The comedian Mario Sardiñas, known for his character Chequera from the show "Vivir del cuento," posted a video on Facebook that depicts with brutal accuracy what it means to live in Cuba: without electricity, cooking with firewood, and without Internet connection.
The definition of Chequera is as simple as it is striking: its neighborhood is not a district or a locality, "it is a tribe."
In the sketch, the niece asks if Arroyo Arenas (the popular council of the municipality La Lisa) is a neighborhood or a locality. The answer comes without hesitation: “No, niece, it’s a tribe. Look, we never have electricity, we cook with firewood and now there’s no connection either. We are a tribe.”
And immediately, he extends his hand and says with a smile: "Nice to meet you, Chief Chequera."
The clip has gone viral, with over 63,000 views.
What Chequera takes as a joke is a reality acknowledged by the authorities themselves. Arroyo Arenas was cited by ETECSA on October 20 as one of the areas with the highest "increase in telecommunications disruptions" due to the prolonged blackouts and the difficulties in maintaining backup power systems. The state company admitted that its services would be restored "gradually as its facilities receive electricity," which in practice amounts to saying: when the regime wants to or can.
On the other hand, due to the endless power outages and the lack of liquefied gas, firewood and charcoal have become the only alternative for millions of families. The price of a baghas risen to between 3,200 and 5,000 pesos in various provinces in June, compared to an average monthly salary of just 6,930 pesos.
Sardiñas continues to use social media to satirize the crisis in Cuba.
In April, he announced that he would go to the Moon "because there they never cut off the power"; in August, he turned into a song the power outage system of "four hours without electricity for ten minutes of power".
In September, he turned a food tray into an antenna to search for an Internet signal, a clip that surpassed 334,000 views. And a month later, he cited three traditional sayings that have lost all relevance in Cuba: "a shrimp that falls asleep is carried away by the current," "water that you won't drink, let it flow," and "in bad weather, keep a good face."
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