The photographer and entrepreneur from Pinar del Río, Mikely Arencibia Pantoja, published a reflection titled "The Other Shore" on Facebook on Wednesday, in which he describes a situation that has become commonplace in Cuba: the need for nationals to receive payments from abroad for products and services that are sold on the island.
"In Cuba, a paradox is becoming common: those who need a product or service live here, but those who have to pay for it are often on the other side," wrote Arencibia, who has gained visibility on social media throughout 2026 for his reflections on the crisis the country is experiencing.
To illustrate the phenomenon, the resident of Pinar del Río provides two concrete examples: ETECSA offers data packages that can only be purchased through international distributors and do not allow conventional top-ups in Cuban pesos; and numerous online stores offer products that can only be purchased from abroad for someone in Cuba to receive.
The conclusion drawn by Arencibia is straightforward: "The consumer is here, in Cuba, but their purchasing power depends on a relative who has emigrated."
The author clarifies that his analysis is not intended to question those who emigrated and support their families, but rather to highlight a structural distortion in the system: "Why does a person living in Cuba, even if they have USD, need someone from another country to buy or pay for certain services for them?"
This distortion has figures that allow us to gauge its extent. Remittances are a fundamental source of income for many Cuban families. According to an analysis published by OnCuba in 2023, approximately 38% of Cuban families had close members residing abroad.
The magnitude of the exodus is also significant: a study by the Council on Foreign Relations, published in September 2026, estimates that between 1.6 and 2.75 million Cubans have left the island since 2020. Additionally, there is a generational impact: according to data from the Demographic Studies Center at the University of Havana, 50% of those who had emigrated by the end of 2024 were under 35 years old.
The economic context in which "La otra orilla" appears is one of acute crisis. The dollar exceeds 800 Cuban pesos in the informal market, while the minimum wage is only 3,210 pesos per month. CEPAL projects a contraction of the Cuban GDP by 10.3% in 2026, and more than 90% of families are living in extreme poverty according to recent independent studies.
The dynamic described by Arencibia also has an institutional foundation: the Cuban regime established stores in freely convertible currency in 2020 to attract foreign currency from the diaspora, channeling remittances into state commerce. Fincimex, an entity that manages part of these remittances, is part of the military conglomerate GAESA. Thus, dependence on foreign sources not only sustains Cuban families but also finances the state.
"La otra orilla" adds to a series of reflections published by Arencibia throughout 2026. In July, he described Cubans as a “professional manager of scarcity” and warned that surviving does not equate to living. In August, he denounced the “business of misery” that feeds speculators at the expense of those who have no options. And in July, he pointed out that “today in Cuba is better than tomorrow”, referring to the loss of future prospects.
With "The Other Shore," Arencibia adds a structural economic dimension to that accumulated diagnosis and concludes with a question, almost rhetorical and presumably directed at those in power, that summarizes the drama: "Are we building an economy that serves those who live in Cuba, or one in which, increasingly, we must look outside in order to survive inside?"
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