Juan Diego Rodríguez – Page 2

Cuban State Security Prohibits a Student Sit-In on the Steps of the University of Havana

The FEU (Federation of University Students) tried to prevent the protest called to express “the students’ dissatisfaction with the current teaching plan”

Image of students on the steps of the University of Havana, this Monday. / X/@CNN_Oppmann

Darío Hernández/Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, March 9, 2026 — About twenty students are meeting with education authorities after holding a peaceful protest on the steps of the University of Havana this Monday morning. Around 3:00 p.m. on Monday, the site showed no trace of what had happened several hours earlier, except for the internet connection being blocked

The students, around 25 in number, occupied the stairs in a peaceful protest. As stated on the poster circulated through a WhatsApp group, the “university sit-in” was scheduled for March 9th at 10 am “to publicly and peacefully demonstrate the student body’s dissatisfaction with the current teaching plan.”

The situation, an eyewitness reported to the organization Ciudadanía y Libertad, (Citizenship and Freedom), “remained calm at first,” but “changed when more students began arriving, interested in joining the protest.” Then, the sources continued, State Security agents blocked more people from entering the steps and the university grounds.

Police patrols in the vicinity of the University of Havana, this Monday. / 14ymedio/Courtesy

According to CNN correspondent Patrick Oppmann in Havana, who posted a picture of the protest on his social media, the students who had previously been on the steps entered the center to meet with officials and authorities.

The rector of the University of Havana, Miriam Nicado García, and the first deputy minister of Higher Education, Modesto Ricardo Gómez, approached the place where the young people were gathered.

“How many hours of electricity did you have last week? And do you have a connection when the power is cut off?” a student asked a dean, according to EFE.

“Many students from the provinces haven’t been able to submit anything because there’s no connectivity,” another student said.

These predominantly academic demands were gradually overtaken in the conversation by complaints about how university students can raise their issues and participate in the debate on solutions and decision-making processes.

“The paths to reach the Ministry of Higher Education are obstructed,” a young woman continue reading

stated, to which a student added: “This sit-in, I’m afraid, is a last resort.”

The First Vice Minister of Higher Education directly addressed the young people in an attempt to end the sit-in: “This isn’t going to solve the problems we have. Why this, gentlemen, young men, when my whole life has been dedicated to educating you?”

The young people, around 25 in number, took to the stairs in a peaceful protest. / 14ymedio/Courtesy

“Because they haven’t listened to us from the very beginning: that’s the answer you have,” a young man retorted.

In fact, the students had started to feel sidelined last week and, faced with what they perceived as decisions made from above, they created several alternative discussion groups on social media and launched the call for the sit-in.

Both the University of Havana and the FEU quickly came out to say that this initiative was “fake” and stressed that the established dialogue spaces were working.

Several young people highlighted that part of the erosion of trust in the University and in the FEU began last June, when the students’ discontent over a very sharp increase in the rates for mobile service by the state-owned telephone company was not addressed as they wished.

On the other hand, in the early afternoon, in the WhatsApp group for the call, the students posted: “For all those who are following the situation, the group that responded to the call is in dialogue with the Minister of Higher Education, expect more information before the end of the day.”

“Defending institutional dialogue is correct, but pretending that it exhausts all legitimate forms of expression is a mistake.”

In a letter shared on their social media, the organizers addressed the Secretariat of the University Student Federation (FEU), responding to a statement in which the pro-government organization dismissed the call, calling it “completely false” and “unnecessary”.

“We feel an obligation to respectfully disagree with your posture,” the missive stated. “Defending institutional dialogue is correct, but claiming that it exhausts all legitimate forms of expression is a mistake.” In four points, the students explained why the sit-in “is both real and necessary.”

First, they said, because “it is not a denial of dialogue, but rather its deepening.” A sit-in, they explained, is a tool to demand dialogue “when it becomes insufficient or slow” and “means bringing concerns to the forefront,” so that the “actions” taken by educational authorities “do not remain in closed spaces, but rather become the focus of collective conversation.”

On the other hand, they alluded to the fact that the FEU Secretariat told them they had already been “receiving concerns.” “This is valuable, but it’s not sufficient,” they retorted. “The legitimate question many have is: what happens to these concerns once we communicate them to you?” The protest, they argued, “seeks to break down the intermediaries and create a horizontal space, student to student, to compare opinions and reach our own conclusions, unfiltered by a structure.” And they continued: “If the current channels were effective, there wouldn’t be this spontaneous need for hundreds of students to seek an alternative way to organize.”

“We appreciate your work, but the solution to the problems in teaching and the general discontent cannot simply be ‘waiting’ for them to be addressed.”

On a third point, they criticized the FEU for referring to their action as “symbolic,” “as if it were something negative.” They argued: “The history of the University of Havana is built on symbols. Sitting in a common place, looking each other in the eye, and debating the problems of teaching and the situation of the country is a profoundly transformative act.”

Finally, they referred to the “management of solutions” that the Secretariat had offered them. “We appreciate their work, but the solution to the problems in teaching and the general discontent cannot simply be to ‘wait’ for them to be managed. The university community must be an active part in creating those solutions.”

The worsening energy crisis has led to the suspension of in-person classes at all universities, a cancellation that has left thousands of students at home. Maintaining contact with teachers through WhatsApp groups and other virtual platforms is not a viable option in a country where internet access is becoming increasingly unreliable.

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At Coppelia They No Longer Sell Ice Cream, Only Cooking Wine

One of the workers, without even looking up, answers that they’re closed and that “no one knows” when they’ll open again.

Under the sign that proclaims “Havana, real and wonderful,” five Coppelia employees kill time sitting around a table. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 3 March 2026 — At the corner of 23 and L, where for decades Havana used to line up to enjoy a five-scoop ensalada (‘salad’), this Tuesday the only flavor on offer was the bitter aftertaste of frustration. The Coppelia ice cream parlor in Vedado, once nicknamed the “cathedral of ice cream,” is closed. Not for repairs, not for inventory, not for one of those usual pauses to paint the walls or rearrange the sections. The famous spot is out of ice cream and has no reopening date.

At the main entrance, under the sign that reads “Havana, real and wonderful,” five employees are just sitting around a table killing time. On the surface — instead of sundae glasses, syrups and little spoons — there are several jugs of seco cooking wine. The product, amber-colored with a faded label, seems like the unlikely replacement for the strawberry, chocolate or almond that made Cuba’s biggest ice cream shop famous.

The woman tries to convince the disappointed customer to take a gallon of seco wine

A customer approaches, still hopeful. “Got any ice cream?” he asks. One of the workers, without lifting her eyes, replies that they’re closed and that “no one knows” when they’ll reopen. The woman tries to hype up the disappointed guy, pushing him to take a gallon of that seco wine — the stuff that usually ends up in yellow rice or in a picadillo that has more imagination than meat. But the man isn’t buying it.

Over the next few minutes the same scene keeps repeating. Even though the city is practically paralyzed by the lack of fuel, Habaneros keep showing up with the dream of eating continue reading

a tres gracias or enjoying a Turquino. They come because even in the worst years of the Special Period, when the scoops got tiny and the flavors kept repeating, there was always something to put in your mouth at that central location. The ice cream might have been watery or scarce, but it existed. Now, not even that.

