Shadows in the Caribbean
Cuba’s Energy Crisis
The Blackouts
Cuba has been experiencing multiple blackouts over the past month, lasting for days at a time. Hurricane Rafel struck Cuba causing the most recent blackouts, but this isn’t the main reason for these incidents. Cuba’s poor economic situation generated from the collapse of the Soviet Bloc (Special Period) and U.S. Blockade has created major infrastructure problems for the country including its energy grids.
A worker at the catering company for Cuba’s airlines called Cuba Catering S.A. describes the infrastructure as the main reason for these blackouts. He explains that the infrastructure is the problem because,
“Everything is very old, the technology is not efficient, they don’t maintain it, and they don’t invest in new technology”.
Cuba is receiving help from countries such as Venezuela, Russia, Turkey, and China, but this is not a sustainable solution. These donations and acts of solidarity help create short-term solutions but so far cuba has not reached a viable solution.
No Light, No Food, No Water
Losing power/energy creates more problems than being unable to charge your phone or watch TV. When a power grid is shut down it creates a domino effect. Lack of power stops refrigeration so food goes bad. No power prevents water from going to the tops of the buildings (in Havana people mainly live in towers/ apartments). The necessities to survive are taken away.
“Our [him, his mother, and sister] food went bad, we had to spend money on food that wouldn't go bad but I couldn’t work, so I didn't have money. We also lost all internet signals, and these were just the effects on my house”
In other nations, power outages have the same effect, but Cuba isn’t like any other country. Cuba’s poor economy and lack of resources before the blackouts affected food accessibility, so when blackouts happen it magnifies these problems. Without light, water, and food for days, sometimes weeks turns these blackouts into a matter of survival.
“Water and food are what we need to survive, so if you get that affected, nothing else works, it's a serious problem”
Banging Pots and Pans
Recently Cubans started protesting in the streets with pots and pans, due to the severity of the problem. This is a form of protest called cacerolazos where people bang pots and pans to get the attention of the government.
“People are desperate you see in the street, they are doing really bad, they are aggressive, defensive, and desperate because they need to take care of their families and they can’t like this, it's very bad”
Source of photo: The Day
Source of photo: The Day
On 10 November 2024, the first humanitarian relief packages were received in Cuba. These packages are not solving the problem but mitigating the severity of its effects. However, the protests have not stopped since the energy crisis in Cuba is still a severe problem that has yet to be solved.
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