With Prices From 20 to 180 Pesos, the Hot Dog Place at 23rd and K Streets in Havana Reopens under Private Management

The colors of its signs, red and yellow, are the same but now it is called Lalola Hot Dogs. (14ymedio)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodriguez, Havana, 17 October 17, 2023 — La Casa de Perros Calientes (The Hot Dog House) — located on 23rd and K streets, right in front of the giant Coppelia ice cream parlor in Vedado — has reopened its doors after being closed for months. The colors of its signs, red and yellow, are the same but now it is called Perros Calientes Lalola, (Lalola Hot Dogs). A red sausage-shaped inflatable welcomes new customers.

The site, located at one of the capital’s most heavily trafficked intersections, is halfway between the Habana Libre hotel and what will be the city’s tallest highrise, Tower K. Originally, it was a state-run cafe but in the early 2000s it began selling hot dogs, which is how it got the nickname La Perreta.

“Has any Havana resident not eaten ’bread with dog’ from this place?” asks Clara, who lives in the neighborhood. “People used to line up outside Coppelia and had to wait so long that they would cross the street and buy a hot dog to hold them over. There were people there at all hours. Morning, noon and night.”

It definitely seems like they are privatizing Vedado

Tony, a Central Havana resident, recalls that the place was still in operation during the pandemic. They were selling hot dogs, coffee and a soft drink but adds, “Like everything else, it was going downhill… [Initially,] it was different. The bread was softer and they had ketchup and mustard. But later they just gave you bread and dog, without anything else. Even then, the bread was so hard that you had to throw it away and eat just the meat.” continue reading

The last time a reporter from 14ymedio visited the place was in January of 2022, when it was still in state hands.  At that point, the Hot Dog House was not even selling hot dogs. Only some ham croissants for thirty pesos apiece. Previously, when they did have the meat, a hot dog cost twenty pesos

A sausage-shaped inflatable welcomes new customers. (14ymedio)

Now, the same product at Lalola Hot Dogs sells for 180 pesos. And that is not the only thing that comes with a sky-high price tag. Juices go for 150 pesos, soft drinks for 170, energy drinks for 200, malts for 250 and milkshakes for a whopping 600 pesos. The establishment offers several types of combos. The cheapest, at 300 pesos, includes two frankfurters with gouda cheese, ketchup, mustard, and a canned soft drink

They also sell grocery store items. These include a kilo of powdered milk for 1,800 pesos, cooking oil for 600, a liter of yogurt for 500, a kilo of roasted peanuts for 1,200, and even whiskey, which goes for between 1,200 and 1,300 pesos.

Lalola Hot Dogs also sells grocery store items. (14ymedio)

Unlike when it was state-run and cheap, the place had few customers on Tuesday. “People used to come here to kill their hunger because hot dogs were very cheap. I used to come on Fridays, fill my shopping bag with hot dogs, then refrigerate them so I could eat them during the week while I was watching television,” says Ranier, who today is ordering only one hotdog. “At any rate, whoever owns this place should do a good business. Just look where we are,” he says, making a circular gesture as he points to 23rd Avenue.

Lalola Hot Dogs joins a whole string of food-service establishments that used to be state-run but are now under private management, especially in this centrally located area of Havana. Among the latest and most noteworthy are La Carreta and the old BimBom, which will now be called Bueníssimo. “It definitely seems like they are privatizing Vedado,” observes Ranier.

The last time a reporter from 14ymedio visited the place was in January of 2022, when it was in state hands. They were not even selling hot dogs, only some ham croissants.  (14ymedio)

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Diplomarket, the ‘Cuban Costco’, in the Hands of a Front Man for the Regime

Diplomarket is heavily guarded: “Yes, that looks like a military unit.” (14ymedio)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez/Olea Gallardo, Havana, 11 October 2023 — The opening of a wholesale supermarket in Havana under the name Diplomarket in December last year went unnoticed. Only an ad on Instagram for the company, dedicated until then only to online purchases and shipping, gave an account of the opening of the establishment, located at kilometer 8 ½ of the Carretera Monumental, in the neighborhood of Berroa, more than 6 miles east of the center of the capital.

A tweet last week from Patrick Oppmann, a CNN correspondent, put the focus of current affairs on commerce. “After years of having to look for the most basic products, it’s a bit surreal to see how a private entrepreneur has set up what is basically the first Costco in Cuba,” said the journalist on the network now called X, without specifying the name of the supermarket and assuring that Cubans can pay in pesos, dollars and euros, even with U.S. credit cards.

And yes, the images that accompanied his text verified the resemblance to the American wholesale firm: huge corridors with wholesale products placed as in a warehouse, the distinctive red color and, more revealing, the sale of Kirkland brand products, marketed exclusively by Costco.

In a visit to the store this Wednesday, 14ymedio verified that, in fact, the place is similar to the Costco franchise, which is in more than a dozen countries. It is also true that the Kirkland brand populates its shelves, but no more so than Goya, the largest food company of Hispanic origin in the United States, which just three years ago was involved in a controversy for defending the then-president, Donald Trump. continue reading

It’s designed for cars, and you always see luxurious cars and the rich people who fill those huge cars

For the rest, the differences between Diplomarket and Costco are obvious. In Costco, when buying wholesale, the products are cheaper. In Diplomarket, very few customers were seen with the large packages. Most preferred to buy the items separately, at stratospheric prices: a small bottle of Goya oil for 7 dollars, a small can of grated Goya coconut for 4 dollars, a bar of soap for 2 dollars (the complete package, 16 bars, $32), toothpaste for a little more. As for cheeses and sausages, prices exceeded 20 dollars, as for a large jar of mayonnaise. Tools and household items are also offered at an unattainable price given the country’s average salary.

Diplomarket does not require a membership card, as Costco does, and is supposed to be open to any customer, but the stratospheric prices and the remoteness of the location deter any ordinary Cuban. “It’s designed for cars, and you always see luxurious cars and the rich people who fill those huge cars,” says Mayca, a young woman from Central Havana who went once with a friend who has a private food business.