Translated by GH

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Hundreds Line Up for Chikungunya Aftermath Consultations in Cuba

After long waits, patients are given appointments more than ten days later

Most of those waiting outside Havana’s Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery were over 60. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, Juan Diego Rodríguez / Darío Hernández, January 15, 2026 — Berta has just managed to get an appointment, after trying for almost a month, at Havana’s Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, one of the places where the government has launched a specialized clinic for people recovering from the chikungunya virus. She will be seen in ten days.

Infected in early October, the woman, a resident of Centro Habana, spent several weeks bedridden, immobilized by pain. When the fever subsided, she still couldn’t go outside and had to borrow a wheelchair. More than three months later she is better, but she continues to suffer many aftereffects. “I can’t sleep; I spend my nights awake with pain in my hands and knees,” she told 14ymedio.

Since the Ministry of Public Health announced on December 22 the start of care for patients with chikungunya sequelae at the Neurological Institute, Berta’s husband had been trying to get her a spot, but he only succeeded two days ago.

“The first time the doctor sees you in the clinic, they give you medication, but if you then need physical therapy, they send you somewhere else”

Every day, hundreds of people relentlessly form a line to request appointments at the institution, located in El Vedado on 29th Street between F and D. This Wednesday, 14ymedio witnessed two lines: one to request an appointment and another for consultations. The first moved along fairly well; the second barely budged. “I’ve been here since 7:00, and from 8:00 when they opened until noon only four people had gone through,” said an elderly woman who was waiting. “This is far too slow.”

Appointments are being scheduled for roughly 15 days out. “The first time the doctor sees you in the clinic, they give you medication, but then, if you need physical therapy, they refer you elsewhere,” explained another woman, younger than the first. Most of the doctors observed were young and foreign. By contrast, most of those waiting were over 60. continue reading

“I’m hopeful they can help me, even though my husband doesn’t believe it,” Berta says. “At least on the news they say this actually works.”

Indeed, the information disseminated by official media could not be more optimistic. They promise the design of “personalized physical therapy programs to promote rehabilitation and a rapid return to daily and work activities.” The service, the Ministry of Health explained, is intended “for the management of neuropathic pain, joint disorders, and paresthesias,” some of the consequences suffered by chikungunya patients, in some cases chronically.

A crowd outside the doors of Havana’s Neurological Institute. / 14ymedio

“Our objective is to evaluate and treat each case individually, facilitating a path toward functional recovery and an improvement in quality of life,” promised Orestes López Piloto, director of the Institute of Neurology. The project is being carried out by a multidisciplinary team made up of neurologists, neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists, and physical therapists, the Ministry also assured.

In addition, health authorities painted a picture that included sophisticated studies such as CT scans, ultrasounds, and even “specialized anesthetic interventions” to relieve aftereffects. Asked about this, López Piloto said they could not know the exact number of people who would seek care, but that the Institute had the necessary resources. “The strength of our health system allows us to organize this kind of response,” he asserted.

The long wait outside the facility seems to contradict that claim.

“At least they have a clinic,” objects Amauri, a resident of Ciego de Ávila. “Here, those of us who had the virus are left with nothing but patience.” He, his partner, and his mother contracted the disease in November and still suffer its consequences. “In the mornings I wake up with numb hands; I have to move them a lot just to function halfway decently,” he confesses.

“In the mornings I wake up with numb hands; I have to move them a lot just to function halfway decently”

According to the Pan American Health Organization, based on official Cuban statistics, a total of 65 people have died from chikungunya and dengue. However, statistical calculations by the Cuban Observatory of Citizen Auditing and Cuba Siglo 21 place the figure at 8,700 people.

Most of the deaths in the official registry are minors. Within this age group, the most vulnerable are newborns, whose lives are at risk if they fall ill.

In 2025, 51,217 cases of chikungunya and 30,692 of dengue were recorded. The epidemic, as happened with covid-19, has exposed the fragility of the health system, once an emblem of the Revolution. In addition to the lack of medications and the deterioration of health facilities, there has been a 27% decrease in the number of doctors in just five years, from 103,835 in 2020 to 75,364 in 2024.

The challenge, wrote Periódico 26 this Thursday, is to find “the keys through a sound line of research in order to impact the recovery of patients experiencing aftereffects” of arboviral disease. Authorities still do not see things clearly. One of the measures has been to promote trials with Jusvinza, also known as Cigb-258, a drug created more than a decade ago by the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) as an immune system modulator, originally intended for autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, and which has not yet proven effective for those recovering from chikungunya.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Control of Prices in Havana Is “A Dead Letter,” Recognizes the Official Press

Cubadebate proposes “basic measures” that “in the long run” regulate prices “naturally”

Prices on view in a private store in the neighborhood of San Agustín, in the municipality of La Lisa. / Cubadebate

14ymedio, Havana, Juan Diego Rodríguez, October 16, 2025 — After Cubadebate visited a market in Havana for a report published this Thursday on the price regulations established by the capital’s government just two and a half weeks ago, it reached an indisputable conclusion: the measure is now “a dead letter.” Very few businesses are complying.

Thus, for example, at the fair of the Palatine People’s Council in Old Havana, where, according to the text of the state media, “the value of products showed a direct relationship with inflation and with the price of the dollar on the informal market,” the prices were more expensive than those established by the authorities. Specifically, doubled: papaya at 80 pesos per pound against the 40 stipulated; pumpkin at 50 pesos when it should be 25; and malanga at 150 when the fixed price was 75 pesos.

“No, we don’t have the chalkboard today, but there’s no charge for asking,” was the answer of one of the sellers to the reporter after she inquired about the official price list. Despite complaints from buyers, most were realistic about the measure. “Capping prices is like putting a band-aid on the wound. Nobody complies with the established price, and the inspectors are noticeable by their absence at best. At worst, the sellers buy them off with a string of onions, which is very expensive,” declared a woman identified as Monica.

“Capping prices is like putting a band-aid on the wound. Nobody complies with the established price and the inspectors are noticeable by their absence”

The problems now are similar. “All inputs to make the land productive remain scarce and sky-high. In addition, it is increasingly difficult to find workers who accept less than 10,000 pesos a month, and that makes everything more expensive. How can I sell the malanga at the price they say, if planting it alone costs a fortune?” asks Herminio, a farmer from La Salud, in Quivicán, Havana.

It is impossible for all the links in the business chain to sell at the imposed rate. “The problem is that we continue to buy at the same prices. The fuel is in US dollars; how can we travel to the countryside to buy from the farmers?” reasoned Pedro, another seller. “The continue reading

government lowers prices without taking those things into account.”

“A comprehensive strategy,” he proposes, would require “measures to tackle these root causes”

The situation is inescapable, despite the inspections that the official press claims have been reinforced and which, according to Cubadebate, has led to the imposition of thousands and thousands of pesos in fines. The solution, states the text, “goes beyond simple control. Although control is necessary, reports from farmers and sellers point to a structural problem: high production costs, intermediation and access to inputs.”

