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.
____________
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.