HAVANA, Cuba. – The Cuban capital is celebrating its 505th birthday these days, in the midst of a desolate panorama. After many years without being directly affected by a hurricane, the city resisted the attacks of a powerful cyclonic organism -in reality the center of the meteor passed through the neighboring province of Artemisa, but the capital suffered the rigors of being on the right side of the storm-, which affected its housing stock, power lines and mobile telephony, and blocked streets and avenues due to the large number of fallen trees.
The city had to contemplate what it was like suspended before reaching the end of the 40th edition of FIHAV 2024an event in which the regime had placed its hopes of finding some foreign investor who would risk investing their money in the Island and thus shore up the ailing Cuban economy.
Without a doubt, one of the greatest damages that Hurricane Rafael brought to ordinary Cubans were the blackouts, which in some neighborhoods of Havana lasted for four or five days. Blackouts that joined the electricity cuts that had already been occurring before the cyclone due to lack of fuel or the breakdown of some thermoelectric plants.
And the lack of electricity has caused a lack of water in many municipalities of the city due to the impossibility of pumping equipment starting. For example, this Wednesday many residents of the municipality of Boyeros had not received the precious liquid for eight days. This causes, among other collateral effects, the absence of workers and students from their work and study centers, as well as the non-provision of services by many private businesses that are dedicated to the sale of food.
Since we mention the municipality of Boyeros, we cannot fail to refer to the resounding popular protest of its inhabitants due to the prolonged lack of electricity and water they suffer. The bridge at 100th Street and Rancho Boyeros Avenue (Independencia), right over one of Havana’s most popular craft and miscellaneous fairs, was the scene of a popular action that practically paralyzed traffic along that busy capital artery.
The population’s protests also took place in other parts of the city, where there were banging of pots and pans, marches of people through the streets and other displays of popular discontent.
Hurricane Rafael, as it passed through the west of the country, caused considerable damage to agriculture, mainly in Artemisa and Mayabeque, large suppliers of food to the capital. Under these conditions, the authorities, instead of leaving non-state marketers alone – called MSMEs, self-employed workers and cooperative members – to encourage them to provide more products for the population, have dedicated themselves to imposing a large number of fines. for what they consider “price violations.” A government attitude that constitutes a true contradiction.
A recent article in the newspaper Granmaafter indicating that from July to this date fines of more than 600 million pesos have been imposed, points out that the supply-demand agricultural market, located at 19 and B, in El Vedado – which has among its clients officials from several embassies accredited in Havana―, has been subject to price caps and heavy fines on its private marketers.
Given such adverse circumstances, it is unlikely that Havana residents will go to the Templete this year to continue the tradition of circling the ceiba tree that stands next to that facility, and ask for better wishes. In reality, the mood is not for ceremonies.
But, we do not doubt that those who decide to do so will ask that 2025 be a year of more emigration, for them or for the rulers of the Island.