A comprehensive strategy, he suggests, would require “measures to tackle these root causes,” such as: “facilitating access to fertilizers and fuel at affordable prices, directly supporting producers in shortening the supply chain and promoting a stable supply that will eventually regulate prices naturally.”

The text goes so far as to state that the “divergence between the decree and the reality in the markets of Havana reveals that the current mechanism is insufficient.” The population is “caught in an impossible dilemma,” it continues: “either comply with regulations that are not fulfilled or pay abusive prices to be able to eat.”

“The resolution, well-intentioned on paper, seems to have been caught in a limbo between the decree and the land,” says the report, with a sense of reality unusual in the official press. “As long as the price of inputs and logistics continue to soar, the order to reduce them seems an imposition disconnected from the root of the problem: a production that does not take off and a chain of intermediation that the resolution fails to stop.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Peruvian Mandarins Return a Lost Flavor to Cubans

The price is 1,300 pesos a pound, almost half of a monthly pension

When the seller told her the prices of the imported products, which also included California onions, the woman’s face became a grimace. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, October 2, 2025 — First was the garlic from the US, then came the beans from Mexico, and the mandarins and oranges from Peru have now landed in Cuba . This Thursday, a street vendor near Central Park in Havana offered his glossy merchandise with the new sticker that points to the origin and the company responsible for its trade. For 1,300 pesos a pound, almost half of a monthly pension, the client could take that piece of flavor home that was lost for ages to Cubans.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a mandarin in more than five years,” said a sweet old lady who came up. When the seller told her the prices of the imported products, which also included California onions, the woman’s face became a grimace. A young man, who appeared to be more financially solvent, also approached the cart and ended up buying two pounds of mandarins. “I’ve really missed these, I don’t remember the last time I saw them,” he explained, justifying the expense.

Street vendor in Havana selling imported fruits and vegetables / 14ymedio

The steep fall in domestic agricultural production and the high prices of food, together with the attractive foreign fruit that is often cleaner and more carefully presented, have pushed diners to prefer imported fruits and vegetables, even though they cost more. Citrus fruits, which were once the pride of official propaganda, are among the most affected in recent decades by pests, hurricanes, the loss of international markets and State inefficiency.

I don’t know whether to eat them or hunt them,” the young man joked with his bag of freshly bought mandarins. “My mom tells me that when continue reading

she was a child she ate a lot of them and always had that smell on her hands, so I bought them to surprise her.” From the Murcott variety, often called Mandarina Gold, the fruits that are sold these days in the Cuban capital are much appreciated for their juicy pulp, their sweet and intense flavor, their reddish orange skin and the fact that they are easy to peel and have few seeds.

Marketed by the company Inkagold, it is unlikely that, at the time of their collection, the agricultural workers who tore them from the branches imagined that those mandarins would end up in Cuban homes. The image of the Island is associated not only with sun, beaches and catchy music, but also with citrus fruits, like the lemon used in the mojito or the oranges enjoyed at the the seashore. But this idyllic tourist postcard is far from a reality where mandarins make everyone who passes in front of a truck driver raise their eyebrows, emit sounds of amazement and salivate profusely.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Fighting for Water in Havana, Mothers Block a Street With Buckets and Neighbors Attack a Water Truck With Machetes

The state-owned company admits it faces difficulties in repairing the 78-inch pipeline for the Cuenca Sur water supply.

Moments later, a truck arrived on Monte Street, guarded by the Police / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 29 September 2025 — Women taking to the streets with their children and men with machetes forcing a truck driver to hand over part of his load: these two scenes reflect the desperation of Havana residents seeking water after several days without a supply. This Monday, police officers tried to dissuade a group of mothers from blocking Monte Street by grabbing their buckets and pushing them away, a few meters from Fraternidad Park.

Leading the demonstration was Magalys Anglada Mena, daughter of US-based activist Ariadna Mena Rubio. Moments later, a truck arrived at the scene, guarded by the police.

The protest, similar to one staged almost two years ago by other mothers nearby for the same reason, highlights the critical water supply situation in the capital, which has worsened in recent weeks and affects almost every municipality.

In El Vedado, a resident says, several men with machetes stood in front of a water tanker truck to block its path until it delivered water to them as well. “It’s not clear if it was privately paid for or if it was one of the few state-run trucks that come and deliver a little water and then leave,” the man says.

In many Havana neighborhoods, the sight of police officers guarding supply trucks is a common sight. And every morning, people are seen leaving their homes carrying empty buckets. “I don’t know where they get their water,” says an elderly woman from Old Havana. “I imagine they go to get it from a workplace or from the house of someone who has a cistern.”

https://www.facebook.com/14ymedio/videos/1148978397090066/?t=10

“People are desperate because they don’t have water to drink, to wash, or anything,” laments Mary, a resident of Luyanó. “There are places that haven’t had water for ten days, others that have been without service for twelve days. We haven’t had water since last Monday. And I called today, and they told me they were going to pump it but didn’t know when.” There are numerous Facebook posts from Havana residents lamenting having to wear dirty clothes because they can’t even run a washing machine.

By the end of August, Mary says, there was trouble. “In my sister’s apartment building, a crowd of people forced the driver of a water truck that another neighbor had spent her money on to give them water as well. They wouldn’t let him go until the man did.” continue reading

In early September, official media acknowledged the city’s “complex water situation,” with a deficit of 2,500 liters per second, which was affecting “on a daily average” some 150,000 residents. Some interviewees said they had been without water for “at least three months,” and authorities mobilized 90 vehicles to deliver water to homes.

On the Aguas de La Habana Telegram channel, the few messages early Monday morning reporting the restoration of pumping in some locations gave way to a larger arsenal of communications about service interruptions. This Saturday, after several days of water outages to repair the system known as Cuenca Sur, the pipeline broke down again.

The following day, the state-owned company explained, “the final phase of replacing 250 meters of 78-inch pipeline at the Cuenca Sur water supply source was completed.” However, the company faced another problem: “When service was restored, a section of the same pipeline, upstream, which was also significantly weakened, collapsed.”

“When they installed them, they had a factory nearby to make them, but these communists shut it down because they said it was old technology.”

The statement asserts that this situation was “foreseeable,” but that a “thorough inspection of the well field could not be carried out because it would have required shutting down service to the entire system, which would have further impacted municipalities already experiencing supply difficulties. It was decided to move forward with repairs to minimize the initial inconvenience.”

The company remained optimistic and added that it views this as an opportunity to further strengthen the system, identifying another critical point. “In addition to replacing the pipeline, we are taking advantage of this opportunity to carry out another key action: the interconnection between wells 1 and 2. This interconnection will improve service to the municipalities in the central system,” the communication added.

However, a longtime Havana Water Works worker attributes the problems of the collapse of the Cuenca Sur pipeline, which was originally “built by the capitalists”—that is, before January 1959—to another issue. “The original pipes are made of cement-coated iron. When they were installed, they had a factory nearby to make them, but these communists closed it down because they said it was outdated technology,” he says.

And he continues: “Last week, they announced on the radio, television, and the internet that Cuenca Sur would be shutting down for three days to replace 50 meters of pipeline. They put out tremendous propaganda. Well, on Friday, they started the pipeline, and everything they had built broke down.”

