechargeable fan. Don't despair, they'll give you more; it's virgin and abundant hair."
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! This life is unbearable; only mothers know all the things we have to come up with so 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 living 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 the fan, message me privately."
He then added, "It's as if I were seeing my daughter in that situation. I'm just a guy with daughters who would never allow them to do something like that; the rest we leave to God."
Ciego de Ávila has been one of the provinces most affected by the electric crisis. Last March, a daytime protest with pots and pans took place in the Vista Alegre neighborhood, after more than 29 consecutive hours without electricity or water supply.
In August, the provincial Electric Company admitted that there were areas without electricity for more than ten days due to faulty transformers and a lack of spare parts.
The sale of hair as a survival strategy has increasingly become common on the Island. By 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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