Category: Juan Ernesto Cambiaso

The city has passed from the to-do list to the impossible list

14ymedio, Juan Ernesto Cambiaso, Panama, 23 October 2025 — With my lungs tired from blowing out so many candles on my 81st birthday cake, I find it necessary to redo the list of pending subjects to find a way to address them. It is not easy, because my physical stamina has diminished, my gait has slowed, my balance isn’t the same, and my health has sent warnings that must be heeded.

The unfinished business that troubles me most is not saying goodbye to Havana, a city I love like an old harlot who has given me unforgettable moments of intense passion. I never knew a flourishing Cuba; I could only see a decaying Cuba that, as it tumbled down, emanated the aroma, sound, and light that make it unique and unforgettable.

Havana, in its death throes, rejects that I will take it by the hand

Friends whose judgment I respect have warned me that I should not travel because the filth accumulating in the streets has caused painful illnesses, because good food is scarce, medical care is conspicuous by its absence, and the sporadic moments when there is electricity, they call it alumbrones, lights, bring insurmountable inconveniences such as refrigerators no longer keeping the little food available fresh.

Listening to and reading the information I hear and see, I gather that I’m going to have to get used to the fact that Havana has gone from the to-do list to the impossible list. That Havana, in its death throes, refuses to let me take its hand, as I was able to do with my sister Rita and my friend Juan José. It has killed my octogenarian hope of escaping from Panama in January, with someone to assist me in the farewell ceremony, to hold me up as I go up and down the stairs, as I walk unsteadily on the uneven sidewalks, as I get in and out of cars, which is becoming acrobatic. It’s sad to say that on this brief one-way journey of my old age, Havana abandoned me halfway. For me, Havana has been murdered by its worst people.

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Why is this so terrible? Why this agony of a joyful country?

14ymedio, Juan Ernesto Cambiaso, Buenos Aires, 24 July 2025 — Over the years—I’m 81—I’ve been to Cuba five or more times. From the Special Period to the ongoing extermination. I’ve logged hundreds of hours reading about Cuba, enjoying its writers, visual artists, and its formidable music. I can find no reason to have done so except for love at first sight on my initial visit, years ago, which still lingers, transformed into mourning for a loved one. It was an absolute absurdity of the finest Bohemian crystal. Its fineness condemned it to be brittle.

I saw their houses in a state of abandonment, then deterioration, then ruin, and finally collapsed upon themselves because the beams and pillars had been pulverized by the salty wind from the sea.

On my last trip, shortly before the pandemic, I tripped over a tree root that had pierced the sidewalk, creating a trap for walkers. I fell to the ground and hurt my knee. I was bleeding profusely. Luckily, I wasn’t alone, as my son was with me. Not knowing what to do, we hailed a taxi, and the driver kindly took us to the diplomatic pharmacies and other pharmacies he considered privileged, looking for alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, gauze, and adhesive tape to keep the bandage in place. I couldn’t find anything I was looking for. A young man from the Ambos Mundos Hotel gave me the best possible solution: we poured rum on it. I extrapolated my accident to Cuban citizens in general and was terrified.

I saw the most capable flee their beloved homeland first, and then those whose abilities were diminished as time went on.

I saw the most capable flee their beloved homeland first, followed by those whose abilities were diminished as time went on. Those who remained in Cuba were the least prepared, without special skills or the strength of character to face the path that sometimes crossed the Darien Jungle.

Today’s photos and videos posted on social media, coupled with the insistent pleas from friends to not even consider visiting Cuba unless I was determined not to leave the hotel due to the unsanitary streets and squares, where filthy garbage accumulated and would endanger my health, led me to put an end to my visits to my beloved Havana. The pieces of Bohemian crystal lay on the ground.

These losses rob you of sleep. And in the darkness of the endless night, with open eyes, the “whys” appear, followed by a question mark. Why this terrible thing? Why this agony of a joyful country? Are those who have governed Cuba since the beginning of the Revolution stupid, clumsy, or evil? Because the prediction that everything was going to fall apart and stop working was increasingly proven over the decades. China and Russia proved it. And the more I thought, the less I found the answer. Until in an instant, the light dawned, fiat lux — let there be light — and I understood that I had refused to see the simple answer.

Those in power were and continue to be stupid, clumsy, and evil, all at the same time. Clumsy, because they inexplicably missed the path. Clumsy, because they walked the wrong path with such clumsiness that the error turned into a catastrophe. And bad, because they have been and continue to be indifferent to the suffering of the people whom they see decomposing and suffering, without batting an eye, knowing for a fact what must be done to make people better.

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COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 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.