The establishment is also heavily guarded. At the first checkpoint, they take the data of the vehicles at the time of entry, and then there is another booth with guards before you enter the store. At the door, two individuals look everyone up and down. A large screen shows the movement of the security cameras, placed everywhere with warnings. “Yes, that looks like a military unit,” Mayca concedes.

Inside, a kind of “persecution” by the employees begins. You are not allowed to take photos or record videos, and the workers walk behind the customers watching every movement, disguising their zeal with kindness: “Can I help you with something?”

You are not allowed to take photos or record videos, and the workers walk behind the customers watching every movement, disguising their zeal with kindness: “Can I help you with something?

Mayca says that whenever she has gone she has felt very uncomfortable: “Not only because of the vigilance but because of the humiliation with which they treat you. “A lady almost had to return the merchandise because she didn’t bring dollars and thought that everything could be paid in Cuban pesos. At the last minute she was saved by her friend, who loaned her some American bills.”

Didn’t the U.S. correspondent say that you could pay in all currencies? Doesn’t it say that in the firm’s own ad on Instagram? The cashier laughed at our reporter’s question: “That’s over, people pay in cash in dollars.”

As for the ownership of the supermarket, neither does it have the same transparency as the capitalist brand that it intends to emulate. They do not indicate on the web or on the premises any clear information about what causes the most mistrust: who actually owns Diplomarket, a gigantic, well-stocked and clean store, guarded like a government enclave?

The firm is not on the list of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) approved by the Ministry of Economy and Planning. Moreover, according to its corporate website, Diplomarket belongs to an American company called Las Américas TCC Corporation, founded in 2011 and based in Florida.

The vice president of Las Americas is the Cuban, Frank Cuspinera Medina, who is domiciled in the United States. Two years ago, his name appeared as a “specialist” in a meeting between self-employed workers (TCP) and the National Association of Economists and Accountants of Cuba.

On that occasion, he told the Cuban News Agency that “this type of exchange allows the institutions to know first-hand the interests and needs of the TCPs” and that the official association was “an efficient way to raise the approaches presented at the meeting to the authorities in charge.”

This last firm is also not on the regime’s list of MSMEs, but a company with its name is: Cuspinera SURL LVI, dedicated to “providing e-commerce platform services

Cuspinera Medina, whose current address is in El Vedado, Havana, also appears in a letter that several Cuban entrepreneurs sent in 2021 to U.S. President Joe Biden, asking him to lift sanctions against the Government of the Island,  which were harming their businesses. In the letter he does not appear as a member of Las Américas, but as part of Iderod Servicios Constructivos.

This last firm is also not on the regime’s MSME list, but a company of the same name is: Cuspinera SURL LVI, dedicated to “providing e-commerce platform services.” It is also a branch of Las Américas TCC.

The issue is not a minor one, given the U.S. embargo against Cuba. As U.S. Treasury officials said, following a meeting of Cuban businessmen in Miami a few weeks ago, several conditions must be met in order not to break the law. Entrepreneurs residing in Cuba, for example, cannot create companies in the U.S. to sell their products or buy goods directly from U.S. companies. Similarly, Cuban-Americans cannot establish businesses on the Island unless they achieve permanent residence in the country through repatriation.

It is not clear in which category Cuspinera Medina, which maintains a low profile on social networks, belongs. About Diplomarket, Mayca is blunt: “It is not private.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Children at a School in Luyano Go without Lunch Due to the Theft of Rice and Eggs

The Republic of Costa Rica Primary School on Herrera Street in Havana’s Luyanó neighborhood. (14ymedio)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodriguez, Havana, October 8, 2023 — The principal of the Republic of Costa Rica Primary School, located on Herrera Street in Havana’s Luyanó neighborhood, will have to pay tens of thousands of pesos out of her salary to cover what police estimate to be the cost of eggs and rice that disappeared from the facility last weekend.

According to an employee at the school, who prefers not to give her name, six bags of rice and an unknown quantity of eggs intended for student lunches were reported stolen on Monday morning.

The employee reports that the police immediately showed up at the scene and were told by several people in positions of responsibility at the school that thieves had taken the items by passing them through a window. Upon inspection, however, the officers found the window to be too small.

Suspecting it could have been an inside job, they immediately took the principal away for questioning. continue reading

“Since neither the rice nor the eggs were anywhere to be found, they applied the law of material liability and fined the warehouse manager,” she explains, referring to the rule that governs actions by officials in charge of protecting property. “I don’t know the value of the eggs, but the value of the rice was 24,000 pesos,” she added

The 79-year-old school custodian was also subject to disciplinarian actions: a 500-peso fine and the loss of his job. “Just imagine, an old man. He could have been sleeping like a child and not heard anything,” says the employee in sympathy.

Everything at the school seemed to be back to normal on Thursday except for the fact that the children had neither rice nor eggs for lunch. Both are among the food items that have seen the most dramatic price increases in recent months.

The price of eggs is particularly shocking, selling for as much as 3,000 pesos a carton on the black market. Buying a dozen in the United States and sending them to Cuba costs around seven dollars plus the cost of shipping.

As of July, the price of rice had risen 47% over the previous six months.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Bimbom Reopens under Private Management with the Most Expensive Ice Cream in Cuba

According to one source, the place will be called Bueníssimo Soda Gourmet. (14ymedio)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 6 October 2023 — A scoop of ice cream is a good indicator of the rate of inflation in Cuba. After being closed for more than a year, the former BimBom — previously one of Havana’s most popular meeting spots  — had a sort of dress rehearsal on Friday in anticipation of its latest reopening. With a pushcart, an umbrella and a new name, Bueníssimo Soderia Gourmet will soon begin selling its ice cream at prices that startled the first curious onlookers who stopped to check it out.

“They say it’s a local business but at those prices…” says one startled woman as she quickly walks away from the cart at the entrance to the store, located at 23 Infanta Street in Vedado. An artisinal chocolate, strawberry, yogurt or berry ice cream cones goes for a hefty 195 pesos.