A colleague of his elaborates: “The original pipe was 90 centimeters long. To bring it to the required diameter, they added two 45-centimeter PVC pipes. They made an iron nozzle on the sides at each joint and screwed them in, but it broke again because they have to use suction cups to prevent the water pressure from bursting the pipe again.”

Technically, it is possible to connect two 45-centimeter pipes to a 90-centimeter pipe for water supply, provided that appropriate fittings and components, such as flexible hoses and couplings, are used. Velocity, flow rate, and pressure drop must be properly calculated to ensure that the transition from two smaller-diameter pipes to a larger one does not generate excessive turbulence or a loss of hydraulic efficiency.

Something went wrong in Cuenca Sur, something Aguas de La Habana hasn’t reported. The state-owned company’s workers, in any case, “are mobilized,” the workers assert. “And in August, the DTI [Intelligence Directorate] installed a listening and monitoring center at the company,” one of them adds. Supplying the capital is now a matter of national security.

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Cuba’s Old Age Pension Increase Is ‘Nothing’ in the Face of the Hunger Experienced by the Elderly in Cuba

The measure was approved on Wednesday and will take effect on September 1.

The increase in the lowest pensions represents “one bag of milk or a bottle of oil” purchased from an MSME. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez/Olea Gallardo, Havana, 8 August 2025 — A liter of oil, a kilogram of powdered milk, a pound and a half of pork… Cuban retirees don’t think about numbers when asked how much their pensions will increase , but rather what they will be able to buy with it in well-stocked private stores. This is a common sentiment among those interviewed for this report, along with something else: they all think the increase, announced last month by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero and implemented with the resolution published this Wednesday in the Official Gazette, won’t do much good.

“Prices are so high that this increase isn’t significant for basic needs, especially food,” says Manuel, a 68-year-old retiree from a state-owned commerce company who will benefit from the measure. In his case, he earns 1,500 pesos, and starting September 1—with payment at the end of August—his pension will reach 3,000. “For me, that doesn’t mean much; maybe a bag of milk or a bottle of oil, and that’s it.”

Still, he considers himself lucky because he has a daughter who sends him money from abroad. “Pensioners who have no other option, who aren’t healthy enough to find work to supplement their income, or who don’t have remittances, are destined to suffer hardship.”

“Pensioners without remittances are destined to suffer hardship.”

This is the case for Dulce, a Ministry of Culture pensioner. Her skepticism and annoyance are immense, after months of waiting to receive the oil from the bodega (ration store), thanks to her ration book. “Small bottles for single-person households didn’t arrive, and now I have to wait for several shipments to fill a bottle so I can continue reading

buy it,” she laments, adding ironically: “So I’ll use the extra money to buy the oil from an MSME [small private business].”

As established by law, an increase of 1,528 pesos is established for pensions up to 2,472 pesos, as well as an increase to to 4,000 pesos for pensions between 2,473 and 3,999 pesos. As for pensions due to death—such as widowhood or orphanhood—which also increase, they will be “recalculated” based on the deceased’s updated pension based on the number of beneficiaries: 70% more if there is one, 85% if there are two, and 100% if there are three or more.

Meanwhile, the Director General of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Benito Rey González, told the official press that citizens entitled to more than one Social Security pension “will receive the increase in the amount of their unified pension.”

“Not even if they raise it to 4,000 pesos, or 5,000, or 6,000, or 7,000,” exclaims Olivia, a retiree from the Ministry of Education. “None of that can solve a problem for someone who has worked for 30 or 40 years.” She is particularly bothered by the attempt to sell this as an achievement. “In every country in the world, that money comes out of your salary, monthly, that’s why they deduct it, and from taxes for other workers. It’s not the State that gives it away.”

“In every country in the world, that money comes out of your salary; it’s not the State that gives it away.”

Despite 37 years of uninterrupted work, she tells 14ymedio, Olivia was left with a minimal pension. “They raised my pension a little on the first go-round, and then they raised it a little bit more, to 1,500 pesos,” she says. And she adds, resigned: “Well, the law is the law. You have to accept it, because everything they tell you has to be accepted. What are you going to do? Where are you going to complain? But I really don’t think that’s going to solve anything, when a pound of milk costs 1,200 or 1,300 pesos. That’s a mouthful for all the hunger and misery experienced by the elderly in this country.”

María’s pension increase, which has so far been 1,400 pesos, will be paid to a friend of hers. A resident of the United States, she prefers it to be received in Havana, “where they face so many hardships.” This is quite common: retirees who no longer live in Cuba continue to receive their pensions through third parties.

In a climate of extreme poverty, solidarity among citizens is a last resort. In this regard, Tania, a resident of Central Havana, says she helps her 96-year-old neighbor, who earns 300 pesos less than her: 1,200. “I’m not one to go to church and give a tithe; I try to help the people who come to me because I know they use it and need it,” she explains. She adds: “When I found out about the increase, I was happier for her than for myself. She’s an elderly woman, very sweet, very polite, from a very good family, but she worked very little, in a kitchen, and they left her with the bare minimum.”

The elderly woman lives in her home with her two daughters, who are also pensioners on the bare minimum. This is not only evidence of the hardships suffered by those over 60 in Cuba, but also one of the island’s main problems: the aging population.

Leonardo, a former police officer, won’t get a raise, as he earns 4,000 pesos. “With 26 years of service and loss of sight.” Disappointed, he approached a colleague at the Ministry of the Interior, who assured him: “We’re looking into it to see if there’s a small raise for December.”

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Pay for a Turn to Withdraw Money: Cuba’s Banco Metropolitano Implements the Ticket ‘App’

The system is already working, but “people still don’t know about it,” said an employee at the Obispo branch in Old Havana.

Branch 308 of Banco Metropolitano, in Old Havana, this Friday. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, 8 August 2025 — A line on the left for the outdoor ATMs; another on the right for the indoor cash registers; and a third line for checking balances and transferring money from the machines. Among the crush of people waiting this Friday outside branch 308 of Banco Metropolitano in Old Havana, not one of them knew that the establishment now offers the option of booking an ATM appointment through the Ticket app, as the bank announced on its social media.

Asked about it, an employee confirmed that the system is already up and running, but that “people still don’t know about it.” Today, in addition to that first branch, located on Obispo Street between Cuba and Aguiar Streets, Banco Metropolitano added seven more offices with pre-reservation via Ticket. The branches participating are: number 262, at Cuba and O’Reilly Streets; number 266, at O’Reilly and Compostela Streets, and also in Old Havana; number 247, at 23rd and Montero Sánchez Streets; number 250, at Línea and Paseo Streets, both in Plaza de la Revolución; and three more, in Guanabacoa (280), San Miguel del Padrón (286), and Marianao (313).

However, once a customer downloads the app, which until now has been used for various procedures, especially purchasing fuel at gas stations in Havana, it constantly produces errors. After several attempts, Nadia, a resident of El Vedado, was able to get her appointment. Each appointment costs 10 pesos.

Part of the line outside the Obispo branch of Banco Metropolitano, this Friday. / 14ymedio

A glance at Banco Metropolitano’s Telegram page, on the other hand, reveals a common complaint among many users: the bank is experiencing “technical problems” and transactions through Transfermóvil aren’t working.

