English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, 16 April 2023 – ’Up La Rampa and down La Rampa!’ was the slogan used by all the people who flocked to Calle 23 in El Vedado, Havana at the weekends in order to get to or from the Malecón sea wall, or a cinema or the queue for the … Continue reading “The Fuel Shortage Leaves Havana’s La Rampa Deserted — No Cars, No People”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 27 May 2022 — A new fuel crisis looms over the country, judging by the long lines at numerous gas stations that Havana woke up to this Friday. In the Cupet station at San Rafael and Infanta, a line of vehicles that occupied a block and a half was waiting … Continue reading “Once Again, Long Lines at Gas Stations and Fuel Shortages in Cuba”
14ymedio, Bertha K. Guillen, Candelaria, June 10, 2019 — The highway connecting Candelaria with Soroa, a town in Artemisa province, is filled with pedestrians. Every day, hundreds of women with children on their backs, self-employed merchants carrying their wares and state-sector workers walk a stretch of road on which public transport is increasingly absent. “We’re … Continue reading “Fuel Shortage In Artemisa Leaves No Option Than to Go by Foot”
More than 250 workers have been hired, including brigades from two MSMEs from Morón and Trinidad 14ymedio, Havana, 10 July 2024 — After Manuel Marrero’s visit at the end of June, the Zaza de Sancti Spíritus hotel underwent a marathon to restore it before the July 26 celebrations, whose main act will be held in … Continue reading “Remodeled for July 26 Celebrations, the Zaza Hotel Has No Shortage of Workers or Fuel”
14ymedio, Havana, 25 October 2022 — Bread didn’t reach the tables of Cuban families in several municipalities in the provinces of Guantánamo and Holguín last week. The lack of flour and fuel prevented companies from accomplishing the production needed to guarantee supplies. In Guantánamo, the director of the Food Industry, Albis Hernández Díaz, recognized that … Continue reading “Bread Making is Slowed Down by a Shortage of Flour and Fuel”
14ymedio, Madrid, 28 March 2022 — The Cuba-Petroleum Union (Cupet) justified this Saturday the shortage of gasoline and diesel by the 20% increase in consumption in March compared to January and February. The statement from the state monopoly adds that the demand grew up to 65% last week, which led the authorities to ration fuel … Continue reading “Cuba’s State Fuel Company Attributes the Shortage to a 65 Percent Increase in Demand”
In collaboration with Spain, experts from Cuba Energía seek to replace diesel by moringa biomass in the bakeries 14ymedio, Madrid, October 6, 2025 — The bakeries in Havana are preparing to work with moringa biomass and solar panels. The method has been successfully tested at Panadería Dulcería Línea y 12, located in El Vedado, and … Continue reading “Lacking Fuel, Cuba Can Use Moringa Waste and Solar Panels to Bake Bread”
Of the 14.8 million fry planned for 2025, only 5.4 million have been produced so far this year 14ymedio, Havana, September 30, 2025 — The largest fish breeding station in Granma province and the second largest in Cuba, the René Ramos Latour Basic Business Unit (UEB), in the municipality of Bartolomé Masó, is experiencing a … Continue reading “Cuba’s Second Fish Hatchery is in Crisis Due to Lack of Energy, Fuel and Water”
The fish hide from the boats and are nervous all the time. 14ymedio, Havana, May 7, 2025 — A year ago, the official press celebrated that fish from the Zaza reservoir in Sancti Spíritus could be “caught by hand” thanks to drought. Escambray had to confirm, this Tuesday, what 14ymedio warned about at the time: … Continue reading “Last Year’s “Frenetic Fishing” Leads to Shortages in Cuba’s Largest Reservoir”
Las Tunas and Sancti Spíritus develop new lines of electric vehicles, despite blackouts 14ymedio, Mercedes García, Sancti Spíritus 10 March 2025 — The transportation disaster is a glaring reality for any Cuban and even the official press does not bother to hide it with euphemisms. A note published in Periódico26 this Monday reports it from … Continue reading “Ecotaxis, Cocotaxis and Ecomobiles Only Solve Transportation When They Can Get Fuel”
The situation in Ciego de Ávila is dramatic: coffins of poor quality and only 8 of the 19 assigned hearses are working Two workers at the city cemetery in Ciego de Ávila. / Invasor 14ymedio, Madrid, 17 February 2025 — The funeral services in Ciego de Ávila are in chaos. Broken-down hearses, poor quality coffins, … Continue reading “Due to a Staff Shortage, Cuba’s Funeral Homes Are Turning to Inmates for Various Tasks”
Priority will be given to “those owners who collaborate in the charging of rechargeable equipment” 14ymedio, Havana, 15 February 2025 — With the Island in check due to the “complex energy situation,” the national electricity system (SEN) cannot get a break. The deficit forecast for this Saturday, of 1,405 megawatts (MW), indicates that the work … Continue reading “Only 10 Liters of Fuel for Owners of Generators in Artemisa”
Some entrepreneurs are experiencing “the most difficult times in business” 14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Cienfuegos, 27 January 2025 — With bruises and problems, which he prefers to describe as “challenges for 2025,” Abelardo has decided that his cafeteria will remain open against all odds. With 57 years behind him, he has no doubt that he … Continue reading “Shortages, Inflation and Bureaucracy Bring Private Cafeterias to the Brink of Bankruptcy in Cienfuegos”
Some faithful readers miss getting “guidance” from the Communist Party 14ymedio, Havana, 9 November 2024 — A symbol of the regime since its creation in 1965 and its flagship publication, the Communist Party newspaper “Granma” is finding it difficult these days to reach remote parts of Cuba. There are still readers out there — few … Continue reading “Cuban Provinces Cut Off from the Communist Party Newspaper ‘Granma’ Due to Shortage of Mail Carriers”
The minister explained the causes of the debacle in the sector: “lack of tires, batteries, parts and spare parts, lubricants, oil and special liquids” 14ymedio, Havana, 20 October 2024 — It was just a matter of time before Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, the “Minister of Facebook,” reported on how the total blackout in which the Island … Continue reading “The Blackouts and Lack of Fuel Have Ended What Was Left of Transport in Cuba”