It already promises to top the list of privately managed businesses that have opened recently in central Havana whose prices seem more geared to tourists than to locals. According to the pushcart vendor, the store — it has been undergoing renovation for several months and construction workers can still be seen coming and going — is expected to open at the end of the month. continue reading

Its latest reopening could signal a resurgence of privately-run businesses in this Havana enclave. Whether or not it succeeds given its high prices remains a mystery

Buenísimo Soda Gourmet is the successor to the famous BimBom, which opened during the dollarization frenzy of the 1990s. It quickly evolved from a simple ice cream parlor into a destination for young people and the LGBTQ community. From its strategic location on the corner where bustling 23rd Street meets the Malecón, it boosted the nightlife in the area between the sea, the Rampa cinema and the fountain running down the rockface alongside the Hotel Nacional.

But the good times came to an end and BimBom had to close its doors. Then, in 2020, the state-owned business conglomerate Cimex reopened it, selling a wide variety of Italian ice creams that, though expensive, did sell. Unfortunately, currency unification and broken machinery spelled doom for the famous ice cream parlor. With the once desirable Rampa area around it in serious decline by the summer of 2022, it closed its doors again.

Its latest reopening could signal a resurgence of privately-run businesses in this Havana enclave. Whether or not it succeeds given its high prices remains a mystery. About a mile and a half away, on San Rafael Street in Central Havana, is Monte Freddo, an ice cream parlor with a product superior to that of Bueníssimo, where two scoops go for 330 pesos.

The portions are much smaller than those at the new place in Rampa. Curiously, however, it was exactly two years ago that 14ymedio published an article, “The Sky-High Price of Ice Cream”, on the spectacular price increases at Monte Freddo caused by currency unification. At that point, a single scoop had gone from 50 to 70 pesos. Little did we know the nightmare had only just begun.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Instead of a Day of Mourning in Cuba, a Conga Carnival a Few Blocks From the Fatal Lamparilla Building Collapse

Conga Carnival on Obispo y Villegas Streets, in Old Havana, a few blocks from the collapsed building on Lamparilla where people died. (14ymedio)

14ymedio biggerJuan Diego Rodríguez, Havana | 5 October 2023 — “Farewell, oh, oh, farewell.” The conga troupe going up and down Obispo Street this Thursday in Old Havana was the same one that every day, accompanied by stilt walkers, playing drums and singing, cheer up the tourists, always plentiful in the historic center of the capital. The difference is that today is not like every day nor is Obispo Street just any place.

Today is just one day after a building collapsed on Lamparilla Street, taking with it three lives, those of firefighters Yoandra Suárez López and Luis Alejandro Llerena Martínez, and that of an elderly man, Ramón Páez Frómeta.  And Obispo Street, where the conga is parading this Thursday, is just two blocks from the site of the tragedy, walking a little down Villegas Street.

Obispo Street, where the conga is parading this Thursday, is just two blocks from the site of the tragedy, walking a little down Villegas Street

“The dead man to the hole and the living man to the chicken”*, an onlooker exclaimed under her breath as she saw the musicians passing by, dressed in bright colors. “I’m not saying that they declare National Day of Mourning, but at least have a little respect and say: “hey, no conga today,” the lady continued.

In the corners adjacent to the collapsed building, located on Lamparilla, between Aguacate and Villegas, a strong police operation continues this Thursday, although they lifted the one at La Plaza del Cristo. When she saw the number of agents, the woman on Obispo Street said: “The only thing they are interested in is that tourists do not come to the collapse and take photos of what this place is really like.”

 *Translator’s note: El Viejo al hoyo y el hombre al pollo.  Popular Cuban phrase meaning someone dies and life goes on.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Havana Prohibits Dogs from its Beaches… Where There Are Hardly Ever Any Dogs

“The dogs left all these here, for sure”, says a lifeguard, pointing to all the empty drinks cans discarded on the sand. (14ymedio)

14ymedio biggerJuan Diego Rodríguez, 14ymedio, Havana, 22 September 2023 – Among the new measures dictated by the Havana government on hygiene and community services, one in particular has caused special irritation. It’s the one which prohibits pets or farm animals from the beach, similar to their prohibition from cemeteries or rubbish dumps, which can entail, according to the resolution which came into force on Wednesday, a fine of between 1,500 and 2,000 pesos.

The Cuban Association for the Defence of Animals (Ceda) declared its  “complete disagreement” with the article in a posting on its social media pages, as, they argue, it goes against the law’s Animal Wefare Decree. This states expressely that “pet owners should clear up their pet’s waste”, they explain in their text, where they propose that, “there can be beaches where pets are not allowed, or months of the year when they’re not allowed, or hours during the day. But it’s not acceptable to ban pets from areas where the families of their owners go to relax”.

Ceda also says that “thanks to the fact that there are people who look after the animals’ health and sustenance”, any animals that were in these locations, for example in cemeteries”, are not any “danger to society, and actually enhance the place because they enhance the sense of security, create a space that is more amenable for people and prevent us from becoming somewhat sterile beings”.

“We won’t accept that those who look after the few animals that actually cause no higiene problem are to penalised”  

In Cuba there are “millions of street animals”, the association concludes: “We won’t accept that those who look after the few animals that actually cause no higiene problem are to penalised, especially when there are no refuges nor any government solutions for mitigating the plight of so many other animals that are suffering and in critical conditions on the streets”. continue reading

Another animal activist, known on social media as Filoxiraptor, argued that: “The animals don’t mess up the beaches or their adjoining areas and I’ve never seen the authorities impose fines for non-compliance of this measure for native and legal people”.

He added also that if there are “community animals” (on the streets) it is through “their being abandoned and there being a lack of awareness about it in the country”, and that, also, “the majority of vets, because of the lack of resources, recommend actually taking them to the beach, to heal their skin problems, tone their muscles and rehabilitate them”.

When 14ymedio visited the three beaches of Santa Maria, Mar Azul and Megano – to the east of the capital – on Friday, they found no pets there. However, it wasn’t because they’d started to rigorously enforce the new law, rather it was simply because that’s how it normally is.

“It’s not usual to bring animals, because most people come by public transport, where they’re prohibited”, explained a bather, who told us he left his two dogs at home in Central Havana, but that he doesn’t agree with the new ruling. “It’ll be because of the mess that the animals leave everywhere”: he indicates with irony the mountain of empty drinks cans discarded on the sand: “Yeah, all the dogs left all these here, sure they did”.