“It won’t let me log in, I need to make an urgent transfer, please provide an answer.” “Is there a problem with the transfers? Do you know what’s going on? Weren’t they supposed to have updated it last week?” “How long will the problem with Transfermóvil last?” All these are questions asked by annoyed customers.

The picture was completed by the fact that the bank had no connection.

None of the complaints received a response, despite their numerous online submissions. To address them, the bank also requested appointments through Ticket. “The only difference between scheduling appointments for questions and complaints and for banking services of any kind is that the former is free,” Nadia joked.

How will they combine reserved appointments with Tickets with time in the “traditional” line, which doesn’t seem to be disappearing for the time being? It is an open question.

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Abused for Years, Kenia Died After Being Thrown Off the Roof of Her Home by her Partner

With this murder, there have been 20 femicides in Cuba since January.

Neighbors claim that Kenia had been abused by her partner for years. Text of sign: Violence Leaves Mars, Ignoring it Leaves Femicides / YoSíTeCreo in Cuba

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 28 July 2025 — Kenia Rodríguez Mora, a resident of the Havana neighborhood of Luyanó and mother of a 7-year-old girl, is the latest victim of domestic violence recorded in Cuba. According to 14ymedio sources, on Sunday her partner, the child’s father, threw her from the roof of the home they shared on Rodríguez Street.

Although the news has not been confirmed by independent Cuban feminist associations, residents of Luyanó told this newspaper about the incident, which did not come as a surprise to those around them. “The man is an alcoholic and beat her constantly. They say the woman had been enduring the beatings for years until today, and that’s when he killed her,” says a woman living a few blocks away.

“The fight started last night, and in the morning he continued hitting her and threatening her,” continues the neighbor, who claims that Kenia ran up to hide on the roof, where the alleged murderer chased her and threw her off. Later, according to the story, he tried to take her to the hospital, but nothing could be done for her. continue reading

“The fight started last night, and in the morning he continued hitting her and threatening her,” continues the neighbor, who claims that Kenia ran up to hide on the roof, where the alleged murderer chased her and threw her off.

“I passed by there a while ago and there were two police officers,” says another resident. “The woman was very poor, she didn’t even have any clothes. She lived selling and begging,” he says. Another neighbor remembers Kenia frequently stopping by her house trying to earn some money or begging. “Terrible. She didn’t even weigh 100 pounds and was just over 5 feet tall,” she adds.

Reluctant to share much more, neighbors claim the alleged attacker was a very violent man feared in the neighborhood, as rumors suggest he had a history of murder. Witnesses say the police arrested the attacker, but they fear he will be released and return to the neighborhood.

With the murder of Rodríguez Mora—whose surname was provided by independent platforms when reporting the news—this year’s record of femicides compiled by this newspaper has risen to 20. Just this Sunday, the same day as the events, the death of 29-year-old Yailín Carrasco, at the hands of her partner, was confirmed in Cienfuegos on July 22. According to the Alas Tensas and Yo Sí Te Creo observatories in Cuba, the crime occurred “in front of at least one of the three surviving girls.”

Both associations made public the death of another woman murdered in the street in Holguín on July 13, Yailín Requejo, 41. In that case, the state press reported on the murder only to announce the arrest of the attacker last Tuesday. However, the woman, described as a “young wife,” was not identified, and it was stated that Requejo’s youngest daughter was seriously injured.

In 2024, 14ymedio recorded 52 murders due to gender-based violence based on independent records. According to figures from the Cuban Observatory on Gender Equality, a total of 76 gender-based murders in which the victims were over 15 years old were prosecuted in the country in 2024. The organization does not specify the dates on which the crimes were committed, but they most likely occurred in 2023 and 2024.

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Bread Arrives in Some Havana Neighborhoods Accompanied by Bible Verses

“I don’t care if it has religious sayings. The bakery on my block is decorated with a picture of Fidel and a July 26th poster, and no one complains about it.”

The Bread of life sells for 300 pesos a bag.

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 19 July 2025 — Pan de vida [Bread of life], reads the label on the bag of six rolls purchased this Friday at the home of Luis Manuel, a 21-year-old resident near Calzada de Diez de Octubre in Havana. A Bible verse on the back confirms that the package contains more than just food to satisfy hunger. “Everyone in the neighborhood is saying the same thing: ’We saw what’s written on it,’” the young man, who quickly devoured his allotted portion, told 14ymedio.

For 300 pesos a bag, the product fills the void left in Luis Manuel’s home by the lack of rice or root vegetables due to the rising price of agricultural products. “Now we’re eating more bread because rice has risen sharply, and here in this neighborhood it’s at 310 and even 320 pesos a pound,” he details. The peculiar package, which features a fragment from the Book of Isaiah, speaks of the poor and couldn’t be more in tune with the hardships experienced by the entire neighborhood, the city, and even the entire island.

“I don’t care if it has religious sayings. The bakery on my block is decorated with a picture of Fidel and a poster celebrating the 26th of July, and no one complains about it,” the young man reacts. The bags of bread come from 610 San Benigno Street in Santos Suárez, the modest bakery that supplies several areas of the same municipality. The bakery’s interior, filled with sacks of flour and the owner’s friendliness please those who come to buy because they sense that the supply will continue, unlike the fluctuations suffered by state sales, and they also receive friendlier treatment than at the rationed market.

A few years ago, it was unthinkable that a Bible verse would sneak into merchandise sold door-to-door. [“…For Jehovah has comforted his people, and for his poor has compassion” Isaiah 49:13]/ 14ymedio

A few years ago, it was unthinkable that a religious phrase would be included on a product that would end up being sold door-to-door. Much less so that a biblical reference would accompany bread, the food that for continue reading

decades was a state monopoly until the economic reforms of the 1990s allowed the opening of private bakeries. Since then, the private sector has been gaining ground in the production of the product that officialdom has failed to maintain. With better quality and variety, the cookies, flautas, and loaves made by self-employed workers or micro, small, and medium-sized businesses are much tastier than the small, sour, and often greenish loaf purchased through the ration book.

On the other hand, the word “bread” is mentioned more than 400 times in the Bible, and it is no surprise at all. It is the most basic of all foods and a symbol that goes beyond something to put in your stomach. Bread is also a metaphor for the economy of a country or a family; it is synonymous with community, friendship, and divinity. Bread is, as the bag that Luis Manuel’s family emptied in just a few minutes says: life.

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“You Open the Tap and a Murky and Fetid Water Comes Out” in the Houses on Pocito Street, in Havana

Also in Mulgoba, in the municipality of Boyeros, the residents have had a similar situation since April.

“The neighbors have gone to all the municipal and provincial authorities, without any response.” / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 11 July 2025 — “It’s in the tap, it’s in the sea, it falls from the sky and returns to the sky,” says a children’s riddle. The answer, however, is beginning to be difficult for residents of Havana, a city hit hard by a lack of drinking water. In a small amount and with bad quality, what arrives these days in parts of the Lawton neighborhood brings more concern than relief.

