This October 28th, we ask for help for lost rafters, to obtain parole or to rebuild a home
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez / Natalia López Moya, Havana, 29 October 2024 — Some advanced along San Nicolás Street and others approached by Rayo, in Centro Habana, to the church of San Nicolás de Bari and San Judas Tadeo, the latter the patron saint of the impossible, venerated every October 28. The temple of the saint of desperate and complicated problems has been besieged for months by a mountain of garbage, a difficult cause that seems to have no solution in sight in the Cuban capital.
“I came to ask to leave the country, because the cost of tickets is going through the roof,” a resident in the distant neighborhood of San Pedro, in the municipality of Cotorro, told 14ymedio. He had bought a very thin green candle for 100 pesos and then stood in the long line to receive some holy water after mass. “The priest threw a lot at me; it was almost a shower. So I hope it works and that I’ll be celebrating Christmas in another country.”
In another line to place flowers and candles at the foot of an image of San Judas Tadeo, there were relatives of prisoners, relatives of rafters lost at sea and Cubans engaged in tortuous bureaucratic procedures that seem to have no end. “My house’s roof fell in more than five years ago, and although I have sent letters everywhere I still have not been able to buy all the materials I need for the repair,” complained an old woman who placed her candle and prayed for “a quick solution” to her serious problem.
In a country seized by an economic crisis that has already surpassed the collapse suffered in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union, difficult causes are everywhere. “It seems impossible to even have electricity every day,” complained an old man, who deposited a small bouquet of sunflowers in front of the saint’s picture. “I didn’t come to ask for electricity but for my two children who left for Nicaragua three weeks ago and have already arrived in Tapachula,” in Mexico. They are now waiting for their appointment for an interview that will allow them to enter the United States after registering for the CBP One application.
Throughout the morning, a sea of desperate people continued flowing to the church. On one side, nine garbage containers overflowed with waste that extended along the sidewalk and spilled into the street, forcing the faithful to avoid the bags, cartons and waste that gave off a strong stench. Around noon, a Communal Services truck approached, and four workers began to collect some of the filth. But the accumulated volume is such that cleaning the surrounding area has already reached the level of the impossible. On the scale of the complicated, achieving a clean city has surpassed even the obstacles to getting on a plane, rebuilding a house or obtaining humanitarian parole.
Translated by Regina Anavy
____________
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.