“There’s no need to worry if there are no police about, just imagine the inspectors”, the lifesaver reasoned

Furthermore, when asked about the new law, a lifeguard suggested that there would be no problem bringing pets to the beach. “There’s no need to worry if there are no police about, just imagine the inspectors”, the man reasoned.

The article referring to pets is not the only one that has awakened discontent: the ruling also includes fines of 2,000 to 3,000 pesos for anyone not putting their rubbish into the bins in time. Comments on the official site Cubadebate demonstrate this.

“These measures are very good and I’m glad they’ve introduced them but I want them to tell me where I’m to put my rubbish when all the bins are full, because as far as I know the rubbish collectors don’t come by every day and the bins fill up in less than a day”, says one poster named Daniel. In the same way, Besteiro says: ” In my neighbourhood (EMBIL, Boyeros) it’s common for ten days or more to go by before they collect the rubbish, and with the container full where are you supposed to put yours?”

He asks himself: “What do they do with those who steal the wheels off the rubbish bins and later make handcarts with them and push them past the police? What do they do with the community workers who pull the bins off the wagons and, despite being new, break them?”

“Only mobilize the people’s awareness? And what about the others? The obligation of the Comunales as public servants and cause of this disaster, does that not count?” asks commentator Paloma, who lists: giant rubbish dumps, blocked drains, long-standing leaks, unswept streets, sewage spills, overgrown weeds, pavements destroyed by rubbish collectimg trucks, indifferent employees who mistreat the bins and leave the streets full of rubbish, and much more, has nothing to do with people’s awareness.”

Translated by Ricardo Recluso

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

The History of Cuban Shortages as Seen from One Butcher Shop

Where once “freshly cut steaks were placed to be weighed before being wrapped in paper and handed to the customer,” there now stands a faded portrait of Che Guevara. (14ymedio)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodriguez, Havana, 3 October 2023 — The truck turning the corner alerts the local residents that something has arrived at the butcher shop. Within a few minutes a line forms in front of the door of the establishment and quickly extends halfway down the block. It is not just the desperate urge customers have for a piece of chicken or a bit of ground meat to toss into the pot that causes them to act fast. There’s also the store’s broken refrigerator. “If you don’t buy it today, it will go bad,” explains one neighbor.

The butcher shop, located in Havana’s Vedado district, preserves some of the design features that were once common throughout the Cuban capital. White tiles on the walls, a wide counter and a metal gate at the entrance that allowed passers-by to see the entire interior even when the store is closed to the public. The original setup also included large refrigerators and a huge cash register that delighted children with various metallic noises whenever it was opened or closed. Of that style, only a few shreds, and the memories of its oldest customers, remain.

“Marquito had a big block of wood over there where he cut the largest pieces,” says an elderly man pointing towards a corner. He is talking about the  butcher who ran the business for decades. “He hung shanks and loins from hooks on that tube. Over there he laid out the different kinds of fresh and cured sausages.”

“My mother didn’t like to buy ground meat because she said it was food for poor people. She would turn over in her grave if she knew about this”

It is difficult to imagine the details he describes in light of the sorry state of Cuban retail today. continue reading

“My mother didn’t like to buy ground meat because she said it was food for poor people. If she knew how things are now, she would roll over in her grave,” he says.

Where once freshly cut steaks were placed to be weighed before being wrapped in paper and handed to the customer, there now stands a faded portrait of Che Guevara. Next to it is a tiny Cuba flag, its white stripes already gray from the soot coming in off the street, its star covered in fly droppings. The current butcher and his friend sit in a couple of nearby chairs when there is nothing for sale in the store, which these days is most of the time.

The cat that once lived here left in search of a place that would provide it with more opportunities to find something to eat. “He had to work harder than a mouse in a hardware store,” notes another customer waiting in line. “When I was a child, my grandmother would take me shopping. Back then you could choose between prime beef or skirt steak,” she recalls. “In my house we really liked beef jerky and we would get it here,” she says licking her chops.

A few hours later, the line has disappeared. The dwindling supply of mortadella, which is reserved for the chronically ill and young children, is running out. The butcher again lowers the metal grate and adjusts the “broken fridge” sign, though it hardly matters anymore because there is not a gram of meat left anywhere. The chalkboard listing the items for sale is completely blank.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Cubans Increasingly Anxious to Buy Gas before the Supply Runs Out

The line of cars to buy gasoline at a service station on the corner of G and 25th streets in Havana’s Vedado district wraps around several blocks.. (14ymedio)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodriguez, Havana, September 29, 2023  — “We are not out of gas,” said Vicente de la O Levy, the minister of Energy and Mining during Wednesday’s special broadcast of the television interview program Mesa Redonda (Roundtable). If his intention was to reassure the public, he failed. The drastic measures adopted by several provinces to curb energy consumption, the intentionally ambiguous statements by government officials on the program — they acknowledged the supply is “tight” – and the daily experiences of Cubans themselves have sent the country into panic mode.

This publication has received reports from Havana residents in the midst of a buying frenzy. They describe stocking up on food, candles and other essential items before October 1. According to rumors on social media and in neighborhood groups, this date marks the beginning of a “very complicated period caused by a lack of foreign reserves needed to buy raw materials from abroad,” as explained in one message posted on WhatsApp.

Later on Wednesday night, Cuban television broadcast Lista de Espera (The Waiting List), a 2000 comedy directed by Juan Carlos Tabío. “It’s so people get used to the creative resistance of waiting for days at a station and, in the process, they laugh, paint the building and do their bit of humor while they kill time,” says a Nuevo Vedado resident bitterly. continue reading

“It’s so people get used to the creative resistance of waiting for days at a station and, in the process, they laugh, paint the building and do their bit of humor while they kill time.”  

The area experienced a four-hour blackout on Thursday. “Service was affected yesterday due to shortage of generating capacity from 2:24 AM until  7:27 AM, from 9:51 AM till 2:39 PM, and from 4:05 PM till 12:12 AM,” the Cuban Electrical Union announced in its daily briefing on Thursday. Today, a 480-megawatt shortage is expected with a 550-megawatt impact during hours of high demand, so more power outages are expected.