Pocito Street looks like a road in a war zone, where bombs have been
launched into the streets. But the overflowing septic tanks and potholes that dot the street are just one visible part of the problems faced by residents in the area. Through the pipes, a sinuous enemy enters the houses and sickens the residents: contaminated water.

“My father now has an infection attributed directly to drinking or contact with this bad water”

“You open the tap and a murky and fetid water comes out, which has made it impossible for families to cook, bathe or perform basic necessities,” a woman born in the Diez de Octubre municipality tells 14ymedio. The situation has caused health problems among the residents of Pocito Street, especially among 11 and 12-year olds. “My father now has an infection attributed directly to drinking or contact with this bad water.”

The source of contamination could be anywhere. At the corner of Pocito with Dolores runs a river of black water that, from taking so long to drain, has caused the growth of moss and abundant vegetation reminiscent of what is found on river banks. Near Buenaventura, also on the worn asphalt, is a stream that feeds from the waste of toilets, showers and the sinks of nearby houses.

In the area of Mulgoba, in the municipality of Boyeros, residents are also literally “posting signs to ask for water.” / 14ymedio

The panorama is repeated as you follow the road and cross Porvenir Avenue. The houses become more modest, more deteriorated, and people of poorer appearance peek out from the doorways. It looks like this section of the road has not been renovated in decades, nor has a single investment been made to improve the lives of its inhabitants.

“Most of the water pipes here are made of porous iron, and the sewer water gets in,” says Oscar, a resident who keeps the door of his house closed for much of the day to avoid the smells emanating from the dark stream. The continue reading

main pipes that supply the neighborhood branch off in a tangled network of pipes, many more than 50 years old, that end up supplying each house.

Oscar keeps the door of his home closed to avoid the smells that emanate from the dark stream.

“Where the sewer water accumulates for a long time, everything passes through it, so it contaminates the pipes, reaches the cisterns, goes to the tanks, and when you turn on your tap, it’s now in the glass of water that you’re drinking,” says the neighbor. But he recognizes that he can only speculate on the origin of the filth and the bad smell that makes them turn their faces away and avoid drinking the water that comes from the tap.

“We have lodged complaints on all sides and no one responds to us; no Havana Water or Public Health official comes to investigate what’s happening on this street,” says Oscar. “The neighbors have gone to all the municipal and provincial authorities, to no avail.”

“No Havana Water or Public Health official comes to investigate what’s happening.”

The man points a finger at the broken sidewalk in front of the childcare center, another sign of the abandonment suffered by the whole area. Putting together all the pieces of the puzzle that make up the idleness and lack of resources in Pocito, the resident has only one word to summarize what they experience: “Negligence.”

“The water here is contaminated; yesterday the water truck came so that people could fill some buckets, at least for drinking,” says the owner of a small private cafe who also has to deal with supply problems to keep the business afloat. “There are people who are boiling it to be able to drink it, but I don’t recommend this; it’s better to buy bottled water.”

The recommendation, however, clashes with the high cost of a product that a few years ago was consumed only by tourists but whose demand has soared, precisely because of supply problems. One litre of the Ciego Montero brand, nationally produced, exceeds 350 pesos in private establishments and $1.50 in State stores. “There are many people with diarrhea and not just on this street. There have also been cases of people around the corner who got sick by drinking water from the tap.”

“There are many people with diarrhea and not just on this street.”

Competing with Pocito Street in neglect, in the area of Mulgoba, municipality of Boyeros, are residents who are literally “posting signs to ask for water.” Since last April the supply crisis has increased the indignation of the inhabitants. The critical situation of those days is far from being resolved, and although “a little water has arrived, you can no longer trust that you will be able to bathe,” says Moraima, with a modest house a few meters from the Polyclinic.

The main cause of that collapse was a breakdown in pumping equipment, but when it was put into operation a few weeks later, the problem still wasn’t resolved. “There is no water in the houses but then you go out to the street and see all the leaks dribbling and bubbling,” complains the woman. “There are areas where the sewer water mixes with the clean water, and you can see that they are contaminating the pipes that pass through there and then continue to other houses.”

“It’s in the tap, it’s in the sea, but be careful, you can’t drink it,” would be the conclusion about the water of any clever child living on Pocito or in Mulgoba.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Sweating or Being Cool, the Dollar Makes a Difference in the Carlos III Shopping Center

“The fans aren’t functioning, but they are for sale so you can take your chances,” says an employee of Plaza del Calzado, which will soon be selling in dollars.

In El Taller, a hardware store nestled in the Carlos III shopping center, there are only two broken fans to buy / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, July 9, 2025 — At El Taller, a hardware store nestled in the Carlos III shopping center, a saleswoman fans herself vigorously on Wednesday morning, not so much to cool off as to shoo away the stifling steam filling the shop. Nearby are two fans, one in better shape than the other, but the weak breeze they produce is barely noticeable if you move even slightly away from the counter.

One floor below, at the Sport store, employees and customers enjoy air conditioning. The difference between one place and another mirrors the divide among Cubans in countless aspects of daily life: whether it’s food, clothing or air-conditioned spaces, in Cuba only those who pay in fulas (US dollars) can access such privileges.

“This is like a pot for steaming people,” complains a customer at Casa Nueva, another store in the shopping center that has not yet undergone dollarization and therefore lacks air conditioning. Painted a bright lime green that seems to amplify the heat, the store is supplied by Italsav, the same Italian company that stocks Casalinda, at Galiano and San Rafael. Yet this sibling relationship hasn’t ensured equal conditions: one enjoys a steady 26ºC (79ºF) while the other remains “a revolutionary oven.”

In order to survive the summer days, the employee at Casa Nueva relies on a rickety fan that “seems to be older than she is,” a customer quips. With its scorched plastic and missing grille, the fan creaks loudly every time the blades turn and seems ready to give its “last gasp.” continue reading

Painted bright lime green, Casa Nueva also lacks air conditioning

The employees are well aware of the state’s favoritism toward dollar stores. At Plaza del Calzado or “the affordable shoe store” as customers call it – comparing it to pricier dollar shops like Sport – salespeople are eagerly awaiting the day they can escape the sauna the store becomes when the sun starts blazing.

“The ACs are broken, and the ones they’ve put in are ’for where it’s needed.’ Our turn will come,” a saleswoman whispers to 14ymedio, hopeful that soon their cash register will take only foreign currency, and the air conditioning will be magically repaired. The store has even begun to clear out some of its merchandise. “They’re selling off the old and ugly stuff, and some sandals are going for as little as 4 MLC* [‘freely convertible currency’]. But besides being hideous, they’re made of plastic and look uncomfortable,” says a woman.

The discomfort and sweat that come with summer in Cuba are part and parcel of shopping in any MLC* store, or in the near-extinct peso shops. This is true not only at Carlos III, but in any non-dollarized store in Havana.” After coming here I need a proper shower,” said a customer at Isla de Cuba, on Monte Street. “With this heat, you don’t feel like buying fabric; you feel like walking around naked,” joked another shopper at Belinda Modes on the San Rafael pedestrian boulevard.

