Luis Lacosta, a recognized art director and set designer from Cuba associated with the Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematographic Industry since 1962, on Facebook on Thursday regarding his situation as a retiree: after more than 65 years of continuous work, he receives a pension of 3,800 pesos per month, which he himself describes as a "handout."
"This is more than just abuse. In the 21st century, I don't know what it means to have electricity, drinking water, and, above all, food. After working for more than 65 years without interruption, I receive a pitiful pension of 3,800 pesos," he wrote on his profile, in a post that garnered dozens of supportive comments from Cubans who relate to his situation.
The account includes an episode that starkly illustrates the twin traps of poverty and power outages: "Just two days ago, after saving up, I managed to buy chicken and what is happening to me? I will have to throw it away because I can't cook it." The energy crisis has resulted in at least eight total power grid shutdowns this year; the most recent, on September 18, left more than nine million people without electricity.
The pension that Lacosta receives is even lower than the official minimum of 4,000 pesos set since September 2025 for a sector of pensioners, equivalent to less than 10 dollars at the informal exchange rate. Economist Javier Pérez Capdevila estimated that a person needs around 96,060 pesos monthly to cover basic needs, of which more than two-thirds would be dedicated solely to food.
The case of Lacosta is not isolated. A survey conducted by the Independent Trade Union Association of Cuba with 506 retirees across five provinces revealed that 99% claim their pensions do not cover food, housing, and medications, and that 90.7% continue to work after retirement. Cuban seniors consulted by alternative media recently described their old age as "a disaster," and one summarized the situation with a striking phrase: "All old people are dying of hunger."
In his post, Lacosta also referenced the incident on September 22 during the UN General Assembly, when the Cuban delegation led by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla left the room while President Donald Trump described Cuba as an "absolutely failed state."
"I already know, they'll tell me that Trump is to blame, and I still have questions: Why didn't our delegation […] stay when that culprit of our calamities was speaking and ask to confront him? Why did they leave?" questioned the retired man.
An internet user who commented on the post offered their own interpretation of the episode: "That gesture of getting up was a confession that they had no arguments to refute it."
Lacosta also rejected as "mockery" the statements from leaders who claim to share the same hardships as the population: "I've even read on Facebook that one leader is saying they struggle just like us, and for me, that's a joke. None of them live with our desperate anxieties."
The drama repeats with different faces across the island. A blind elderly man living alone in Holguín receives 3,000 pesos in disability pension, but he has to spend 2,000 on transportation to get to the bank, leaving him with only 1,000 pesos a month. Another elderly man recounted in a viral video that with his retirement of 3,700 pesos, he could only purchase a liter of oil priced at 3,500 pesos and two soft drinks.
Lacosta summarized it bitterly: "They are killing us. How much longer will we continue living on promises and better futures?"
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