The recently privatized bakery near the corner of Carlos III and Castillejo in Central Havana was closed on Thursday, a situation customers thought was unlikely to be coincidental. “At the moment we don’t have bread,” explained an employee. “Why would that be? Did they order the ovens turned off? Was there is no transportation for the flour?” an old man asked skeptically without receiving an answer.

The recently privatized bread shop near the corner of Carlos III and Castillejo in Central Havana was closed on Thursday. (14ymedio)

On the streets of Havana, the sense of crisis is palpable, especially at service stations. At one on the corner of San Rafael and Infanta streets in Central Havana, the line for gas was actually two lines. The one on San Rafael was for vehicles waiting for special gasoline and the one on Infanta was for regular gas.

The scene at a station on G and 25th streets in Vedado was similar, with cars and motorcyles lined up, vehicle after vehicle. “Go down to G Street, turn on 23rd, then turn again on F,” explained one driver to another, who had stopped to ask if the line was actually moving or not.

One of two lines for the service station at the intersection of San Rafael and Infanta streets. The line along Infanta is for regular gas. (14ymedio)

Meanwhile, at the building that houses the the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment in the Plaza of the Revolution district, office workers could be seen in front of fans, drowning in the heat, with the lights off. “They look like caves,” observed one passerby on Friday.

“The traffic lights at Carlos III and Infanta haven’t been working since this morning and the line for gas at Infanta turns onto Zanja Street,” a young man from the neighborhood tells this reporter.

A line of drivers on San Rafael Street waiting to buy special gas.

What is still moving forward is construction on what promises to be the tallest building in Havana — the so-called K Tower, also known as Lopez-Calleja Tower in honor of the late president of the military-run business conglomerate Gaesa (who was Raul Castro’s former son-in-law) — judging by the elevators and construction cranes in operation.

In its shadow, along the heavily traveled 23rd Avenue, another line is growing, this one of passengers. “It’s always the same with the buses,” complains a student, who cannot board one because it is already full. Upon hearing him, an elderly man blurts out, “Grow up and move to Miami.”

What is still moving forward is construction on what promises to be the tallest building in Havana — the so-called K Tower, also known as Lopez-Calleja Tower.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

A Man Dies in Another Partial Collapse in Central Havana

A group of neighbors gathered at the door of the affected home, silent and observing the passersby with suspicion. (14ymedio)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 28 September 2023 —  A man lost his life early this Thursday in a partial collapse in Central Havana. The Municipal Assembly of People’s Power itself reported the event on its networks. It took place on Maloja Street, between Oquendo and Márquez González, when the roof of a house fell off and, with it, part of the structure collapsed. They did not give any information about the deceased.

In the images released by the authorities, firefighters and other emergency services can be seen before the sun had dawned, but around 11:00 in the morning, 14ymedio witnessed very little trace of the tragedy. A group of neighbors gathered at the door of the affected home, silent and observing the passersby with suspicion. Parked a few meters away was a truck from which some workers were unloading wooden poles, the kind normally used to prop up collapsed buildings. “Can you bring me some more wood?” one of them asked the driver. “It’s to resolve a little house there.”

“Can you bring me a little more wood?” one of them asked the driver. “It’s to resolve a little house there.”

This Thursday is the second accident of this nature that has occurred in the Cuban capital in just over a week. On September 20, another man, Jorge Luis Jorrin Guides, 54, died in an interior collapse in Old Havana, specifically at number 913 Compostela Street, between Velasco and Desamparados.

Both Central Havana and Old Havana are frequent scenes of building collapses due to the lack of maintenance of old structures. The situation is complicated by the accumulation of humidity and the incidence of saltpeter.

Last March, a woman and her baby were injured in another similar incident. Discontent over the precarious conditions of the infrastructure led to a group of families on Habana Street, between Aguiar and Muralla, in the oldest area of ​​the capital, taking to the streets with their belongings in August 2022 as a sign of protest, after the roof of the building collapsed and days passed without a solution. continue reading

The event took place when the roof of a house fell off and, with it, part of the structure collapsed. (Facebook/Municipal Assembly of Popular Power)

Some buildings do not resist and end up collapsing completely, as happened in November 2022 in Refugio, between Prado and Morro, where a large operation of fire trucks and even rescue dogs was required to remove three people from the rubble.

A month earlier, in Old Havana, a girl died and three other people were injured, two women and a child. The four were trapped under the roof that collapsed on them, early in the morning, on the lot where they lived, on Sol street, between Egido and Villegas.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Beggars Resist Getting on the Bus That Picks Them Up on the Streets of the Cuban Capital

The agent snatched a bag from the beggar, who immediately ran after him, berating the police officer with loud insults. (14ymedio)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez,  Havana, 19 September 2023 — The dilapidated Transmetro bus parked on Carlos III Avenue in Havana, this Monday, seemed to be destined for what the sign on its windshield said: “Transportation of workers.” However, it was striking that a woman dressed in civilian clothes and with a folder in her hand was helping a dirty old man with a cane to climb up. The vehicle was not transporting workers but beggars. ##A dozen of them, all unclean, some handicapped, most of them black, were piled up in the back seats, as if they were prisoners.

Before reaching another stop, near San Rafael Boulevard, a man warned a needy person in a wheelchair and carrying an image of San Lázaro: “Hey, move, move, move! The bus is coming that is picking up [people].” The man was able to avoid the raid, unlike three other beggars, who were brought in by the police officer who was also traveling in the vehicle. “Come on, let’s go,” the officer repeated with reluctance.

Upon seeing the bus, half rusted and aged, a woman who witnessed the scene said: “At least they have improved transportation, I remember once when a community services truck picked them up.”

Later, in the Galiano area, the vehicle stopped again at a place where several beggars usually sell things. After boarding them, the police officer went to the Fe del Valle park, where he addressed another homeless man who continue reading

refused to accompany him. Then, the agent snatched a bag that the man was carrying, who immediately ran after him, berating the police officer with loud insults. It was of little use to him, since the homeless man ended up, like the rest, in a seat of the vehicle, which continued to lose itself towards Monte Street.

