Residents cross areas at high risk of muggings, such as La Cotorra, to reach the establishment
14ymedio, Havana, September 28, 2026 / At eight or nine at night, when much of the Havana municipality of Guanabacoa is in darkness, the only state bakery that keeps working during the blackouts stays lit and surrounded by people thanks to a generator. The establishment is next to the well-known “Guanabacoa traffic light,” at the intersection of Vía Blanca and the Corral Falso road.
The scene repeats itself every day, and it is at sundown that the line takes on its true dimensions. Dozens of people crowd in front of the bakery, some by the door, others sitting wherever they can find a spot, while motorcycles pile up on the sidewalk. In the images taken by 14ymedio, the light from the establishment falls on those waiting and leaves the rest of the street plunged in darkness.
Many come to buy just one or two pounds of bread. For some of those in line, that will be their entire meal that night or their breakfast the next morning.
Residents from different parts of Guanabacoa, and from Regla as well, make their way to the bakery. For some, the route means crossing La Cotorra at night, at the entrance to the municipality, an area that took its name from the old water bottling plant that once operated there and that the blackouts and poor lighting have made especially unsafe.
The fear is not unfounded. 14ymedio recently documented, in that same area, the assault on a couple whose electric moped was snatched at knifepoint by two hooded men. The attack happened at night, on a poorly lit avenue at the entrance to Guanabacoa.
Even so, the lack of alternatives drives many to make the trip. The chance of finding bread in the middle of a blackout outweighs the risk of crossing dark, isolated streets. And if the bread runs out before they reach the counter, there is not much leeway: come back the next day, look in another municipality or wait for the power to come back.
Residents say that “fights” are common and that on occasion the Police have had to intervene
Nor is the wait at the bakery by any means peaceful. Residents say that “fights” are common and that on occasion the Police have had to intervene. In a line where it is unclear whether there will be enough bread for everyone, any dispute over a place in line can end in shouting or shoving.
Scenes like this are repeated in other parts of the island. In the municipality of Regla, after more than 26 hours without electricity, numerous people were already standing in line at daybreak in front of a bakery, a bank and other basic services. In Matanzas, another line formed in front of a bakery in the Versalles neighborhood where only ten trays of long loaves had been baked: there, seeing people waiting was itself the sign that there was still something left to buy.
Translated by GH.
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