Instead of buying fabric, the heat of Belinda Modas makes people want to walk around naked

In the dollar stores, on the other hand, customers seem to be in better spirits. At least until it’s time to pay. “I can’t afford to buy anything, but I like to stand near the door of these stores to feel the cold air coming out. Nor am I the only one. People gather around, and you see them sighing. God knows how long it’s been since they last felt air conditioning,” confesses Yasel, a young Havana resident who repeats this trick every time he finds an air-conditioned space.

Compared to the lavish coolness of dollar stores, the government’s energy-saving appeals seem like a bad joke.”Its not enough to ask people to endure blackouts; they also want workers in banks, hospitals and other essential services to go without air conditioning, even when they’re stuck in offices without windows,” says Yasel.

Also, they don’t seem to care about the consequences of running air conditioners all day at very low temperatures, which affects not only electricity consumption but also increases the emission of harmful gases. The same pattern plays out in hotels and tourist facilities, highlighting the government’s overriding priority: to attract hard currency above all else.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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*Note to TranslatingCuba readers: We could not constrain ourselves from sharing this completely idiotic explanation of what/why MLC is, offered by a company that operates ‘Cuban tours’. We had no idea it is simply a “hygiene” measure.

What is an MLC Card [Source – the ever resourceful internet]

“Due to hygiene concerns, the Cuban government would like to avoid cash transactions, so are offering prepaid debit cards at the airport. Known as MLC cards, these cards are being sold in denominations of $200, $500, and $1000. MLC stands for Moneda Libremente Convertible (Freely Convertible Money), which in essence means foreign currency. Although MLC can be EUR, USD, GBP, etc, it is treated as if it’s a currency itself. Bank cards are used for transactions in MLC. Many of the better stocked stores in Cuba only accept MLC. You can have the remaining balance of your MLC card refunded at the airport upon departure.”

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I Want To Be a Driver for Foton, the New Chinese Vans With Air Conditioning

They have replaced the Russian ’gazelles’ and charge 20 pesos per trip.

“It was only the second day of operation and some were already starting to fail.” / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 9 July 2025 — Today, like almost always, my journey from La Virgen del Camino to El Vedado threatened to become eternal and suffocating. But I was lucky. I caught one of those little yellow buses we used to call “gazelles” — after the Russian brand that makes them — and that some of us have now started calling “Fotons.” Honestly, I don’t care if they’re Russian or Chinese; the important thing is that they get me out of the bus stop and take me to my destination as quickly as possible.

My watch read twelve noon. I’d already calculated how many people were in front of me, and things weren’t looking good. When the Foton arrived, on its second day of release, I thought the usual rush and killing would ensue. But, strangely, some decided not to get on and push their way into the line.

“I got the impression they couldn’t afford to pay the 20 pesos the fare costs.”

The only ones who refused to get on were two elderly women. They said they preferred to wait for the inspectors to stop a state vehicle*. In reality, I got the impression they couldn’t afford to pay the 20 pesos the fare costs. Although the price of the Fotons seems affordable, for many it is still unthinkable to shell out that amount every day just to get to work.

It was a blessing to feel the blast of cool air against the sweat pouring down my face and back. The air conditioning was set to more than half its setting, which, in Havana in July, is a miracle. continue reading

A woman insisted on getting on when the minibus was full. She said she could sit on the floor, no problem. But the driver responded without hesitation: “You’re crazy! Today is the second day this has been operating. I don’t know who’s riding up here, and I don’t want to be in the newspaper.”

So we set off.

The new buses are comfortable, with fresh nylon, and have a capacity for fourteen people. Luckily, I didn’t get the seat next to the door. The person sitting there becomes the involuntary copilot. Whether they like it or not, they have to open and close the door every time someone gets on or off. And they also have to contort themselves to let someone in.

The driver had someone next to him who seemed to be training to become a Foton driver. They spoke in low voices, but I heard them whispering about their daily earnings: between 2,000 and 3,000 pesos. At that moment, I felt the treacherous urge to quit my job and learn to drive. That driver earned more in a single day than my mother receives in a month from her retirement check.

Although the trip was quick and comfortable—40 minutes from La Virgen del Camino to El Vedado—I have a feeling the service won’t last long. It was only the second day of operation, and some of the vans were already starting to break down.

“I heard them whispering about the daily earnings they made from it: between 2,000 and 3,000 pesos.”

Passing by the José Miguel Gómez monument on Avenida de los Presidentes, we saw a Foton out in the middle of a roundabout, a real hazard.

“What happened to you?” asked the driver of the van I was riding in. “It quit by itself,” replied the other driver. Our driver advised him: “Don’t do anything. Don’t touch anything. Call.”

I got off at the last stop, after falling asleep with my head pressed against the window. The brutal heat of Havana’s streets reminded me once again who I am and where I live. I don’t know if I’ll be as lucky with transportation tomorrow. In today’s Cuba, making plans for tomorrow is complete nonsense.

*Translator’s note: Drivers of state vehicles are required to stop and pick up passengers at designated stops — waved down by inspectors — although the drivers don’t always comply.

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With Better Quality, the Private Sector Has Ended the State Monopoly Over School Uniforms

Unlike rationed sales, it is possible to purchase as many pieces as you can pay for.

[[Located in the central Paseo del Prado, this Monday the business and its workshop welcomed customers looking for the desired uniforms / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, July 8, 2025 — Tired of long lines, missing sizes and poor fabric quality, Cuban families are increasingly choosing to buy school uniforms in the private sector or abroad. The opening of Figuera, a private store that sells these outfits in Havana, accelerates the loss of state terrain in a commercial niche that until recently was an official monopoly.

Located in the central Paseo del Prado, in the Salón Smara de la Unión Árabe de Cuba, this Monday the business and its workshop welcomed customers looking for the desired uniforms. The firm also offers business clothing, and although its employees recognize that they do not have all sizes available, they can be ordered in advance and produced by the seamstresses.

Unlike the rationed sale, in Figuera it is possible to buy as many pieces as you can pay for

A line of about a dozen people were waiting outside the workshop to order or pick up clothing for the next school year. They did not have in their hands any document bearing the stamp and letterhead of any department of the Ministry of Education, which they were authorized to purchase. Unlike the rationed sale, in Figuera it is possible to buy as many pieces as you can pay for. They accept any payment, from Cuban pesos, through dollars to transfers by Zelle, the American instant payment system that is very popular among merchants on the Island.

There is no pushing in the line, no one shouting because someone has slipped in or because the end of some very sought-after size is announced. Everything goes smoothly because the clientele is already filtered by economic status. Unlike the subsidized sales, prices in Figuera have nothing to do with real wages. This is one of the last commercial sectors to have private offers, because the government has wanted for decades to prevent social differences from being expressed in the educational field.

In a country where the school uniform, according to level, is identical in each province, municipality and classroom, the loss of a monopoly on its sale is not a minor issue. Fidel Castro himself designed the clothing of some school grades and for decades penalized the use of blouses or shirts that, although similar to those prescribed, showed some mark or sign that they were made privately or had been imported from abroad. continue reading

Fidel Castro himself designed the clothing of some school grades

But the economic crisis and the inability of the State to meet the demand have been transforming the panorama and marking the contrasts between those who may have a new uniform every September and those who are obliged to reuse the previous one or alter the only size they have to fit their body.