A dozen of them, all unclean, some handicapped, most of them black, were piled up in the back seats, as if they were prisoners. (14ymedio)
A dozen of them, all unclean, some handicapped, most of them black, were piled up in the back seats, as if they were prisoners. (14ymedio)

The authorities usually pick up the needy who flood the capital from time to time to take them to the Social Protection Center located in El Cotorro, known as Las Guásimas, where, in the words of the regime, “people with wandering behavior” are cared for. There, they bathe them, shave them, cut their hair and give them some second-hand clothes. “They are only here for a few days,” a resident near the center tells this newspaper. After a few days, they are returned “clean” to the streets, populated with more misery every day.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Iconic 1960s Havana Restaurant, Now in Private Hands, Is Reborn

La Carreta Restaurant, located at the corner of 12th and K streets in Havana’s Vedado district.

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodriguez, Havana, 17 September 2023 — The cartwheel in front of La Carreta is back where it used to be. The restaurant had been closed for years until last June, when it reopened as a privately owned restaurant. The cartwheel itself sat under a tree at the corner of 21st and K streets — half buried in the ground, in the heart of Havana’s Vedado district — until it was removed in November 2022. Now it is back, intact and recently restored, atop a new polished sidewalk.

To be honest, neither the cartwheel nor the establishment is anything like the ruin the place became when it was in state hands. Closed nearly seven years ago after a long, slow decline, the building was bricked up in March 2022. It made for grim sight at the time.

The wheel that served as its emblem was removed from the site six months later. At the time, the rumor that it had been stolen spread like wildfire on social media. Shortly thereafter, in November, the interior was demolished so that renovation work could begin.

People living near the restaurant, located a few yards from the iconic Coppelia ice cream emporium, watched construction work move forward at full throttle, especially in June. When asked about the fate of the well-known restaurant, the construction crew was straightforward: “It will have the same name but it will be privately owned.”

Neither the cartwheel nor the new establishment itself are anything like the ruin the place became when it was in state hands. (Photo: April 2022, 14ymedio.)

Before the work was completed in mid-June, food was being sold from a counter on the side. The quality of the service and the products – natural fruit juices with no added sugar, for example – was a rarity for the island’s depressed services sector.

Once opened, it more than met expectations. “Just walking inside is wonderful. The climate, the aroma, the service,” observes Ariel, who has been a regular customer since La Carreta’s renovations were complete. “It didn’t look like Cuba,” jokes his girlfriend Martha. “And it has been very successful. At first, it was empty, but it’s getting harder and harder to get a table. It’s always full!” continue reading

The question any first-time visitor asks is, “Who is behind this new operation?” An easy question to answer since the owner is on the premises every day, welcoming customers with a smile. He is Obel Martinez, who also runs the Mojito Mojito bar in Plaza Vieja, Havana’s historic center.

According to those who frequent La Carreta, civility is very important to Martinez. “He is a very proper man,” says Ariel. “Once I heard him tell the employees that you have to treat the customer well, that if someone comes in badly dressed, for example, you can’t tell him that he is badly dressed. You have to do it in some other way. Let him come in and see the place. I mean, that should be normal but in this country it’s not.”

The restaurant is decorated in a rustic style, with waiters dressed like Texans, politely welcoming guests. Diners are also often entertained by a professional musical trio who sing traditional Cuban and Mexican songs.

It’s true that the prices are not within everyone’s reach,” admits Martha, “but the portions are large.” As an example, she mentions the starter: “picando con guajiros” — it includes croquettes, stuffed tostones, fried taro, chicharrones, cassava bread and chunks of tamale — for 1,200 pesos. “With that and some fruit juice, you’re full,” confirms Ariel. “And the desserts are wonderful.” These range from ice cream, for 250 pesos, to more refined pastries such as the lemon and cream sandwich, for 600.

The couple describe how Obel Martinez once told them that his intention was not to do “gourmet cuisine” with small portions because “we Cubans want to eat well.”

Places like this, like Mojito Mojito, always raise suspicions. How was Obel Martinez able to set up shop in these desirable enclaves and become a successful businessman? Neither Ariel nor Martha nor any La Carreta customers questioned by 14ymedio had the slightest complaint. “We can’t say anything bad. I wish all privately owned restaurants were like this and didn’t act like they were doing you a favor.”

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Varadero Resort For Cubans ‘All Inclusive Scam’

The once luxurious resort of the Hicacos peninsular has been feeling the shadow of what it once was for quite a while. (14ymedio)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez and Olea Gallardo, Havana, 14 September 2023 – In the bus back home to Havana from Varadero, Manuel and his wife, like many other local tourists, talked about nothing else. Every one of them, though having stayed in different hotels, felt that they had been swindled; that despite the stratospherical amount of money they had had to pay for their holiday, in return they had seen only food shortages and terrible service.

Manuel doesn’t even want to remember the name of the establishment where he stayed for four nights in August and payed almost 40,000 pesos for “all inclusive”. “All inclusive? All inclusive scam. All that was available to eat every day was cod or chicken in fricassee, or in sauce, but no pork or beef”, he tells this paper. And he goes on: “The rice was hard, the soft drinks weren’t even the normal canned ones but made up from squash, and the beer was warm, with just a whiskey here or a rum there, terrible, that was all there was to drink.

So, in the end, the couple ended up spending an extra twenty-odd thousand pesos on food from other restaurants, “which in themselves weren’t any big deal”, says Manuel. Even there they didn’t find much satisfaction as the ones that accepted Cuban pesos were the ones that offered limited menus and smaller portions.

In addition, the man lamented: “The room they gave us was dirty, full of hair, with just one tiny towel and nothing else to dry ourselves on. It doesn’t surprise me that we hardly saw any foreign tourists, if they go to Varadero they’re going to be shocked. continue reading

“The room they gave us was dirty, full of hair, with just one tiny towel and nothing else to dry ourselves on”

The once luxurious resort of the Hicacos peninsular has been feeling the shadow of what it once was for quite a while. The most recent decline began during the Covid pandemic, when the country’s borders were closed and the tourist industry was paralysed worldwide, and the residents of Varadero were confined in their homes to avoid infection. The resort has not yet managed to crawl out of this hole, a hole which the so called Tarea Ordenamiento — the ’Ordering Task’* — itself has contributed to, as reported by this paper repeatedly in recent years.

