Havana/In Baire, a small town in the municipality of Contramaestre, in Santiago de Cuba, dozens of residents took to the streets this Thursday to protest against the prolonged blackouts, food shortages and lack of drinking water that has affected the population for weeks. Although the crisis hits the entire island, its effects are usually worse in the eastern part of the country.
Around 7:40 pm, residents began banging pots and shouting slogans such as “We are not afraid!” and “Freedom!”, according to communicator reports Yosmany Mayeta Labrada. The neighborhoods of La Salada, El Transformador and Abisinia were the epicenter of the spontaneous mobilization that quickly spread to other streets in the town.
Several neighbors documented the demonstration with their mobile phones. In the shared videos, people can be seen walking in groups, hitting pots and cauldrons, and sending direct messages against the government, such as “Down with Díaz-Canel!”
The protest occurred in the midst of a blackout that lasted more than 24 hours, without drinking water and with an arbovirus outbreak that worsens the local health crisis. “More than 30 hours without electricity or drinking water, several infected by the arbovirus,” the activist said Yamilka Lafita, known on social networks as Lara Crofs, who highlighted the fatigue and frustration that motivated the march.
The authorities responded by cutting off internet access throughout the municipality.
During the first minutes, the authorities responded with the familiar tactic, cutting off internet access throughout the municipality. This has become a common method to prevent images and videos of the protests from spreading and causing replicas in other areas. The connection was restored approximately 30 minutes later, allowing several neighbors to share evidence of their discontent. Following this, profiles on social networks related to the regime usually show images of the protest sites, but already in apparent tranquility, making it appear that “nothing has happened” or that everything is “under control.”
The protesters avoided the main road to avoid police checkpoints and walked through interior streets, passing through Avenida 8 and Avenida Central (Avenida 4), until they reached Baire Central Park. There they gathered in front of the Police unit and next to the residence of Salvador, president of the Popular Council, where they chanted slogans of freedom and justice.
Contramaestre woke up this Friday with police patrols and Ministry of the Interior vehicles surrounding the main streets and parks. So far the number of detainees is unknown, but local activists fear a new wave of arrests in the coming days, as has occurred in previous protests.
The town of Baire occupies an emblematic place in national history for being the scene of the Grito de Baire
Since the historic demonstrations of July 11, 2021, popular unrest has become visible in different provinces of the country, driven by prolonged blackouts, food shortages, and deterioration of basic services. However, the regime’s response repression continues and the criminalization of those who demand improvements.
The town of Baire occupies an emblematic place in national history for being the scene of the Grito de Baire, on February 24, 1895. That day marked the official beginning of the Cuban War of Independence of 1895 against Spanish colonial rule, organized by José Martí. Although the insurrection occurred simultaneously in different areas of the country, it was in Baire where the uprising gained greater symbolic and political resonance, becoming one of the first points where patriots took up arms to conquer freedom.
That act of defiance against the Spanish metropolis became a milestone in the independence struggle and a symbol of popular resistance. Since then, Baire’s name has been associated with rebellion and the libertarian impulse, a historical memory that today echoes again in the streets of that same town, where more than a century later, Cubans once again raise their voices against oppression.