“When I was in school, the only way to buy a uniform was in the State stores,” recalls a father who arrived this Monday with his children, two twins who will enter high school next year. ” I remember that in my teens I had a rash and had to go the whole year with pants that were short, because you had to wait for them to give you a paper so you could buy the next ones, and they only delivered it after the final exams.”

The sale of school uniforms in Cuba usually begins between May and June, but in recent years the date has been delayed due to lack of raw materials. Now the sale starts at the end of July and is marked by long lines and problems with sizes. Factory workers must extend their working hours for those dates and thus try to make the nearly 1.5 million uniforms planned for more than 1,000 schools.

A line of about a dozen people were waiting outside the workshop to order or pick up clothing for the next school year / 14ymedio

The textile workshop in Figuera has seven workers; six are women sewing, and a man at a table does the designs. Among the employees there is a doctor who attends to the public and an engineer on the preparation side. The fabrics are cut and sewn and will end up being a uniform for primary, secondary or upper secondary education. Everything works with order and an unusual efficiency when compared to the State workshops.

“I ordered my grandson his first uniform for preschool which starts in September, and today I am here to pick it up,” says a proud grandmother accompanied by a restless child who does not stop jumping and running through the narrow corridor while waiting for their turn to enter. “At the time I placed the order I had to pay the full amount, and it took about two weeks to make three shirts and two shorts.”

In total, the woman has paid 7,500 pesos for the set, three times her monthly pension. “I’m the one who looks after him because my daughter and her husband are outside Cuba. They sent me the money to buy the uniforms since it’s impossible with my pension,” she says. “I’m also glad that I could save myself from standing in line at the [State] store, because last year I was standing so long that I got dizzy.”

“I hope it’s strong and durable, does not lose color with a few washes and can be left for the younger children who come behind”

“I hope it’s strong and durable, does not lose color with a few washes and can be left for the younger children who come behind,” the grandmother resumes. “These look pretty good but the last word will be the use.” A few minutes later the woman leaves with a bag that includes the clothes that the little one will wear, almost every day, in less than two months.

Two women who are in line, with their respective children, praise the possibility of having this private shop. “Until now, when I needed to buy a uniform without spending days in a line, I appealed to a neighbor who brings them from Miami; she buys them in Ño Que Barato,” explains one of them. Cuba’s large emigrant community in Florida has also shaped commercial offerings in the US.

Some of the shops in Miami make their money in August with every need that arises on the Island, from coffee “with Cuban roast,” through plastic covers to protect ration books, to uniforms of all levels of education. Every year the Ño Que Barato chain sells thousands of clothes that will end up in Cuban classrooms. The red-wine colored pants intended for males attending primary school are $14.99, while a blouse for pre-university students is $10.99.

“The only thing missing is the police uniform,” jokes a friend, who finally gets her turn to enter Figuera. The cool atmosphere, due to the air conditioning, the clean table where a seamstress cuts the fabric and the smiling face of the employee complete the experience. Uniforms sold by the private sector are much more expensive, but it is clear that they do not come with sweat, tears and shouting.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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‘Cubans Are Physically and Mentally Exhausted by the Blackouts’

The music cuts out at the Cuban Art Factory and Coppelia closes because the ice cream is melted.

The regulars at the Fábrica de Arte entertain the nights with conversation, with no more air than that of their fans and no more dancing than that of an imaginary rhythm. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Darío Hernández / Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 24 June 2025 — The increasing number of blackouts respect fewer and fewer hours and fewer neighborhoods. Living in Havana’s most touristy areas doesn’t guarantee a night without power outages. This is true of Vedado, which has had power for just a few hours for several days. Even the most famous entertainment venues, such as the Cuban Art Factory (FAC), are not spared.

“The power goes out almost every day at dawn, and the power lines only give power to the bar,” says a worker at the bar, located on 26th Street and 11th Street. Without music and in the stifling Havana heat, the regulars pass the time chatting away, with no air except that of their fans and no dancing other than to an imaginary rhythm.

Many of the scheduled concerts must be canceled or postponed, the same employee indicates. The courtyard is dark, the auditoriums and exhibition halls dimly lit, mosquitoes hit the lamps at the bars—and the legs of patrons—the FAC is presenting its most subdued appearance these weeks. And not even the rebellion it displayed almost two years ago, when it launched the creative “Bring Your Light!” campaign against the energy-saving measures that the Ministries of Energy and Mines and Culture were attempting to impose on it, is of any use now.

This Tuesday, just a few meters from the luxurious Iberostar Hotel in the K Tower, not even the traffic lights were working. / 14ymedio

During the day, the neighborhood isn’t much luckier. This Tuesday, just a few meters from the luxurious Iberostar Hotel in the K Tower, not even the traffic lights were working. Sitting on the steps of the Banco Metropolitano at 23rd and J Streets, several customers waited for the lights to come back on. At the busy intersection of L and 23rd Streets, by the Habana Libre, a patrol car seemed to be managing the passage of vehicles from one side to the other, but no: the same police car was trying to make its way through the chaos.

Across the street, the iconic Coppelia ice cream parlor did have electricity, but it didn’t matter: it wasn’t open because the ice cream had arrived from the factory already melted. “It’s disrespectful,” exclaimed a mother who had come with her daughter from a distance, only to find the place closed. “The truth is, it doesn’t matter when you come; the ice cream is always served melted, and the water is hot when they serve it,” another woman protested. “This is more like the cathedral of milk shakes.” continue reading

Along with a cordon to keep people out, a candy stand—cookies, sweets, bottled water—was the consolation prize for anyone who came to the ice cream parlor.

At the busy intersection of L and 23rd Streets, below the Habana Libre, a patrol car seemed to be managing the passage of vehicles from one side to the other, but no: the same police car was trying to make its way through the chaos. / 14ymedio

In other areas of the capital, the blackouts are also continuing. “They’ve been cutting off the power practically all night,” says a resident of Guanabacoa. “Here they cut it off last night from 12:20 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. and then from 4:30 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. And now it’s from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Not to mention the fact that we’ve been without water for four days.” The woman reports that some friends claimed to have heard people protesting by banging on pos and pans “around the Amphitheater.” The situation is not much different in Cerro, where residents say there were also protests near the Sports Casino.

“I live right next to an avenue, and the silence is incredible,” says the Guanabacoa resident. “People are physically and mentally exhausted. They go to bed nervously knowing that the power could go out at any moment, and with this heat, I assure you it’s impossible to sleep.” What worries her most, though, “is that this is just beginning; the hottest months are coming.”

The iconic Coppelia did have electricity, but it didn’t matter: it wasn’t serving because the ice cream had arrived from the factory. It had melted / 14ymedio

The deficit projected by the Cuban Electricity Union (UNE) for this Tuesday’s peak hour once again exceeds Monday’s forecast . With an availability of 1,830 megawatts (MW) for a peak demand of 3,550 MW, there will be a deficit of 1,720 MW and an estimated impact of 1,790 MW.

Yesterday, according to the UNE report, “the service was affected 24 hours a day and the situation continued throughout the night.” The maximum impact was ultimately 1,760 MW, but this did not coincide with peak demand, but rather later, at 10 p.m.

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