Foreign tourists have abandoned the option of Varadero, says a Spanish tourist, Francisca – who travelled to Cuba in July on a tour which took in the entire island but didn’t include the resort in the Matanzas bay area. “We didn’t go there, on the advice of a relative who had just been there and told us that the beach was disgusting, with a lack of services”, she said. “And actually all the ones we did go to – Costa Verde (in Holguín) and Cayo Santa María (in Camagüey) – also seemed very dirty to us”.

In the face of depleted numbers of international tourists, hotels tried to throw themselves into internal tourism, which, viewing general commentary on social media, hasn’t resulted in a satisfied clientele. And the complaints are not limited to Varadero.

One customer of the Starfish Hotel in Cayo Largo said that the buffet at this five star establishment left “much to be desired” and she did not reccomend the place. Another said: “I’ve just come from the Starfish Cayo Guillermo and there was no sugar even for coffee, I had to bring my own flour so that they could bake me a mini cake because they didn’t have flour either, and they were using honey as a sweetener”.

A third Cuban settled the matter of the island’s beach hotels saying: “My opinion is don’t go to any of them. They’re all bad and what’s more, expensive. There’s no correlation between what you pay and the actual quality, especially with the food”.

*Translator’s note: The “Ordering Task” [Tarea Ordenamiento] is a collection of measures that include eliminating the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), leaving the Cuban peso as the only national currency, raising prices, raising salaries (but not as much as prices), opening stores that take payment only in hard currency which must be in the form of specially issued pre-paid debit cards, and a broad range of other measures targeted to different elements of the Cuban economy.

Translated by Ricardo Recluso

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Mysterious Owners of the Select Restaurant El Biky Open an Outlet in Havana Airport

A little later, some people, humble workmen, judging by their clothing, approached to read the menu at El Biky, then they left, shocked by the prices. (14ymedio)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio  Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 12 September 2023 – El Biky, the luxurious restaurant-cafe-confectioners, established nine years ago in the heart of Havana, opened a new outlet on Monday at José Martí International Airport. To be specific, the establishment is just outside Terminal 3, underneath the bridge in the arrivals area, opposite the shopping mall called Boulevard.

The establishment, which has taken a few weeks to be kitted out, according to airport staff, has 13 tables, some large some small. They were still tidying up and finishing everything off at just before 11 on Tuesday.

A little later, a few people, humble workmen, judging by their dress, approached to read the menu, then they left, shocked by the prices. The cheapest dish was “home made” croquettes – chicken or fish ones, very small, at 600 pesos; the most expensive dish was a grilled beef sandwich, at 2,700 pesos. continue reading

The lack of customers contrasted with the number of employees – around a dozen – and the busy traffic of the airport

Four female employees wearing Escasa uniforms (Cuban Airports and Services Company) did sit down at one of the tables, pestered the whole time by a small dog which was then ejected ill-temperedly from the place by a man who appeared to be the owner or manager. The women had no qualms about ordering anything from the menu.

The establishment, which has the logo El Biky clearly displayed, has three areas: a grill in the centre, a bar, and a trailer, similar to a streetfood cart. There was also an allocated place for ice cream which has yet to be opened. The customers have to order at the cash till and pay straight away, and then, with the ticket they’re given, wait for their food.

There’s only one sugar dispenser, which is shared between all of the tables. Far from the glamour that one supposes that the brand has, all the plates and cups are disposable and the sauces are served from a paper mould.

The cheapest dish was “home made” croquettes – chicken or fish ones, very small, at 600 pesos; the most expensive dish was a grilled beef sandwich, at 2,700 pesos. (14ymedio)

The lack of customers contrasted with the number of employees – around a dozen – and the busy traffic of the airport, where you could see passengers arriving on the island with trolleys full up with suitcases. None of them stopped to eat.

High prices and grandiose airs are characteristics which have been attached to El Biky ever since they opened their first establishment on 412 Calle Infanta, between San Lázaro and Concordia in 2014, at the time having the denomination of “non-agricultural cooperative”. Four partners – no one knows their names – refurbished, in just a year, an old building in the capital, which spans a large part of the block in which it is situated.

In contrast to other businesses which went under as a result of Covid restrictions, El Biky never stopped even during the worst period of the pandemic, an issue that has ever since been a source of some suspicion for Havana residents. “It has a different kind of ambience, one that isn’t typical of private businesses”, one Calle Infanta resident told this paper, saying she observes its traffic and its opulence on a daily basis.

The fact that there’s never been any lack of raw materials at the establishment, that its prices have never done anything but increase, and that its owners are a mystery… it all raises some suspicions. And now that they’ve opened an outlet at the airport – another privileged location – it only multiplies these suspicions even more…

Translated by Ricardo Recluso

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Deployment of Machinery to Pretty Up the Streets of the Cuban Capital for the G-77 Summit

A fleet of tractors and asphalt rollers is already circulating in the city, which will serve as a “background” for the summit. (14ymedio) 

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, September 8, 2023 — The phrase with which Cubans mock the partial restoration of Havana every time the visit of a foreign president is expected is accurate: “Put some makeup on the old woman,” that is, hide the potholes and paint the facades of certain “strategic” streets, while the rest of the city faces one collapse after another. This is precisely what is happening on the eve of the summit of the Group of 77 plus China, which the Island regime will host on September 15 and 16.

Traditional allies, such as Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Comrade Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, will not suffer the slightest setback on Rancho Boyeros Avenue – freshly repaired and embellished – that goes from José Martí International Airport to the city center.

“Es el circuito de la prosperidad”, rematan quienes recorren hoy la emblemática calle 23. (14ymedio)
“It is the circuit of prosperity”, finish off those who walk the emblematic 23rd street today. (14ymedio)

Neither the president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, nor that of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, will see the grotesque garbage piles that accumulate in the streets of Centro Habana or Luyanó. “The mountains of garbage are about to give each other a kiss and a hug,” the residents of Nuevo Vedado, an area of the capital, once well-off and now abandoned, ironize in front of two “neighboring” landfills. Miguel Díaz-Canel will not dare to take Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, through this area. continue reading

However, for the limited portion of the city that will serve as a “background” for the summit, a fleet of tractors, rollers, cleaning vehicles and contingents of workers, sweepers and supervisors is already circulating. “It’s the circuit of prosperity,” conclude those who travel today along the emblematic 23rd Street, which is also receiving its dose of “makeup,” before adding that “only the Pope is missing” from the city.

The leaders, gathered in Havana to talk about “development, science, technology and innovation,” will leave without going through the bitter experience of being stopped by a tense traffic police officer, imported from the neighboring province of Mayabeque to support the summit.

“They are ending the fines these days,” summarized a taxi driver this Friday, while muttering under his breath something similar to a prayer to the Virgin of Charity. His desire: that the policemen leave Havana as quickly as the the world leaders.

Los taxistas ya han comenzado a quejarse del incremento de las multas para mantenerlos "bajo control". (14ymedio)
Taxi drivers have already started complaining about the increased fines to keep them “under control”. (14 and a half)

Translated by Regina Anavy

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Without Books, Uniforms or Teachers, Cuba’s Students Return to Class Under Painful Conditions

Two girls on the first day of the school year at the Vo Thi Thang primary school in Havana this Monday. (EFE/Yander Zamora)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 4 September 2023 — The school year that began this Monday in Cuba will be the first to follow the regular calendar after the interruptions and incomplete academic years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, few starts of the school year as painful as this one are remembered on the Island. The shortage of books, uniforms and teachers, together with the high cost of materials, worries both parents and students.

“The fact that there are no notebooks or pencils was already a problem… but there are no books! How are children supposed to study at home?” laments María, a resident of Old Havana whose children have not been able to receive the necessary course material. “Not even in the 90s, when I studied, was there this disaster,” she says, referring to the crisis of the Special Period.

Getting school uniforms is also a problem. María’s cousin, whose children are in elementary school, had to ask a relative in Miami to buy the clothes from there. “It is true that for a few years there have been online sites that sell them of much better quality than those in state stores, but now there is no other possible option,” laments the young woman.

Yanelis, another mother from Havana, who lives in the municipality of Diez de Octubre with a daughter in secondary school, says that the biggest problem in her school is the lack of teachers. “They have to wait for the municipality to send a teacher to teach them Spanish, because the teacher they had in other years left,” she says.

That there are no notebooks or pencils was already a problem… but that there are no books! How are kids supposed to study at home?

Another complaint this morning, in the parents-teachers meeting after the morning assembly (the daily ceremony loaded with ideology and political demands), was the heat in the classrooms. Yanelis reports what the teacher answered: “Well, that’s up to the parents, if you want to bring an old fan or anything, that’s up to you.” continue reading

With temperatures approaching 80 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade and few windows, many classrooms become veritable ovens where it is impossible to teach a subject without a cooling device. The fans hardly feature in the official investment figures, but they are vital on a day-to-day basis.

For the rest, the woman assures, “the study material is complete, five notebooks for seventh grade students and six for eighth and ninth graders, and they say that the books, although they are used, are good,” which differentiates some Havana municipalities from what happens in the province, where scarcity is the norm. As she also explained, “these books are only going to be used for a few weeks. At the end of the month they are going to change the books for new ones, because they are going to start a different study system, which they call ‘improvement’.”

That’s how it will be, she continues, for first, fourth and seventh grade students, “because they changed the planning of those courses.” Yanelis refers to something that the Minister of Education, Naima Ariadne Trujillo, explained, with the usual official crypticism in an appearance on State TV’s Roundtable program last Tuesday. “We say that the educational system is always being perfected due to its characteristics, due to its contextual and socio-historical nature. Everything that happened specifically with respect to the pandemic could be faced in a more favorable way and in a position of success, because, one was able to work with more teachers in the preparation,” were the words of Trujillo.

The minister, who on the same program warned of the shortage of books and teachers, attributed the difficulties this Monday, during the official act marking the beginning of the school year, to the “complex international reality” and the “intensification” of US sanctions against Cuba. At the same time, and despite everything, she assured that there are “many reasons” for the country “to be celebrating today.”

Similarly, she mentioned the “problems with teaching coverage,” although without mentioning the unprecedented exodus that the Island has suffered for two years  

Along the same lines, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel tweeted: “The happy day has arrived. Back to the classroom, to classes, to friends, to the certainty that all efforts and sacrifices are worth it to see the future filled with light. Congratulations, Cuba, because, whatever it takes, all your schools are still open.”

On the Roundtable program, the minister had recognized that classes for 1.7 million students between the ages of 5 and 17 would not start in the best conditions. Thus, Trujillo assured that “notebooks and pencils” would be guaranteed, although the semester would be “adjusted” and that “alternatives would be sought to solve the insufficiency of textbooks.” Similarly, she mentioned the “problems with teaching coverage,” although without mentioning the unprecedented exodus that the Island has suffered in the last two years, largely of young people and professionals.

The provinces most affected by the lack of teachers are, the minister explained, Havana, Artemisa, Mayabeque, Sancti Spíritus, Camagüey and Ciego de Ávila. “In the East there is a much more favorable situation than in the Central and Western provinces,” she specified. “In fact, the eastern provinces have become territories that send professionals to the rest of the provinces.”

To solve the shortage of personnel, Trujillo said that they would use “all contracting variants,” such as hourly contracts, “additional loads on a professional manager” or calling on the Educating for Love “contingents” of the University Student Federation (FEU).

On the other hand, the enormous economic burden due to the high cost of materials is something that almost all families already suffer. In Ciego de Ávila, Yeisi had to buy the books and notebooks for her children because, she says, “they did not get a complete set. They were going to distribute what was in very poor condition, one per head.”

“Out of curiosity I have paused to make calculations of what it costs to dress a child for school and I have reached the figure of 30,000 (thirty thousand pesos!), without getting into the subject of snacks and extras for lunch,” explained María Padilla, posting on the networks, who continues: “This number increases as our children grow. We criticize the ‘individuals’, but the State is incapable of providing. Children whose parents do not have economic solvency feel excluded, the teasing children endure is very cruel and marks them for life. Happy back to school? I don’t think so!”

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORKThe 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.